Gorey gain title in fine style
Dublin opponents brushed aside to bridge 20-year gap
GOREY C.S. ST. COLMCILLE’S
GOREY COMMUNITY School produced a stunning display in capturing the Top Oil Leinster Schools Juvenile football ‘B championship title with an emphatic 5-15 to 2-4 victory over Knocklyon’s St. Colmcille’s Community School in the final played on the astroturf at Bray Emmets G.A.A. club on Monday of last week.
Despite falling behind to a spectacular effort from Darragh Malone after only 20 seconds, it didn’t take long for the north county lads to find their groove, and eventually they had 20 points to spare to bring home this particular vessel for the first time since 1998.
Midfield partners Jack Toomey and Simon Campbell had a point apiece by the sixth minute, while a clever pass from Rian Fitzpatrick teed up his clubmate J.J. Twamley for Gorey’s opening goal on 13 minutes.
St. Colmcille’s supplied two more excellent points to reduce their arrears to 1-4 to 0-3 after 17 minutes, before Tomás Mythen strengthened Gorey’s claims when he finished soccer-style to the net on 22 minutes after Fitzpatrick featured prominently again.
And Campbell, Shamey O’Hagan and Thomas Wheatley supplemented that green flag with three points before the break as they held sway by 2-8 to 0-3 by that juncture.
Things got even better for the leaders five minutes after the resumption when Shane Flood was felled in the square and Fitzpatrick confidently tucked away the subsequent penalty into the top corner.
The only real blip on their radar was the concession of a sloppy goal from Michael Hanrahan less than a minute later, although they quickly made amends through Fitzpatrick’s second successful spot-kick after Twamley was upended close to goal.
And when the latter made inroads towards goal on 48 minutes, St. Colmcille’s goalkeeper Ryan Skelly could only palm his low shot into the path of Thomas Wheatley who rolled the rebound into the bottom corner to increase the margin to 5-11 to 1-3.
Darragh Malone pulled a goal back for the Metropolitians directly from a close-in free four minutes from time, but they were well and truly beaten well before that.
Indeed, Gorey rather fittingly closed out the game with two of the last three points, both frees from Twamley and Flood respectively, to deservedly regain a trophy that has been absent from the cabinet for 20 years.
Incidentally, Enniscorthy C.B.S. were the last Wexford winners of this competition back in 2012. Gorey will be hoping that it’s the start of a golden era of success.
Gorey Community School: Ewan Stephens (unattached); Darragh Fitzpatrick (Naomh Eanna), Conor Jones (Ballinastragh Gaels), Rúairí Martin (Naomh Eanna); Gavin McNulty (Castletown, 0-1), Rian Fitzpatrick (Naomh Eanna, 2-0 pens.), Conor Kelly (Naomh Eanna); Jack Toomey (Buffers Alley, 0-2), Simon Campbell (Ballinastragh Gaels, 0-3); Jack Higgins (Castletown), J.J. Twamley (Naomh Eanna, capt., 1-2, 0-2 frees), Shamey O’Hagan (Buffers Alley, 0-2, 1 free); Thomas Wheatley (Naomh Eanna, 1-3, 0-3 frees), Tomás Mythen (Naomh Eanna, 1-0), Shane Flood (Naomh Eanna, 0-2, 1 free). Subs. - Andrew Smith (Ballinastragh Gaels) for Campbell (43), Luke Darley (Naomh Eanna) for Fitzpatrick, temp. (46-47), Michael McGonigle (Ballinastragh Gaels) for Flood (50), Darley for O’Hagan (53), Scott Murphy (Naomh Eanna) for Wheatley (54), Cathal Murphy (Réalt na Mara) for Kelly, also David Neville, Lee Polglase, Hugh Fahey, Ben Ryan, Cian Hughes (all Ballinastragh Gaels), James Barrett, John Kenny (both Castletown), Farrell Doyle (Réalt na Mara), Eoin Kelly, Max Farrell-McCabe (both St. Patrick’s), Ted Kenny (Craanford), Shane Meleady (Buffers Alley), Ruadhan Comerford (Naomh Eanna).
St. Colmcille’s C.S.: Ryan Skelly (capt.); Evan Nugent, Scott Cramer-Walsh, Reed Barry (0-1); Cian Dunne, Ronan Long, Oisín Byrne; James O’Brien (0-1), Ciarán Duggan; Andrew Moran, Darragh Malone (1-2, 1-1 frees), Cathal O’Sullivan; Ben Lawlor, Michael Hanrahan (1-0), Patrick McWalter. Subs. - Jack Hutchinson for Barry (HT), Tom White for Dunne (HT), Alex Young for Moran, black card (39).
Referee: Noel McKenna (Kildare).