St Colmcille's complete minor double in dramatic fashion

MFC DIV 1 FINAL

St Colmcille’s.................. 0-1-16 (18)

St Peter’s.......................... 2-1-9 (17)

SEAN WALL

ST Colmcille’s impressive record at underage level was reinforced as they completed a MFC double in the space of 24 hours after clinching the Div 1 title in dramatic circumstances in this final played in atrocious conditions at Ashbourne on Thursday evening.

The previous evening the club lifted the Div 3 title following a 3-11 to 1-11 win over Killary Emmets. This latest victory saw the Delany Cup return to its ancestral home for the fourth time in 10 years.

Full credit to both sides for producing such a spectacle in such conditions and then having to go for an additional 20 minutes after the sides’ finished 0-12 to 2-6 at the end of normal time.

Such was the conditions the wisdom of holding such a crucial match under lights on a Thursday night had to be questioned while there were no team sheets, never mind a match programme for such an important game, which is hardly good enough in this day and age.

This year’s county minor captain Eoghan McBrearty kicked the equalising score for St Colmcille’s in the third and final minute of added time to send proceedings to extra-time. McBrearty then came up trumps when kicking a two-point free two minutes from the finish to give his side victory.

St Peter’s officials and supporters were less than happy with the performance of referee Joseph Curran throughout and it was difficult to disagree with them.

A number of crucial questionable decisions went against them, the most obvious was St Colmcille’s infringement of the three up rule as they fought desperately to hold on to their slender lead in the final minute.

However St Peter's appeals fell on deaf ears and the referee blew the final whistle 30 seconds later. On such fine margins championships are won and lost.

St Peter’s enjoyed the better of the exchanges in the early stages but kicked just two points and six wides in the opening 18 minutes.

Charlie Gallagher pointed them ahead twice from a free and a '45', with scores from Dylan Feehan and Joe Smyth drawing the sides’ level. Another Gallagher free edged St Peter's back in front but a McBrearty point left it level 0-3 apiece at half-time.

When a long delivery from Gallagher landed in a goalmouth puddle and squirmed past Cille’s keeper Cathal Bentley it gave the Dunboyne side a lead that they held onto throughout the third quarter.

Points from Cormac Black and Joe Smyth, who were both excellent, got Cille’s back in contention and eventually to level terms after Smyth pointed to leave it 0-8 to 1-5 on 50 minutes.

Smyth edged Cille’s in front for the first time a minute later and he then doubled their advantage before Cormac Black added his second point. The accuracy of the impressive Gallagher who operated mostly at full forward had kept St Peter's in contention all through but they trailed by two as the clock hit the hour mark. That all changed when Joel Mangan gained possession and blasted to the net to restore his side’s lead.

All seemed lost for Cille’s until McBrearty hit a magnificent equaliser right at the death.

Dylan Feehan, another of the Cille’s stars on the night, restored his side’s lead at the start of extra-time but it was St Peter’s who enjoyed a 2-11 to 0-14 lead as the sides’ changed ends for the final time after Gallagher converted two more frees and Sean Delaney hit a brilliant two-pointer.

Matthew McCloskey scored the east Meath side’s other point in the half but they took the game to their opponents in the final 10 minutes with Cormac Black added his third point and McBrearty converting a free to leave the minimum between the teams. Then came that match-winner from McBrearty followed by the three up infringement which left St Peter’s infuriated at the finish.

In addition to McBrearty, Black, Feehan and Smyth, Cillian Murphy also had a fine match for the winners while Nicholas Ehichoya made a big impact when introduced.

St Colmcille’s - Cathal Bentley; Danny McCabe, Caolan Gartlan, Dominic Duffy; Cormac Black (0-3), Alex Brady, Dylan Feehan (0-2); Ben Mullen, Cillian Murphy (0-1); Milo Hall, Eoghan McBrearty (0-5 one free, one two-point free), Liam O’Donoghue (0-1); Joe Smyth (0-5 two frees), Luke Gibbons, Calvin Haugh. Subs - Nicholas Ehichoya for Mullen 38m, Eoin Dunne for Hall 42m, Ciaran Brennan for Gibbons 46m, Gearoid Reidy for Gartlan 59m, Matthew McCloskey (0-1) for O Donoghue 59m, Sean Donnelly for Smyth, Mullen for Murphy, O’Donoghue for Feehan all extra-time.

St Peter’s - Sean Doyle; Callum Gray, Paul Magee, Shay Coone; Owen Townsend, Noah Whitton, Andrew Norman; Eoghan McDonald, Charlie Gallagher (1-7 six frees, one ‘45’); Rory Callanan, Alfie Lonergan, Tadhg Brennan; Ryan Monahan, Sean Delaney (0-3 one two-point), Joel Mangan (1-1). Subs - Charlie Mangan for Callanan 46m, Tom Hanaway for Lonergan, Evan Murphy for Townsend both 54m, Shea Mooney for Brennan, Jack Gallagher for Norman both extra-time.

Referee - Joseph Curran (St Michael’s).