Hughes holds nerve
Coláiste Bhríde reach final after dramatic clash
COLÁISTE BHRÍDE COL CH MHANTÁIN 2-14 2-13
A late Conor Hughes free secured Coláiste Bhríde Carnew’s passage through to the Wicklow Schools Senior ‘A’ Football Championship final at the expense of a gallant Coláiste Chill Mhantáin in a dry but bitterly cold Ballinakill on Thursday afternoon last.
Underneath fluffy marshmallow clouds a frantic battle developed on the pitch that saw the momentum swing in favour of the team shooting towards the roadside goals in each alternating half of normal time and the extra-time that was required after Hughes had drawn the sides level following a stunning revival by Coláiste Chill Mhantáin.
Ill-discipline would be the rock that the Wicklow town students’ challenge would perish when all was said and done. A black card for Ross Quinn after a foul on Cillian McDonald at the end of the third quarter was a tough blow for Coláiste Chill Mhantáin to take but a straight red card for full-forward and scorer-in-chief Eoin Doyle not long after he had scored the point of the day off his left boot was the fatal blow that would come back to bite when referee Darragh Byrne blew the final whistle after 80 minutes of hectic action.
Doyle remonstrated with the Ballymanus official after a decision and whatever was said it sent the man in the middle reaching for the red card and the game was changed irrevocably. Gone was Coláiste Chill Mhantáin’s main scoring threat and although Sean Coffey filled that role with some aplomb in extra-time it can’t be overstated how much of a loss the Wicklow Minor star was to the cause.
At the end of the first half of normal time it was looking as if Coláiste Bhríde just had to canter through the second 30 to secure their place in the county decider against either St Kevin’s Dunlavin or Avondale CC as Pat Nolan’s side led by 2-7 to 0-3 with all of Coláiste Chill Mhantáin’s scores coming from the boot of Doyle from placed balls as they struggled to break down a defence marshalled by the outstanding Tom Mordaunt at full-back.
Coláiste Bhríde got the perfect start when Owen Young buried the ball past Andy Nolan after just two minutes and when the corner-forward flicked a neat ball over the head of the Coláiste Chill Mhantáin goalkeeper’s head after 24 he had helped open up a 2-3 to 0-3 lead with Shane Browne, Joe Conroy and the busy Brendan Tobin accounting for their white flags.
Coláiste Bhríde were in full control more or less at the break but they had enjoyed whatever breeze there was although it certainly wasn’t a major factor in their superiority on the scoreboard.
Coláiste Chill Mhantáin’s recovery in the second half was outstanding and it began with Eoin Doyle swinging over the first point after a foul on Dylan Kavanagh by Cian O Tuama who earned a yellow card from Darragh Byrne.
Substitute Joe O’Shea and Eoin Doyle added points in rapid succession and when Dylan Kavanagh pointed after good work by Ross Quinn there were just two goals between the sides at 2-7 to 0-7 and almost 25 minutes left.
The tide had completely turned at this stage. Coláiste Bhríde were coughing up possession far too easily and the hunger of Noah Sheridan, Mark Whelan, Malachy Stone, and Toby Flood were causing the Carnew students plenty of trouble all over the field.
Dylan Kavanagh made it a fivepoint game but you sensed that a goal was coming for the Coláiste Chill Mhantáin side and it duly arrived when the Coláiste Bhríde defence were criminally slow in clearing a ball and it broke to Eoin Doyle who planted it in the bottom corner of Robert Davy’s net.
Carnew attacked immediately after Doyle’s goal and the ball was worked to Brendan Tobin whose shot was blocked in what looked to be a footblock but the appeals were waved away and play continued.
Eoin Doyle swung over a free moments later and he bagged a beauty from play with 15 gone in the second to level things at 2-7 to 1-10 and anything other than a Coláiste Chill Mhantáin victory was looking highly unlikely at this stage.
Then things started to unravel slightly. Ross Quinn looked to hold Cillian McDonald’s leg as the Tinahely man tried to get clear after Quinn had hit the deck. Darragh Byrne flashed a black card.
