By: Mary Dunne
LOETB Minor B Football Championship Final
St Manchan Gaels: 1-9
St Vincents: 1-9
Despite some confusion at the end, St Manchan Gaels and St Vincents will have to do it all again as they played out a highly entertaining affair on Saturday afternoon last in the Minor B Football Championship Final.
Played in Durrow in the fine October sun, this was a tight close affair from the off and it literally came right down to the wire with a three minute injury time score from Cian Duffy forcing it to a replay.
In the overall scheme of things a draw was a fair and fitting result. Both teams enjoyed different times of dominance and at one point in the second half it did look like St Vincents were going to run away with it, but St Manchan’s never panicked and in fact they could well have pulled it from under Vincent’s noses.
Trailing by three points with fifty four minutes played St Manchan’s were awarded a penalty and rightly so. MJ Darby saved well from Cian Duffy and it looked like St Vincents would hold on, but St Manchan’s finished very well.
A long range two pointer from Jack Ryan who really has become an expert in these scores and a late score from Cian Duffy drew it level and it appeared we were heading for extra time.
After some deliberations it was decided that it would be a replay and in the end both sides live to see another day.
The scoring was hard to come by for long spells and by the 16th minute the scores read 0-1 each after Deasún McNamee and Cian Duffy traded scores.
A free from Sean O’Connor saw St Manchan Gaels take the lead on the 17th minute and from there St Manchan’s took over completely.
Dominating possession in the middle of the field, the launched unmerciful pressure on the St Vincents defence and it wasn’t long until it turned into scores.
Kody Molloy hit over a nice score on the 21st minute and then with a brilliantly worked move they attacked again with Cian Duffy landed in a massive ball. It bounced in front of the St Vincents goal and really it should have been cleared, but with Sean O’Connor on hand he drove it to the net. St Manchan Gaels now 1-3 to 0-1 clear twenty three minutes in.
St Vincents were well and truly rattled but they soon regrouped and for the remainder of the half it was all them.
Gaining a lot of vital possession they soon started to get into their groove. Deasún McNamee landed another score and their second of the game, but there was more to come and with a fine goal Jack Kelly brought it back to a one point game, 1-3 to 1-2 with a minute to the break.
There was still a chance for another score before the interval and it was Bríon McNamee who added the final score of the half, to leave the sides deadlocked at 1-3 each and a game all to play for.
Conor O’Sullivan hit over the opening score of the restart and gave St Vincents the lead for the first time, but it was a lead that wasn’t set to last with two scores from Cian Duffy one from a free saw St Manchan’s take the lead again, 1-5 to 1-4 with forty minute play.
It was real end to end stuff and the scoring was now a premium with Aaron Mangan drawing the sides level again forty one minutes in.
Paddy Burns hit over a superbly struck two pointer free and with a follow up free from Conor O’Sullivan it was St Vincents who were now three clear 1-8 to 1-5 with forty five played.
Controlling a lot of the play they Ballycommon, Cappincur, Daingean and Kilclonfert amalgamation really should have push on from there, but St Manchan’s also an amalgamation of Ballycumber, Doon Erin Rovers and Tubber had more to say about it.
Sean O’Connor brought it back to a two point game with eleven minutes of normal time to play, but with another free Conor O’Sullivan St Vincents were three clear again 1-9 to 1-6.
It was then that St Manchan Gaels took over again and with Cian Duffy stepping up the penalty spot, his shot was saved well by MJ Darby and it looked like St Vincents were off the hook.
But for the remainder of the game spurred on by a huge support they had more to come. Jack Ryan gave them a massive lifeline with a superbly struck two pointer and with sixty on the clock there was one between the sides 1-9 to 1-8.
St Vincents pushed hard to hold on, but it was St Manchan Gaels who had the final say thanks to Cian Duffy and forcing the game to a replay. The final scores reading 1-9 each.
The Scorers
St Manchan Gaels: Cian Duffy 0-4 (0-1 Free), Sean O’Connor 1-2 (0-2 Frees), Jack Ryan 0-2 (TPF), Kody Molloy 0-1.
St Vincents: Jack Kelly 1-0, Conor O’Sullivan 0-3 (Frees), Deasún McNamee 0-2, Paddy Burns 0-2 (TPF), Aaron Mangan 0-1, Bríon McNamee 0-1.
The Teams
St Manchan Gaels: Jack Ryan; Noah Tierney, Liam Ryan, Sean Doherty; Oisin Mooney, Cathal Carroll, Barry Bradley; Tomas Carroll, Evan Daly; Jack McGuinness, Kody Molloy, Josh Browne; Sean O’Connor, Cian Duffy, Daithi Shirley.
Subs: Cian Bracken for Sean Doherty (48 mins), Daniel Maloney for Liam Ryan (inj. 53 mins), Liam Ryan for Daithi Shirley (58 mins).
St Vincents: MJ Darby; Dara Flanagan, Callum Brennan, Dylan Dunne; Aaron Mangan, Tadgh Kelly, James Geraghty; Paddy Burns, Robbie Minnock; Shane Lawless, Dara O’Sullivan, Deasún McNamee, Conor O’Sullivan, Bríon McNamee.
Referee: Stephen Connolly (Kilcormac/Killoughey).
