Second chance for St Manchan's Gaels and St Vincent’s
LOETB Minor “B” Football Championship Final
A KEENLY contested, very close Offaly Minor “B” Football Championship final in Durrow on Saturday afternoon ended with no winner and St Manchan's Gaels and St Vincent's having a second bite of the cherry.
LOETB Minor “B” Football Championship Final
St Manchan's Gaels: 1-9
St Vincent's: 1-9
A draw was a fair result after a good game of football with Cian Duffy rescuing a replay deep in injury time for St Manchan's Gaels, a combination of Ballycumber, Doon, Erin Rovers and Tubber.
The Daingean parish side of St Vincent's looked like getting away for the win at one stage of the second half but St Manchan's kept trying to do the right thing and were worth a second chance.
The scoring was hard to come by for long spells and by the 16th minute the scores read 0-1 each after Deasún McNamee and Cian Duffy traded scores.
A free from Sean O’Connor saw St Manchan Gaels take the lead on the 17th minute and from there St Manchan’s took over completely.
Dominating possession in the middle of the field, the launched unmerciful pressure on the St Vincents defence and it wasn’t long until it turned into scores.
Kody Molloy hit over a nice score on the 21st minute and then with a brilliantly worked move they attacked again with Cian Duffy landed in a massive ball. It bounced in front of the St Vincents goal and really it should have been cleared, but with Sean O’Connor on hand he drove it to the net. St Manchan's Gaels now 1-3 to 0-1 clear twenty three minutes in.
St Vincent's were well and truly rattled but they soon regrouped and for the remainder of the half it was all them.
Gaining a lot of vital possession they soon started to get into their groove. Deasún McNamee landed another score and their second of the game, but there was more to come and with a fine goal Jack Kelly brought it back to a one point game, 1-3 to 1-2 with a minute to the break.
There was still a chance for another score before the interval and it was Bríon McNamee who added the final score of the half, to leave the sides deadlocked at 1-3 each and a game all to play for.
Conor O’Sullivan hit over the opening score of the restart and gave St Vincent's the lead for the first time, but it was a lead that wasn’t set to last with two scores from Cian Duffy one from a free saw St Manchan’s take the lead again, 1-5 to 1-4 with forty minute play.
It was real end to end stuff and the scoring was now a premium with Aaron Mangan drawing the sides level again forty one minutes in.
Paddy Burns hit over a superbly struck two pointer free and with a follow up free from Conor O’Sullivan it was St Vincents who were now three clear 1-8 to 1-5 with forty five played.
Controlling a lot of the play they Ballycommon, Cappincur, Daingean and Kilclonfert amalgamation really should have push on from there, but St Manchan’s showed terrific spirit to hang in there.
Sean O’Connor brought it back to a two point game with eleven minutes of normal time to play, but with another free Conor O’Sullivan St Vincents were three clear again 1-9 to 1-6.
It was then that St Manchan Gaels took over again and were awarded a penalty but with Cian Duffy stepping up,, his shot was saved well by MJ Darby and it looked like St Vincents were off the hook.
But for the remainder of the game spurred on by a huge support they had more to come. Jack Ryan gave them a massive lifeline with a superbly struck two pointer and with sixty on the clock there was one between the sides 1-9 to 1-8.
St Vincent's pushed hard to hold on, but it was St Manchan's Gaels who had the final say thanks to Cian Duffy and forcing the game to a replay. The final scores reading 1-9 each.
The Scorers
St Manchan's Gaels: Cian Duffy 0-4 (0-1 Free), Sean O’Connor 1-2 (0-2 Frees), Jack Ryan 0-2 (TPF), Kody Molloy 0-1.
St Vincent's: Jack Kelly 1-0, Conor O’Sullivan 0-3 (Frees), Deasún McNamee 0-2, Paddy Burns 0-2 (TPF), Aaron Mangan 0-1, Bríon McNamee 0-1.
The Teams
St Manchan's Gaels: Jack Ryan; Noah Tierney, Liam Ryan, Sean Doherty; Oisin Mooney, Cathal Carroll, Barry Bradley; Tomas Carroll, Evan Daly; Jack McGuinness, Kody Molloy, Josh Browne; Sean O’Connor, Cian Duffy, Daithi Shirley. Subs: Cian Bracken for Sean Doherty (48 mins), Daniel Maloney for Liam Ryan (inj. 53 mins), Liam Ryan for Daithi Shirley (58 mins).
St Vincent's: MJ Darby; Dara Flanagan, Callum Brennan, Dylan Dunne; Aaron Mangan, Tadgh Kelly, James Geraghty; Paddy Burns, Robbie Minnock; Shane Lawless, Dara O’Sullivan, Deasún McNamee, Conor O’Sullivan, Bríon McNamee.
Referee: Stephen Connolly (Kilcormac/Killoughey).