Sport

Hynes strikes late

Louth SFC Final St Patrick's 3-7 St Mary's 0-16 Shane Hynes's spectacular injury-time goal earned St Patrick's a second bite…

Mon Sept 22 2003 - 01:00

Louth SFC Final St Patrick's 3-7 St Mary's 0-16 Shane Hynes's spectacular injury-time goal earned St Patrick's a second bite at winning the Louth senior football championship title in next Saturday's replay at St Bridget's, Dundalk (5.45).

St Patrick's looked buried under the weight of Niall Sharkey's 12-point display for St Mary's, Ardee.

Trailing by four points, a Ray Finnegan point two minutes from time kept St Patrick's fading hopes alive before substitute Hynes grabbed the dramatic equaliser with a 25-yard shot into the top corner of goalkeeper Peter Duffy's net.

St Patrick's started well and led 0-3 to no score after just three minutes. The Ardee side responded well, however, with Niall Sharkey scoring four points and Mark Leavy one as they led 0-5 to 0-3 after 14 minutes.

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However, a blunder by their goalkeeper Peter Duffy in apparently stepping over the line with the ball following a Damian Connor shot allowed St Patrick's to regain the lead on 17 minutes.

There was no element of luck attached to Connor's second goal in the 24th minute, however, as he wrong-footed the defence to shoot low to the net stretching his side's lead to 2-4 to 0-6.

Duffy made amends for his earlier slip in saving brilliantly from corner forward Darren Kirwan on the stroke of half-time. Nonetheless St Patrick's led at the break, 2-5 to 0-8.

Upon the restart, St Patrick's could not regain their rhythm and a Damian Connor pointed free on 40 minutes was their only return until those two late scores which earned them a draw.

ST PATRICK'S: S Connor; D Finnegan, C Goss, O Zamboglou; J Holland, P Mallon, S Finnegan; J Holland, P Keenan (0-1); E Carroll, P Devane (0-1), R Finnegan (0-1); D Connor (2-1, one free), S White, D Kirwan (0-3). Subs: S Hynes (1-0) for E Carroll (39 mins); J Keenan for S White (41 mins); D White for S Finnegan (46 mins).

ST MARY'S: P Duffy; N Carroll, P Malone, H Diamond; B McCoy, B Keenan, R Carroll; R Keenan, A McKenny; G Quinn, M Leavy (0-1), E Grey; B Sharkey, A Doherty, N Sharkey (0-12, six frees, one 45). Subs: D Clarke (0-3) for G Quinn (27 mins); D Duffy for A McKenny (35 mins); J Callan for B Sharkey (44 mins).

Referee G Connor (Geraldines).