Porter picks spot!
Golden goal guides Counsel to title
GARY PORTER cracked home the winning goal 13 minutes from time as Good Counsel College battled their way to the Top Oil South Leinster Schools Junior ‘A’ football championship title in the Carlow Training Centre in Fenagh on Friday.
It was a finish worthy of winning any game. Calum Gamble had the opportunity to potentially knock a ‘45 over the bar, but even going down wind it can be tough to get the required connection.
There was power in the St. James’ clubman’s kick but it lacked elevation - no problem for Porter. The key to the winning goal was how cleanly the Rathgarogue-Cushinstown forward took control of possession, allowing him to create the separation necessary in a crowded goalmouth.
Not that the finish was easy. There was distance to deal with, multiple bodies between Porter and goal, and there was a ‘keeper who had only just made a cracking save from Sam Norval to give Counsel the ‘45 in the first place.
Yet none of those mattered when the ball left Porter’s right boot and arrowed directly into the top left corner of Clane’s net, equally around six inches from both post and crossbar. Good Counsel still had to battle to the end but their opponents never got back on terms.
The New Ross school were excellent against a strong first-half gale, going in at the interval trailing by just a point (0-5 to 0-4).
They were a little slow to get their mojo back after the resumption but there was no arguing against the fact that they were deserved winners in the end.
The first 30 minutes were tense, hard-hitting and very much controlled. Good Counsel certainly didn’t want any part of an open, end-to-end game against the significant disadvantage the elements posed and, for the most part, they did a superb job of playing it on their terms.
Defensively they did excellently in limiting Clane to five points.
They had three of those after just seven minutes, so to play the remaining time, allowing just two more points, was a truly remarkable effort.
The discipline they showed in defence was vital, as it would have been easy to get lazy in the tackle and give away seven or eight scorable frees. They did give away one in the fourth minute that Oisín Tighe converted but learned their lesson.
Darragh Swords and Oisín O’Sullivan made it 0-3 to nil, but Good Counsel started to settle when Conor Foley converted after the excellent Cathal Parker was fouled. Adam Fanning made it 0-4 to 0-1 in the 17th minute, but the New Ross school chipped away at the deficit.
Having adjusted to the conditions and tempered their eagerness to get shots away from low percentage positions, Gamble and Kyle Rankin raised white flags.
Fanning made it 5-3 but Eoin Whelan kicked a peach of a free with the last action of the half to leave the minimum in it.
The intensity slipped at the start of the second period for Good Counsel and it allowed Clane to establish a 0-7 to 0-4 advantage in a couple of minutes. However, after building up their head of steam again, the scores started to flow.
Darby Purcell and Foley got their side within one. The impressive Izec Jamirah responded but two more quick points from Parker and Rankin levelled the game at 0-8 each. Belief was flowing through Good Counsel and it soon told.
Norval took the correct option in the 46th minute, going for goal when Porter sent him into the clear, but Adam Farrell made a strong save. However, there was no stopping Porter’s sensational finish from the resulting ‘45.
Whether it was the tiredness or just a little inexperience, Good Counsel lost their way after that and were hanging on for most of the final quarter.
Fanning and J.P. Gill narrowed the gap to one in added-time, but Conor Foley responded with a remarkable individual score in the 63rd minute.
There was still another two minutes to survive but Good Counsel were able to keep the door closed at the back and take a deserved South Leinster crown. They will meet the winners of Dublin and North Leinster in the coming weeks and will be full of confidence for the provincial decider.
Good Counsel: Mikey Kirwan (Glenmore); Kevin Dunleavy (Adamstown), Billy Reid (Glenmore), Jake Molloy (Fethard); Cathal Parker (Horeswood, 0-1), Danny Glennon (Tullogher-Rosbercon), Eoin O’Brien (The Rower-Inistioge); Eoin Whelan (Fethard, 0-1 free), Rúairí Delaney (The Rower-Inistioge); Shane Culleton (Gusserane), Conor Foley (Horeswood, capt., 0-3, 2 frees), Darby Purcell (Sarsfields, 0-1 free); Calum Gamble (St. James’, 0-1), Gary Porter (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown, 1-0), Kyle Rankin (St. Fintan’s, 0-2). Subs. - Alan Kehoe (Horeswood) for Dunleavy (34), Sam Norval (St. Martin’s) for Culleton (43), also Cillian Doyle (Davidstown-Courtnacuddy), Cillian Byrne (Fethard), Charlie Phelan (Glenmore), Cathal Mooney (Tullogher-Rosbercon), Eoin Kennedy (Tullogher-Rosbercon), Gary Kennedy (Cloughbawn), Seán Whelan (Gusserane), Peter McDonald (Mullinavat), Oisín Mac Eochaidh (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown), Joe Devlin (Bannow-Ballymitty), James Quinn (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown), Adam Harris (Horeswood), Michael Mulligan (Gusserane), Tadhg McDonald (Adamstown), Callum Arthurs (Tullogher-Rosbercon), Oisín Hayes (Davidstown-Courtnacuddy), Michael Hendrick (Tullogher-Rosbercon).
Scoil Mhuire: Adam Farrell; Seán Malone, Daire O’Doherty, Alex Kehoe; Cathal McKennedy (joint capt.), Jake Burke, Marc Gibbons; Darragh Swords (0-1), Izac Jamirah (0-1), Seán Tighe (0-1), Adam Fanning (0-3), Seán Sheridan; Oisín O’Sullivan (0-1), Oisín Tighe (0-1 free), J.P. Gill (0-2 free). Subs. - D.J. Percival for Tighe (55), Rossa Hallisey for Sheridan (59).
Referee: Pat Moran (Laois).