MUNSTER JUNIOR CUP FINAL

Carrig Park, Fermoy was the venue last Sunday for the McCarthy Insurance Munster Junior Cup final between the Villa from the Waterford and District League and St. Michael’s from the TS&DL. Both teams had met a few weeks back in the FAI Junior Cup quarter-final with the Waterford team coming out on top.

Villa 1 St. Michael’s 3

Played before a nice sized crowd, it was the team from Tipperary town that took the lead when current Irish amateur player and captain of the Munster Regions Cup team, Jimmy Carr, scored.

Michael’s were the better team in this half and doubled their lead when former Irish amateur international, Paul Breen, scored and this was the score at half-time.

In the second half, the Villa had to push on for the goal that would bring them back into the game and they scored to cut the deficit to the minimum. They piled on the pressure and with time almost up they had a corner kick which saw eleven players, including goalkeeper Craig Dunphy, in and around Michael’s goal. The flag kick was cleared out of the area by the Tipperary club’s defence and Aaron Kennedy took possession and with the Villa keeper trying to get back, Kennedy hit the ball into an empty net and this finished the game as a contest.

Shortly after, the referee blew full time and St Michael’s were the winners of the Munster Junior Cup for the tenth occasion. For Jimmy Carr and Paul Breen, both were winning their sixth Munster medals.

For all of us who follow the amateur game, St Michael’s is synonymous with the junior game, not only in Munster but throughout the country. Once again last Sunday they came to the fore as the best in Munster.