St Pat’s injury-time goal means heartbreak for Coláiste Mhuire

St Pat's 4-10, Coláiste Mhuire 2-15

Agonising. Mullingar’s Coláiste Mhuire suffered the absolute heartbreak of a one-point defeat when they conceded an injury-time goal at Trim on Thursday, in a thrilling North Leinster Junior Football ‘A’ final against St Pat’s, Navan.

The Mullingar side were two points clear with just seconds remaining but St Pat’s scored the winning goal three minutes into added time to take the spoils at St Loman's Park, Trim.

From seven points in arrears after 33 minutes, Coláiste Mhuire turned this pulsating final on its head to take a four-point lead by the 55th minute. They outscored the winners by 1-9 to 0-2 in a terrific 22-minute spell, but just when it seemed that surge would lead them to glory - in the swings and roundabouts of a terrific match - they were denied in dramatic fashion.

The manic nature of the match decreed, perhaps, that such a climax lay in store but it was a cruel way to lose and the young Coláiste Mhuire students will have learned costly lessons particularly when it comes to being ruthless when in control on the scoreboard. At vital stages they made small errors that turned into hugely significant moments. Hindsight is 20/20 vision and Coláiste Mhuire were still in control until the dying seconds and even then it was when Seán Smyth’s shot was blocked that the loose ball fell to Conal O’Sullivan who found the net.

There was joy unconfined for St Pat’s as O’Sullivan accepted the trophy from Michael McHugh, Leinster Post Primary Schools, in the aftermath of this wonderful final.

Fine interplay

Coláiste Mhuire began the brighter of the two teams, with Will Scahill splitting the posts after just 45 seconds, a classy effort to settle early nerves. St Pat’s responded quickly, Nathan Reilly pointing from a free in the third minute to bring the teams level.

The game ignited moments later when Max Condon delivered a raking ball across the pitch to corner forward Harry McGuirk, who clinically dispatched it to the bottom corner of the net, giving St Pat’s an early cushion.

Coláiste Mhuire nearly struck back in the sixth minute when Aaron Connaire threaded a perfectly weighted through ball to Scahill, but Pat’s goalkeeper Cormac Fitzsimons produced a stunning save to deny the Mullingar forward a certain goal.

Stephen McWade pulled one back for Coláiste Mhuire with a well-taken point in the ninth minute, and Scahill added another from a free two minutes later. The momentum swung further in their favour in the 12th minute when midfielder Padraig Monaghan, after fine interplay involving Conor Cleary and McWade, clipped a shot off the inside of the upright for a classy point.

However, St Pat’s weren’t to be outdone. Reilly notched a fine score on the turn in the 13th minute, quickly followed by another from their centre forward Will Byrne, as the Navan side displayed their attacking intent.

Coláiste Mhuire’s inability to capitalise on chances proved costly. A ‘Garryowen’ by Scahill in the 18th minute led to a swift counter-attack, with Reilly converting the resulting free to extend Pat’s lead. Moments later, Scahill spurned a gilt-edged goal opportunity, his snap-shot flying wide after a neat setup by Dillon Burke.

Mullingar finally found the net in the 22nd minute in dramatic fashion. Corner back Cathal Keena surged forward and fisted home after Fitzsimons parried the initial effort. It was a team goal in every sense, with Connaire, Cleary, and Burke combining in a slick passing move to create the chance.

McWade added a lovely point five minutes later to nudge Coláiste Mhuire into the lead for the first time, following a clever assist by Burke. But just as it seemed momentum was shifting, St Pat’s struck back with a hammer blow. McGuirk turned provider again, setting up Reilly for an emphatic goal, his shot rifling into the roof of the net in the 28th minute.

Reilly added another free in first-half stoppage time, ensuring St Pat’s entered the break with a deserved four-point cushion.

As the teams head into the dressing rooms, Coláiste Mhuire realised they needed to regroup and find a way to halt the influence of Reilly and McGuirk.

Coláiste Mhuire surge

The second half began with a bang as St Pat’s extended their lead in the 33rd minute. Wing back Conn Brennan burst forward and unleashed a powerful strike into the top corner, leaving the Coláiste Mhuire goalkeeper with no chance.

Coláiste Mhuire, however, responded immediately. Just a minute later, substitute Hugo Corroon pounced to hammer home a rebound after Conor Cleary’s initial effort was saved. The goal, which stemmed from Ted Aherne’s incisive delivery from the wing, was the perfect tonic for the Mullingar side.

Nathan Reilly restored St Pat’s momentum with a free in the 35th minute, but Coláiste Mhuire began to take control of the game. Corroon added a point after fine interplay between Aaron Connaire and Padraig Monaghan, before Scahill slotted a free in the 39th minute after being fouled. Connaire’s point from Corroon’s assist a minute later levelled the game and further fuelled their growing confidence.

Scahill then took centre stage, first pointing from a mark after a superb long ball by Eoin Donohue in the 44th minute, before converting a sensational free from 42 metres out on the wing just three minutes later. His next free, in the 50th minute, was followed by a Monaghan point after Coláiste Mhuire pressed high to overturn the St Pat’s kickout.

Scahill then delivered the highlight of the game in the 51st minute – an outrageous sideline kick using the outside of his right boot that sailed between the posts. It was a score worthy of the occasion and further cemented Coláiste Mhuire’s lead.

Coláiste Mhuire continued their dominance with points from Connaire, Corroon, and Monaghan, giving them what appeared to be an unassailable lead of 2-15 to 3-8 entering the final stages.

But St Pat’s weren’t finished. Reilly chipped away with two frees in the 56th and 59th minutes, narrowing the deficit to three points as the game ticked into added time. Then, in the third minute of stoppage time, came the sucker punch. St Pat’s captain Conal O’Sullivan, following up on a blocked shot by Seán Smyth, smashed the ball into the net to snatch an extraordinary victory for the Navan school.

For Coláiste Mhuire, the result was devastating after they had done so much to turn the game around and they were left to rue a couple of missed chances in the first half and some lapses in concentration that allowed St Pat’s in for three-pointers at different stages. Such are the fine margins of the sport at this high level.

Scorers - St Pat’s: N Reilly 1-9 (0-8f), H McGuirk, C Brennan and C O’Sullivan 1-0 each, W Byrne 0-1.

Coláiste Mhuire: W Scahill 0-7 (4f; 1m; 1s/l), H Corroon 1-2, C Keena 1-0, P Monaghan, S McWade and A Connaire 0-2 each.

St Pat’s: Cormac Fitzsimons; Harry Butler, Michael Byrne, Niall Smyth; Cormac McKenna, Luke Kenny, Conn Brennan; Bobby Gaffney, Conal O’Sullivan; Max Condon, Will Byrne, Seán Smyth; Harry McGuirk, CJ Lynch, Nathan Reilly. Subs used: Tomás Proudfoot, Leo Kavanagh, Ryan O’Neill and Conor Duffy.

Coláiste Mhuire: Jake Dempsey; Louis Dillon, Tristan Boyce-Jordan, Cathal Keena; David Reilly, Eoin Donohue, Tom Weir; Padraig Monaghan, Dillon Burke; Ted Aherne, Stephen McWade, Conor Cleary; Will Scahill, Aaron Connaire, Seán Byrne. Subs: Hugo Corroon for McWade (h-t), MJ Long for Reilly (39), Seán Graham for Aherne (46), Zac Bates for Cleary (54).

Referee: Enda Kelly (Castledaly).