70
GAA
Thursday 25 August 2016
Letterkenny Post
Northern Board U16 Division One final
Eunan’s too strong for tough Muff side! Naomh Padraig
3-10
St Eunan’s
3-16
he shrewdly picked out Paddy Toibin unmarked at the left post to palm the ball past Kai McDonald in the Muff goal. McDonald had no chance with that one, but he produced a fantastic reflex save just moments later to punch away O’Donnell’s rocket from close range. Shane O’Donnell sent home the last point of the half to give the Letterkenny side a healthy advantage at the whistle.
Mary-Anne McNulty reports from Convoy
A strong St. Eunan’s side edged out a previously unbeaten Muff team in a highly competitive final in Convoy. A slow start for Billy Costello’s side saw them trail by nine points at the end of the first half, and though they mounted a spirited revival in the second half, they couldn’t quite peg back the boys from St Eunan’s, a club that boasts arguably the strongest youth set-up in the county. The road to the final was paved with glory for the Naomh Padraig youngsters. Imperious in their own section of the league this season, they won the Inishowen final against Carndonagh in some style in March before dispatching with Letterkenny Gaels in the Northern Board quarters and neighbours Buncrana in the semis. But the biggest challenge of all was to come on the pitch at Convoy on Monday evening, where they ultimately fell short against the might of St Eunan’s. While the Muff side has a mixture of 14,15 and 16-year NAOMH ADHAMHNAIN
C.L.G
Half time 0-5 to 2-8
Three Eunan's players close down Muff 's, Patrick Mc Cauley as he carries the ball out of defence during Monday's Final in Convoy.
olds in the mix, the majority of the Eunan’s players are 16, and this maturity was to prove vital in their victory. Eunan’s flew out of the traps from the minute the whistle was blown, and within five minutes had already dealt a body blow with a trio of points from the boot of Breen, a point from Ellison and a goal from the exceptional Conor O’Donnell.
Kevin Doherty scored a point in the middle of all this, but Muff seemed a little intimidated by their extremely wellorganised opponents, and it took them a good 20 minutes to really settle themselves and make a game of it. Breen was running riot for Eunan’s in the first 20 minutes, but his activities were somewhat curtailed for the remainder of the half thanks
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to a stoic display from Rory Hirrell, who threw himself in front of several balls to prevent further damage. With the scoreline at 1-6 to 0-5 in Eunan’s favour, a wonderful ball was sent in to Alan Clarke, but after a slight shower earlier the ball was slick and he just couldn’t take down the catch that would almost certainly have led to a goal. With both teams going at it toe to toe, the game was still very much in the balance, but there was one player on the pitch who outshone all others, and that was Eunan’s forward Conor O’Donnell. O’Donnell, who also plays soccer with Derry City U17s, was simply unplayable on Monday night, and his pace and accuracy on the right wing really punished Muff throughout the game. And it was his vision that led to Eunan’s second goal, when
The first 20 minutes of the second half were to be Muff’s finest. Denim McLaughlin was pushed up to the full forward line, and this tactical decision bore serious fruit. Points from Eunan’s pair Ellison and O’Donnell gave them a massive 11 point advantage, but if the Letterkenny side thought it was now hunting season on Muff, they were sorely mistaken. McColgan picked out Denim with a fine ball in, and he executed a deft pivot before hoofing the ball past Eunan’s keeper Eoin O’Boyle. Ellison poured cold water on Muff’s goal celebrations by responding at the other end with Eunan’s third goal of the game, but the Inishowen outfit were unfazed and set about the business of reclaiming control in earnest. Denim sent a good ball in to sub Dylan McCallion, and the Eunan’s goalmouth was frantic as first he, then Denim, had shots from point black range blocked by a sea of Eunan’s players. The ball was eventually cleared, but Johnny Toye and Aidan Ferns were strong in the centre, and Toye earned a free that was sent over by McColgan. Denim then sparked hopes of a major comeback when his long range bullet soared past O’Boyle for goal number two.
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Aidan Ferns charges forward for Muff.
Ronan Hoye piled on the pressure with a fantastic point from a ridiculously tight angle on the left, and all of a sudden the Eunan’s coach’s face started to turn a funny shade of purple as he sensed his players were starting to lose their grasp. The teams traded points during a five minute spell of real end-to-end stuff, and a goal for Muff at this point would have turned the game on its head. But the incomparable O’Donnell was the X-factor in this match, and a series of fine individual points from his boot saw Eunan’s draw away to lead by eight points with the clock ticking. In the dying minutes, Denim scored the best of his impressive trio of goals, a low strike from a very wide angle on the right. But the time was almost up and Eunan’s man Ellison had the final say with a point to seal victory. Naomh Padraig: Kai McDonald, Patrick McCauley, Ronan Hoye (0-1), Shay Davenport, Rory Hirrell, Shane McColgan, Caolan McColgan, Johnathan Toye, Aidan Ferns, Aaron McColgan (0-3), Denim McLaughlin (3-2), Sean McCauley (0-1), Kevin Doherty (0-1), Evan Craig (0-1), Alan Clarke (0-1). Subs used: Dylan McCallion, Shane Grant. St Eunan’s: Eoin O’Boyle, Conor O’Donnell, Cormac O’Kane, Donal Higgins, Sean Ryan, James Kelly, Ronan McCann, Shane O’Donnell (0-1), Conor McKinney, Sean Breen (0-3), Darragh Ellison (1-4), Oisin McGarvey (0-1), Cormac Finn, Paddy Tobin (1-0), Conor O’Donnell (1-6). Subs used: Ronan McGeoghan (0-1), Odhran Winston, Ben Whelan.