Drama all the way as Colaiste na Mi secure place in final
Dean Halpin
A Brandon O’Callaghan goal two minutes from the end of extra-time in a whirlwind end-to-end encounter on Tuesday - dubbed 'The Battle of the Johnstowns' - saw Coláiste na Mí shade the verdict (4-3) over their Kilkenny counterparts and send the Navan school through to their first ever appearance in an FAI Schools' Leinster final.
After letting a two-goal lead slip away entering the final quarter, no spectator in attendance at the Clane United A.F.C. grounds could call the Navan boys’ work ethic or resilience into question as they managed to weather the Coláiste Mhuire storm and steer the game towards extra-time.
There, Colaiste na MI's overall composure and the strength off their bench ensured that a penalty-shootout wasn’t necessary.
In a game of many momentum shifts, it was Coláiste Mhuire who started off the better when their ever-imposing striker Regan Downey broke clear of the offside trap on nine minutes, latching onto Jimmy Cleere’s pass to fire his side in front.
This early concession seemed to kickstart CNM into life, beginning a rip-roaring ten-minute spell which yielded three goals for the Meath school. Their first came in the aftermath of Jan Weselowski’s turnover in defence, allowing him to deliver a pinpoint ball down the right flank into the path of Carlos Vazquez del Rio’s cutting run who calmly finished to the bottom corner on 13 minutes.
Five minutes later, a corner on the right won by the industrious Weselowski was delivered to the back post by Alan Istrati - and Johnathon Rice duly headed to the roof of the net.
Almost immediately afterwards, some great team interplay involving Liam Herbert, Weselowski and Kyle Connolly preceded the latter’s perfectly weighted ball which teed up striker Conor Hannigan to propel CNM into two-goal lead.
Indeed, Hannigan was unlucky in failing to extend this lead moments later, when his audacious chipped effort over the opposition ‘keeper dropped agonisingly wide of the target.
Although the Meath school largely dictated play for the remainder of the half, a lapse in concentration allowed Downey in to poach his second of the afternoon and reduce CNM’s lead to one just before the short whistle sounded.
The second-half developed into an exciting yet tense affair with both sides largely rueful of chances squandered throughout. Tyler Farrell pulled off a couple of glorious stops in the CNM goal, including a double save, although he could do nothing to prevent Coláiste Mhuire’s equaliser when Eoin Sheppard pounced to send home Cleere’s cross.
With scores now tied at 3-3, it looked as if the game was slipping out of CNM’s grasp when Vazquez struck the crossbar moments later, but the experience of Conor Errity, Seán O’Connell and player-of the-match Killian McCarrick did well to tighten the team’s defensive structure to ensure a fourth concession never materialised.
In a balanced, tentative extra-time, CNM’s substitutions ultimately proved decisive. With penalties looming, Herbert’s elusiveness on the ball dragged the Coláiste Mhuire defence out of position, giving O’Callaghan the space to run into to take a touch from Herbert’s pass and arrow his shot across goal to the corner of the net.
A heart-breaking finish for the Kilkenny side, but CNM prevailed to book their ticket for a final showdown with Killinarden C.S., Tallaght.
Colaiste na Mi - Tyler Farrell, Jan Weselowski, Alan Istrati, Conor Errity, Seán O’Connell, Kyle Connolly, Carlos Vazquez del Rio, Killian McCarrick, Conor Hanigan, Liam Herbert, Jonathon Rice. Subs - Alex Quigley for Connolly; Matthew Broe for Rice; Brandon O’Callaghan for Vazquez; Muddasser Khan.
Coláiste Mhuire - Lee Norton, Jayme Thornton, Evan Ryan, Paddy Cullen, Shane Shortall, Thomas Meaney, Jason Kelly, Jimmy Cleere, Regan Downey, Eoin Sheppard, Eoghan Sumner. Subs - Luke Phelan, Trystan Keane, Simon Comerford, Craig Barnaville, Niall Mackey.