Jocks sign off with some silverware after thrilling final
4-9 2-10
NAOMH Mairtin Under 16s signed off with silverware after a thrilling victory over St Patrick’s in an enthralling tie at Darver.
Although they were playing into a stiff wind in the opening half, midfielder Evan Whelan set the tone for his man of the match performance with the opening point inside 20 seconds.
The Mairtins were in the ascendancy but a spurned goal chance invited Pats into the match and they chalked up three points before Sean Healy replied.
By midway, the Pats struck two rapid fire goals and a point, which had the Martins on their knees.
But Whelan was having none of it and a rampaging run from the middle ended with a finely struck goal. Within minutes he was back in the box finishing a move soccer style to the net to reduce the eight point deficit to just two.
Sean Faulkner then burst through from centre half to close the gap at one.
In the 25th minute the Mairtin’s first recovery was complete when Thomas Rooney cut inside his man to finish left-footed to the bottom corner.
The response from the Peninsula outfit was swift as four points on the bounce left them two points up - 2-8 to 3-3 - at the interval.
A brace of early points from full forward Sean Healy levelled matters after the break and the Jocks hit the front when their top scorer for the season, Thomas Clarke, converted a free.
A free from Rooney followed to increase the lead and they were soon three points up when midfielder Adam Booth slotted over from a Jamie Winters pass.
With the game in the melting pot the clincher came after some quick-thinking by Neil Holdcroft, who punished a close in foul with a quickly executed free that sent the foraging Booth through on goal. The big midfielder was calmness personified executing a cool finish to the net.
Another exquisite point from sharp-shooter Healy soon after more or less ended the affair with the gap now eight points.
The Pats didn’t go quietly and laid siege to the Mairtin’s goal in the closing minutes but Joe Gordon and James McCabe-Bohill and the heroic half-back line of Callanan, Faulkner and Byrne limited them to just two points.
When the final whistle sounded the Monasterboice men were good value for their five-point victory. Jubilant scenes ensued in the wind and rain afterwards as Thomas Rooney collected the 1B trophy from Minor Board Chairman Peter Moore, the team’s first taste of silverware since they carried home the Division 3A cup back in 2013.