Last of the Coiste na nOg finals are covered
Ballynastragh take title with late goal
A TIM IVERS goal deep into additional time saw Ballynastragh Gaels steal a dramatic victory over a shattered St. Mogue’s (Fethard) side in this excellent Gorey Guardian Under-15 football Premier championship final in St. Patrick’s Park, Enniscorthy, on Saturday.
When the game seemed to be heading for extra-time, the north Wexford side managed to launch one last-ditch attack.
A long ball was delivered to the right of goal which broke off goalkeeper Shane Finn-Butler and corner-forward Daniel Bolger.
Just when the opportunity seemed to be lost, defender Ivers appeared to the right of goal to win possession and deliver a ball from an acute angle across the square and into the opposite corner of the net for what proved a dramatic winning effort.
St. Mogue’s hadn’t time to launch an attack to rescue the game as referee Brendan Martin called full-time on the kick-out, leaving their players shattered.
They had their opportunities during the course of the 60 minutes, but missing six scoreable frees, three in each half, came back to haunt them.
Still, the manner in which they kept responding saw them draw level with an excellent Seán Nunan point two minutes from the end. Such was their heroic effort that few would have begrudged them taking the game into extra-time.
Ballynastragh Gaels will be the first to admit that they had considerable luck on their side. Having led by one point at the interval, they came under heavy pressure in the third quarter as the Fethard boys dominated the game to lead by 0-6 to 0-4.
And the gap would have been considerably greater had they turned their opportunities both from frees and play into much-needed scores.
Somehow, Ballynastragh Gaels managed to haul themselves back into the game, which looked to have slipped away from them.
Two goals in a four-minute spell from full-forward Cathal Murphy, the first on 40 minutes, with the second arriving four minutes later, proved crucial as it helped them turn a two-point deficit into a two-point lead entering the final quarter.
It still took that dramatic Ivers intervention in additional time to separate the sides, in a final that was a fitting climax to the Coiste na nOg season.
Through an even first-half it was a question of which side would avail of their chances. Seán Hughes (free) and Cathal Murphy had the eventual winners leading by 0-2 to nil after eight minutes, with a further Hughes free extending that advantage three minutes later.
Seán Nunan got Fethard off the mark with a fine point in the 14th minute.
The Kilanerin/Tara Rocks combination responded with a Daniel Bolger point, but two huge Eoin Whelan points, one from a free, left the minimum separating the sides at the interval (0-4 to 0-3).
St. Mogue’s played some quality attacking football through the third quarter, leading to excellent scores from Seán Nunan, Jake Molloy, and an Eoin Whelan 40-metre free, pushing them into a 0-6 to 0-4 lead after 37 minutes.
Three minutes later came the game’s opening goal when, following a lightning counter-attack, Cathal Murphy got possession to power home a superb 14-metre shot to the net, leaving his side leading by 1-4 to 0-6.
When Murphy blasted in a further goal four minutes later, giving his side a two-point advantage (2-4 to 0-8) to take into the final quarter, the game was still very much in the balance.
The sides continued to trade points, and when a superb Nunan point two minutes from the end brought the sides level, extra-time beckoned, until Ivers took centrestage with that dramatic late winning goal.
Ballynastragh Gaels: Eoin Blanchfield; Ben Ryan, Craig Grannell, Ultan O’Donovan; Micheál McGonigle, Andrew Smith, Tim Ivers (1-0); Cian Hughes, Seán Hughes (0-3, 2 frees); Lee Polglaze, Brendan Bolger (0-1), Josh White; Daniel Bolger (0-1), Cathal Murphy (2-1), Luke Leavy. Subs. - Dylan Nash for O’Donovan, Oisín Byrne for Leavy, also Shane Kelly, Pádraig Jones, Noah Maher, Adam Fadian, Paddy Higgins, George Tutty, Ben Rothwell, Billy Trafford, Karim Boukima.
Fethard: Shane Finn-Butler; Cian Swan, Conor McLoughlin, Bill Nunan; Cillian Byrne, Ciarán Dunne, Robbie Molloy; Adam O’Grady, Jake Molloy (0-3, 1 free); Seán Nunan (0-3), Eoin Whelan (0-6, 3 frees), Cian Molloy; Kyle Baker, Morgan Ellis, Conor Folan. Subs. - Darren Roche, Pádraig Gleeson, Eoin McLoughlin, Max Nunan, Tomasso Hickey.
Referee: Brendan Martin (Ballyhogue).