This game was heating up nicely. Eoin Doyle pointed an outstanding free after 17 but Conor Hughes replied after 21 as Coláiste
Bhríde failed to make any headway with Quinn in the bin.
And then Eoin Doyle produced a stunning moment of magic that could only be appreciate by all who witnessed it. With the superb Mordaunt closing him down he sold an exquisite dummy off his right, turned and swung over an absolute bomb off his left.
And then disaster struck. Cal Kelly was shown a yellow card by Darragh Byrne and whatever was said by Eoin Doyle resulted in a red card being shown to Doyle. This was a calamitous moment for Coláiste Chill Mhantáin who almost certainly would have pushed on to win this game.
Coláiste Bhríde started to believe now and Coláiste Chill Mhantáin began to malfunction in key areas. Two wides didn’t help Coláiste Bhríde close the gap but when Andy Nolan delayed too long on his kick-out referee Darragh Byrne signaled a throw ball. Up went Coláiste Bhríde fullback Tom Mordaunt who leaped with Sean Coffey and Coffey was penalised for leaving his arm over Mordaunt’s shoulder as he jumped. Conor Hughes pointed the free to level the game right at the death and we were heading for extra-time.
Again, the goals on the road side of the pitch served as the scoring goals as Coláiste Bhríde added three points to their tally, the first from Jason Bolger who got on the end of a sweeping move, the second from Conor Hughes (free) and the third from Cillian McDonald who capped a wonderfully energetic performance with a fine score.
Within a matter of minutes of the restart the cat was well and truly among the pigeons when Sean Coffey bagged a magnificent 1-1 to give Coláiste Chill Mhantáin a one-point lead at 2-13 to 2-12.
Back came Coláiste Bhríde.
Barndarrig’s Malachy Stone was stung for a pick up, Hughes pointed.
Now it was step up or go home. Tom Mordaunt stepped up. He was class all day long. Eoin Kavanagh stepped up. He chased Dylan Kavanagh relentlessly in one particular moment and held him up and forced him to overcarry. It’s the little things.
Coláiste Bhríde attacked. Joe Conroy was now at full-forward and he was fouled by Charlie Cruise and backchat from someone to Darragh Byrne saw the free brought in. Hughes dropped it over. Toby Flood picked up a black card.
In the end, time ran out for Coláiste Chill Mhantáin. They did attack once more but Cillian McDonald rescued the situation for Coláiste Bhríde and it is they who march on to the county ‘A’ final after a game with a wheelbarrow full of talking points and an abundance of superb football from start to finish.
- Coláiste Bhríde Carnew: Conor Hughes 0-7 (5f, 2 45), Owen Young 2-0, Joe Conroy 0-2, Shane Browne 0-2, Brendan Tobin 0-1, Jason Bolger 0-1, Cillian McDonald 0-1.
Coláiste Chill Mhantáin: Eoin Doyle 1-9 (7f), Sean Coffey 1-1, Dylan Kavanagh 0-2, 20 0-1.
Robert Davy; Ricky Byrne, Tom Mordaunt, Cian O’Tuama; Cillian McDonald, Jason Bolger, Bradley Hickey; Joe Conroy, Eoin Kavanagh; Shane Browne, Dan Hedderman, James McGing; Brendan Tobin, Conor Hughes, Owen Young. Subs: Dylan Lynch for J McGing (45), Aidan Kavanagh for D Hedderman.
Scorers COLÁISTE BHRÍDE CARNEW:
Andy Nolan; Mark Whelan, Charlie Cruise, Cal Kelly; Noah Sheridan, Malachy Stone, Mat Ryan; Sean Coffey, Tom O’Shea; Dylan Kavanagh, Ross Quinn, Toby Flood; Cian O’Brien, Eoin Doyle, William Moorehouse. Subs: Joe O’Shea for T O’Shea (h/t), 21 for Cian O’Brien
COLÁISTE CHILL MHANTÁIN: REFEREE:
Darragh Byrne (Ballymanus)