Two sent off as St Pat's CS book place in All-Ireland showdown

The chance to win the All-Ireland Post-Primary Schools Junior football final remains very more a live prospect for St Patrick's CS after they defeated St Patrick's, Maghera 2-7 to 0-7 today at a windy Crossmaglen. 

The Navan side - under the management team of Mark Donnelly, Seamus Peppard and Ciaran Tierney - certainly had to work hard to get the better of their Derry opponents who had two players sent off in injury time. 

The fact that they did win had a lot to do with the enterprise and imagination they showed in working their way through for goals scored by Troy O'Brien and John Finnerty. 

Maghera finished the game with only 13 players after they had two men red-carded in a madcap closing few minutes when the Derry side lost their way. 

St Pat's, Navan opted to play against the breeze in the opening half and they did well to go in at the break level, 1-2 to 0-5, with O'Brien taking his goal well just before the break. 

Helped by a ferocious, relentless work ethic the Navan side edeged ahead in the second-half with the help of three pointed frees from the impressive James Foley (he got two in the opening half) and further scores garnered from play by Louis Collins and Oisin Keogh. 

But Maghera, stayed in contention partly with the help of four points from Callum Downey until injury time when Finnerty finished from close range to ensure St Pat's, Navan would progress to the All-Ireland showdown. 

See match report, quotes and photographs from the game in the next issue of the Meath Chronicle 

The St Patrick's CS, Navan players take to the field for today's game in Crossmaglen.