St Colums goals deny Newmarket minor title
St. Colums 2-12 Newmarket 0-12
NEWMARKET’S minors were denied a county title by a brace of second half goals from St. Colums that saw the West Cork club collect a first time county football title in an exciting decider at Ballyvourney last Sunday.
A capacity for work, the victors willingness to run their socks off in support of team mates and to chase back when Newmarket launched an attack confirmed an efficient performance. Indeed, the cuteness of the Kealkil boys was typified by their ability to craft goals at defining times during the second half helped shape the outcome of the contest.
No obvious difference surfaced between the sides during the opening quarter, St. Colums taking encouragement from the accuracy of team captain Cormac O’Connnor. At the opposite end, Newmarket shaped up well with David Cottrell and Jamie Kenneally on target.
St. Colums picked up the pace through the workrate of Conor Doody, Michael Cronin, O’Connor and Tadgh Cronin. Under pressure, Newmarket incurred a let off, Cronin hit the post before Jack Murphy was denied by a timely save from Newmarket ‘keeper Ben Newman.
St. Colums continued to push forward, their dominance rewarded on points to O’Connor, Rudi Gaffney and Kuba Ratajcak. Coming up to the break, Newmarket mounted a couple of raids, Kenneally pointed to cut the leeway 0-8 to 0-6 at the break.
However St. Colums turned the screw upon the resumption, a long ball from Cronin allowed Jack Murphy make the most of a vital break to goal from close range. Again Newmarket took their game to their opponents, driven on by Dylan Reidy, Patrick Browne, Cottrell and Cian Crowley.
Going forward, Newmarket relied on a trio of Cottrell pointed frees to trim the arrears 1-9 to 0-10 by the three quarter stage. In the face of a barrage of attacks, St. Colums answered and a great move initiated by O’Connor found Jack Murphy to feed Rudi Gaffney for a well worked goal.
The game was really buzzing now, Newmarket’s Cottrell posted two frees prior to the woodwork denying Adam Birtley an equalising goal, the ball transferred up field, Newmarket’s custodian Newman saved well from Ratajcak.
As the game aged, the Colums self belief was unshakeable, offering a clinical streak for Gaffney and O’Connor deliver points to put daylight between the sides at the last whistle.
ST COLUMS: F O’Sullivan; L Cato, L Murnane; Michéal Cronin, C Doody, Michael Cronin; C O’Connor 0-6 (3f), C Cronin; R O’Connor 0-1, R Gaffney 0-1, T Cronin 1-0; J Murphy 1-0, K Ratajcak 0-1. Sub: S O’Sullivan for J Murphy.
NEWMARKET: N Newman; S Murphy, J O’Keeffe; D Reidy, P Browne, K Browne; D Cottrell 0-9 (8f), C Crowley 0-1; P O’Sullivan, J Kenneally 0-2, M Browne; A Birtley, B Allen.
REFEREE: K Fuery (Cill na Martra)