Back to back wins for St Attracta’s
ST ATTRACTA’S RICE COLLEGE 2-8 1-7
CONNACHT COLLEGES SENIOR A LEAGUE FINAL FIRST-HALF goals from St Attracta’s dynamic duo of Conall Ryan and Red Óg Murphy ultimately proved decisive as the Sligo side retained their Connacht Colleges Senior ‘A’ League title in Bekan on Wednesday.
Despite not managing a score for the entire second half — as Rice College, Westport launched a rescue mission — the Tubbercurry lads held on for a hard-fought victory after an energy-sapping battle.
In the end this game developed into an old-fashioned arm wrestle, a battle of wills and character on a day when the wind howled and soft underfoot conditions took their toll.
St Attracta’s laid the foundations for their victory in the opening half, racking up a tally that turned out to be good enough to get the job done.
Rice College, Westport tried everything they knew to best the defending champions, but they were unable to break down Tubbercurry’s well-organised and tight-marking backline often enough.
This was especially true during a second half that rapidly developed into a war of attrition, with three frees from Rice College’s Pat Lambert (2) and Stephen Loftus the only scores that were witnessed by the large boisterous crowd, made up mostly of students from the competing schools.
The opening period was a much more entertaining stanza as both teams threw themselves into the contest.
Tubbercurry, playing with the strong breeze, came flying out of the blocks and they led by 0-5 to 0-1 after only ten minutes.
Red Óg Murphy led the charge with two superb place-kicks (a free and a sweetly-struck ’45), along with a brilliant effort from long-range from play.
Paul Towey (free) and Alan Reilly were also on target during this purple patch as St Attracta’s laid down the law.
Despite their best efforts, Rice College were struggling to keep up, but they were thrown a lifeline in the 12th minute when Stephen Loftus palmed a goal from closerange.
That green flag left just the bare minimum between the sides, and we were almost right back to square one again.
However, St Attracta’s continued their relentless assault on the Westport goal, driven on by the likes of corner-back Oisín McCann and attack-minded half-backs Kevin O’Hara, Conor Murray and Niall Connolly, who took no prisoners.
The eventual winners plundered what turned out to be the match-winning scores in the second quarter with a couple of frees from Red Óg Murphy and a neat point from Conall Ryan supplemented by goals from the same pair.
St Attracta’s were leading by 0-7 to 1-2 when Ryan pounced on 21 minutes; Murphy winning possession and racing through, before squaring the ball for the full-forward to smack it into the bottom corner of the Rice College net.
Nine minutes later and the razor-sharp Murphy drilled in a fantastic goal from 21 yards that gave Westport goalkeeper Cian Kennedy no chance.
In hindsight, that was the score that pushed St Attracta’s just out of Rice College’s reach for the rest of the match.
Tubbercurry midfielders Gavin Gorman and Cian Surlis worked themselves into the ground and enjoyed a great tussle with Rice College’s Fintan McManamon and Keith Joyce.
Dynamic captain Paul Towey led by example all through, attacking with purpose early on and sweeping intelligently in front of his own defence in the second half.
The rest of the forwardline put in hard shifts too, but it was Conall Ryan and Red Óg Murphy who carried the can in terms of putting scores on the board. St Attracta’s were fighting a rearguard action for long spells in the second period — one wide and no scores tells its own story — but Colm McGee’s side managed to keep Rice College at arm’s length to keep their grip on the league trophy.
ST ATTRACTA’S: G Gallagher; K O’Kennedy, O Crehan, O McCann; K O’Hara, C Murray, N Connolly; G Gorman, E Surlis; P Towey (0-1, 1f), A Reilly (0-1), E Sweeney; R Óg Murphy (1-5, 3fs, ’45), C Ryan (1-1), L Kerrigan.
SUBS used: D Barrett for Connolly; P Connolly for Sweeney; M Lundy for Reilly; J Durkin for Ryan; O McDonnell for McCann.
RICE COLLEGE WESTPORT: C Kennedy; L Dawson, R Brickenden, R Walsh; E McLaughlin, M Brady, L Tunney; F McManamon, K Joyce; R Harper, M Moran, P Chambers; S Loftus (1-4, 4fs), P Lambert (0-3, 1f), J Carney.
SUBS used: K Maguire for Harper; J McGlynn for Joyce. REFEREE: D Hunt (Roscommon).