Counsel lose title
Mel’s foil bid for back-to-back wins
GOOD COUNSEL’S quest to claim back-to-back Top Oil Leinster Schools Juvenile football ‘A’ championship titles for the third time ended in disappointment in O’Moore Park, Portlaoise, on Thursday when the concession of 2-3 without reply in the last quarter condemned them to defeat at the hands of an excellent St. Mel’s (Longford) team.
The Barrowsiders had completed a double at this level in 1995 and 1996, and again in 2010 and 2011, and they went into this decider as titleholders after a 7-20 to 1-1 demolition of Scoil Aodháin from Whitehall in the corresponding final in Killeshin last February.
Joint captains Danny Glennon and Eoin Whelan, plus full-forward Kyle Rankin, were survivors from the starting 15 on that occasion, but from an early stage on Thursday it was clear that Counsel were in a serious contest.
They trailed by 0-6 to 0-2 at half-time and, although their superior physique was instrumental in getting back on level terms (1-5 to 0-8) by the end of the third quarter, ultimately the better footballers from St. Mel’s prevailed in a contest played on a slippery surface.
Counsel had comprehensively defeated St. Peter’s (Wexford) by 2-14 to 0-1 in the South Leinster decider before seeing off Coláiste Eoin from Stillorgan by 6-8 to 1-12 in the provincial semi-final, but their attacking play wasn’t nearly as fluent on this occasion.
Mel’s possessed two ace corner-forwards in Patrick Moran and Colm Coyle, while Matthew Murphy was always menacing on the ’40 and had a game-long personal battle with Danny Glennon.
Moran and Murphy got the midlanders off the mark before Eoin Whelan latched on to a poor kickout after the second of Counsel’s eight wides to open their account in the 13th minute.
Coyle responded after Gavin Farrelly did well to keep a Murphy delivery in play on the endline, but the Wexford side’s second point was only a matter of inches away from rattling the roof of the net.
It arrived in the 19th minute when Joe Devlin’s shot shaved the crossbar on its way over from a Sam Norval pass.
Counsel had a let-off on the next Mel’s attack when Patrick Moran slipped and touched the ball on the ground as he prepared to shoot, but the Longford lads tacked on three unanswered points before the break courtesy of Andrew Flynn, David Moorhead and Moran to paint an accurate picture of their dominance (0-6 to 0-2).
Kyle Rankin had drilled one shot across goal and wide midway through the second quarter, and he replaced Eoin Whelan on free-taking duties in the second period with considerable success.
The full-forward slotted the first of his three points in the 32nd minute after Peter McDonald’s jersey was held, only for Mel’s to extend their lead to 0-8 to 0-3 thanks to the accuracy of Matthew Flynn (free) and Colm Coyle.
Eoin Whelan fired a goal chance across the square and wide in the 37th minute, but it was the sign of better things to come from Counsel as they were about to embark on a purple patch.
A high ball from the left wing by Cathal Parker broke into the path of Whelan, and this time he made no mistake with a powerful shot to give his team renewed hope.
The momentum was with them briefly when a brace of Rankin frees brought the sides level by the 45th minute, but Mel’s were never headed by their opponents at any stage and they showcased their quality with such a strong finish.
It did take them a while to pull away, though, as Matthew Flynn drove a shot on goal wide before Colm Coyle restored the eventual winners’ lead from a free in the 51st minute.
Counsel created one more halfchance for a goal when Joe Devlin delivered a long ball towards Eoin Whelan, but the number nine had to stretch to get any sort of a connection and Zac McKeon made a comfortable save.
Another Coyle free, after a powerful run by Jonathan Burke, left two points between the sides, and the game-clinching first Mel’s goal arrived in the 59th minute.
Conor Smith and Ronan Courtney featured in the build-up before Patrick Moran applied a clinical finish, and the trophy was set for a trip to Longford town at that stage.
Matthew Flynn added a point and, even though Ali Iqbal was red-carded after an incident with Danny Glennon, Mel’s put the perfect seal on the afternoon over four minutes into added time when Moran set up substitute Harry Mulvihill for their second goal.
It was a disappointing loss for Counsel and mentors Kevin Kehoe, Tony French and Pádraig Kehoe, but their quest for an eighth title (after wins in 1995, 1996, 2002, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2018) looked a tall order from an early stage.
Rather than any shortcomings on their part, that was due largely to the strength of the Mel’s side whose mentors included well-known Longford inter-county footballer Michael Quinn.
It was interesting to note that their first 15 was drawn exclusively from just three local clubs – Emmet Og (Killoe), Clonguish and Mostrim – which was a far cry from the boarding school days when they rarely played a game without some Roscommon, Cavan or Westmeath involvement.
Good Counsel: Matthew Murphy (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown); Dean Kehoe (Adamstown), Seán Whelan (Gusserane), Conor Fahy (Our Lady’s Island); James Quinn (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown), Danny Glennon (Tullogher-Rosbercon, joint capt.), Bill Nunan (Fethard); Peter McDonald (Mullinavat), Eoin Whelan (Fethard, joint capt., 1-1); Oisín Mac Eochaidh (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown), Joe Devlin (Bannow-Ballymitty, 0-1), Cathal Parker (Horeswood); Sam Norval (St. Martin’s), Kyle Rankin (St. Fintan’s, 0-3 frees), Cillian Byrne (Fethard). Subs. - Eoghan Lyng (The Rower-Inistioge) for Nunan (42), also William Foley (Horeswood), Evan Cullen (St. Fintan’s), Conor Bolger (The Rower-Inistioge), Chris Murphy (Geraldine O’Hanrahans), Cathal Mooney (Tullogher-Rosbercon), Ben Keeley (Cloughbawn), James Doyle (St. Mullins), Jamie Lyng (Tullogher-Rosbercon), Ciarán McPhillips (Fethard), Cathal Doyle (Tullogher-Rosbercon), Joe Mulholland (The Rower-Inistioge), Aidan Shannon (St. James’), Jack Rossiter (Gusserane), Aleksei Kyznetsov (Geraldine O’Hanrahans), Ciarán Vereker (Glenmore), James Dempsey (Horeswood), Joe McPhillips (St. James’).
St. Mel’s: Zac McKeon; Conor Smith, Ali Iqbal, Eamonn Igoe; James Connell, Matthew Carey, David Moorhead (0-1); Jack Belton, Andrew Flynn (0-1); Ronan Courtney, Matthew Flynn (0-3, 1 free), Gavin Farrelly; Colm Coyle (0-4, 2 frees), Jonathan Burke, Patrick Moran (1-2). Subs. - Harry Mulvihill for A. Flynn, temp. (17-19), Conor Flynn for Igoe (53), Mulvihill (1-0) for Burke (60+1).
Referee: Pat Moran (Laois).