Coola manager hails the calibre of young team
UNDERSTANDABLY Coola PPS manager Kevin McCarthy was gutted that the result didn’t go in their favour after a thrilling game with PCC Falcarragh in the FAI Schools Minor B Boys national final.
The game at IT Sligo on Tuesday saw Coola dominate for long spells and they went into a comfortable 2-0 lead after Paul Mahon headed home their second on 41 minutes but Falcarragh scored three in the space of 15 minutes in the second half and won the game 3-2.
Kevin, who took over the team at the start of the year said Coola performance was really good for most of the match but unfortunately it wasn’t to be for the Sligo side.
He said: “That was one game that got away especially when we played really well for 3/4 of the game.
“I thought that in the first 15 minutes of the second half that we played even better than in the first but it was the last quarter they really came back.
“They had four shots and scored three times but in fairness to the lads they tried hard and played as good as they have done all year.”
Reaching the final was obviously a testament to the talent on the Coola side but after such an enthralling game being runners up was also hard to take.
“It would have been nice to finish it off but sport can be like that. Everyone is gutted and understandably so. It would have been easier maybe if we were beaten 5 or 6 nil or something and know that we were not good enough but that wasn’t the case.
“We did have a few chances near the end but unfortunately you cannot win them all.
“We started very well and then had the disallowed goal too. To be honest I thought Paul Mahon should have had a penalty before it as he was pushed in straight in the back and it was a definite foul and then with the disallowed goal which was a free out we would have been 2-0 up and it could have been all over when we scored again. But the gods were not shining on us but in fairness to Falcarragh they kept on battling and their last goal from the free kick was something else.
“You couldn’t fault their goals two shots into the top corner and on another day they would have gone wide. We had great goals too Thomas Flynn was such a great finish and Paul’s header too he’s very strong in the air. There were one or two headers there that could have equalised it but the lads never gave up. “They had a tough week before Easter with the Connacht final and the All-Ireland semi-final being so close together but they have a great battling spirit.
“They are a great bunch of lads and I hope they stick with football now,” Kevin said.
He admitted for the lads involved in two finals in 3 years it was tough not winning one. “The lads are gutted the dressing room is pure silent but such is sport you cannot win everything.
“It’s a pleasure to be involved with them, I’m very proud of them and how they carried themselves very well on the pitch, I couldn’t have asked for more. They had 13 matches this year no other school had that and they’ve put a lot of work into it. It wasn’t to be on the day unfortunately but at least we won the Connacht final and now we have to move onto next year,” Kevin added.
Coola beat St Clare’s CS Manorhamilton in the Connacht final and Coláiste Mhuire Askeaton in the All-Ireland semi-final with goals from Ciarán Kenny and Simon McKeon.