LEINSTER COLLEGES SF A FINAL/St Patrick's, Navan 1-12 Coláiste Eoin 2-8:IMAGINE IF this sort of madness were the norm. But it is for Colm O'Rourke and St Patrick's Classical School, who once again proved natural-born winners.
The principal and bainisteoir overseeing the Meath football nursery’s ninth title was probably the only person on the Parnell Park turf afterwards not intoxicated by what just transpired.
Coláiste Eoin did everything in their power to lose this match in the opening half hour, stuttering into a vicious gale, before rising from the ashes of a seven-point deficit six minutes into the second-half to pull level with 10 minutes remaining. They fell behind again, before a blockbuster goal from Marc Schutte (no Irish for that ainm) momentarily seemed to have delivered the spoils up the Stillorgan dual carriageway.
But, as the clock struck 60 minutes, St Patrick’s engineered one final attack, as all great champions can do. Cormac Noonan scampered to the left corner, drawing two defenders and leaving the most clinical marksman on the field, Fiachra Ross, free inside.
Coláiste Eoin midfielder Donal Sutcliffe was agonisingly shy of a finger-tip interception as Ross gathered and cocked the hammer, only to crumble under a challenge by corner back Stiofan O Seasnain. Stone-cold penalty.
Conor Sheridan belted the spot kick straight at Daniel O Caoimh, but the rebound fell kindly to present the big midfielder with some immediate redemption.
That was not the end of it.
Coláiste Eoin’s influential Wicklow minor centre back, Aran O Murchu, had been shifted into the forwards and, at the death, he remained composed enough to supply Maitias MacDonncha with a sight of goal. The shot flew over.
MacDonncha is by no means the villain, having accumulated 0-3 despite watching the opening 36 minutes from the dug-out. His impact, along with a goal from another substitution, Alex O Maoilmhiaigh, helped turn the tide.
“I think football at its best is at this level and we’ve been involved in a lot of these over the last 10 or 12 years,” said O’Rourke, standing on the periphery of some understandably wild Meath celebrations. “You know, whoever lost today was going to be very disappointed. It probably should have gone to extra-time.”
Alas, Coláiste Eoin will regret some all too familiar, Dublin-style over-elaboration with the ball into that pressing breeze. This, combined with the relentless blanket defending of a typically Meath-like St Patrick’s, cuts right to the core of this battle.
The opening exchanges belonged to Ross. The Syddan corner forward registered their first four points. Aided by Alan Forde’s pace and complete dominance around the middle, they led 0-8 to 0-2 at the break.
St Patrick’s looked to have lost all momentum when a wonderful O Murchu strike made it a two-point game entering the last quarter. They mirrored their opponent’s first-half demeanour by committing some panicky errors. Jude MacSuibhme had also won back midfield.
The difference, really, was St Patrick’s made fewer mistakes and dug ever so slightly the deeper of courageous teams. It was a truly memorable spectacle.
ST PATRICK’S, NAVAN: C Flynn; C Wickham, C McConnell, C Finegan; N Groome, D Maguire (capt, 0-1), S Barry; C Sheridan (1-0), C Noonan; C Fitzsimons, A Forde (0-2), P Fox (0-1); F Ross (0-4), S Gillespie (0-2), F McEntee (0-2). Subs: L Bourke for C Fitzsimons (half-time).
COLAISTE EOIN: D O Caoimh; S O Seasnain, E O Loinsigh, D O h hAodha; G O Fogartaigh, A O Murchu (0-1), J MacCionnaith; J MacSuibhme, D Sutcliffe (0-2, 45, free); M Schutte (1-0), P O Dalaigh, C MacGearailt (0-1, free); B O Murchu, S MacCraithe, P O Fogartaigh (0-1). Subs: C MacBineid for D O hAodha (7 mins), M O Duibhir for P O Dalaigh (half-time), A O Maoilmhiaigh (1-0) for C MacGearailt, M MacDonncha (0-3) for P O Fogartaigh (both 36 mins).
Referee: D Fahy (Longford).
