St Mary's 1-8 Athlone CC 0-8:Reigning All-Ireland champions, St Mary's, Edenderry, were pushed all the way by Athlone Community College in a niggly Leinster Colleges senior football A quarter-final on the all-weather pitch at St Loman's Lakepoint Park, Mullingar, yesterday afternoon, with the Offaly school eventually emerging victorious by a three-point margin.
A goal in the first minute of injury-time at the end of the first half by the outstanding player on view, Cian McMonagle, ultimately proved to be the crucial score of a hard-fought contest.
This put the Hogan Cup holders ahead at the break by 1-3 to 0-4. The tit-for-tat scoring continued on the change of ends with both sides forced to spring an injured key player from the bench.
Of the pair, Edenderry’s Ruairí McNamee was influential during the last quarter, while Athlone’s Brian Shaughnessy was unable to stamp his class on proceedings, leaving St Mary’s as deserving winners.
ST MARY’S: C Hurley; A Mahon, M Kearney, D Leech; S Doran (0-1), S Moriarty, D Kennedy; R Caffrey, L Flynn; M Cleere, C McMonagle (1-4, three frees), P Connolly (0-1); I McKeon, O Lawton (0-1), D Pyke. Subs: G Doran for Kennedy (30), J Morrin for Lawton (30+2), R McNamee (0-1) for Connolly (45).
ATHLONE CC: E Slevin; M Flannery, M Darling, Kenny Dolan; M McMahon, K Bannon (0-1), Keith Dolan; S Farrell, R Connellan; E McCormack (0-4, three frees, 45), R Daly 0-2, free), E Fallon (0-1); C Mulry, J Quinn, K O’Beirne. Subs: E Kearney for O’Beirne (inj, 28), B Shaughnessy for Kenny Dolan (47), J Anders for Fallon (inj, 58). Referee: C Dourneen (Cavan).
