THREE GOALS in a deadly three-minute spell in the closing stages handed St Eunan’s glory in the county under-16 final in Convoy.
St Eunan’s 3-11 Sean MacCumhaills 1-10
Oisin Purdy, Michael McGroary and Louis Hasson turned the tables and put the black and amber in front of Sean MacCumhaills for the first time.
It wasn’t exactly a smash-and-grab by St Eunan’s, but the trio of goals certainly rocked MacCumhaills to the core.
Purdy’s goal was the one that finally brought St Eunan’s roaring into life and by the time MacCumhaills shook their heads clear from those dizzying, manic few moments, their players were sprawled, devastated, on the turf as St Eunan’s celebrated.
With ten minutes remaining, MacCumhaills were 1-9 to 0-8 in front, but Eunan’s finished with 3-3 in a rip-roaring finale.
Luke Gavigan’s goal, netted after just 25 seconds, handed Sean MacCumhaills a dream start, but St Eunan’s were only a point in arrears when the ball was thrown in for the start of the second half.
While MacCumhaills were quickest from the blocks with Oisin Gallen, Cormac Glackin and a brace by Conor Lillis firing them five ahead, they just couldn’t wrestle far enough to allow them rest on the laurels.
They were guilty of some wayward shooting during their spell of dominance and they would pay the ultimate price for a total of eight wides over the hour.
Indeed, Glackin’s point early in the second half could have been the game’s big score had he gone lower with his effort turned over the bar by St Eunan’s ‘keeper Ronan McGeehin.
Down the other end, Purdy scorched his way through and powered a wonderful goal past Conor Foy and, from there, Eunan’s found the high notes.
Matthew McGovern sent half-back Michael McGroary away and, after he sold a neat dummy, he too hit the net before Louis Hasson, back on as a sub having been replaced earlier in the half, took receipt of Aaron Deeney’s pass to net a third.
Two weeks ago, these teams met in a fraught League final, won by MacCumhaills at the same venue after extra time. At times here, it seemed as if an extra period might be required, but St Eunan’s goals ensured they took the prize.
From the throw-in, MacCumhaills got off to the perfect start. Gallen’s ball in picked out Lillis and, after he flicked onto the crossbar, Gavigan fired to the net.
When Jamie Keegan boomed over from the left-hand side, the Twin Towners had a little daylight to spare.
St Eunan’s were a quarter-of-an-hour without a score and in that time St Eunan’s brought themselves back into it.
Hannigan swung over the first Eunan’s point in the 10th minute and Matthew McGovern, after picking an Deeney ’45 that dropped short before Patrick McColgan’s free made it a one-point game.
St Eunan’s might well have been in front at that point, but they passed up a couple of fine goal chances.
Superb work by the lively Purdy teed up McGovern, but the ball fumbled out of his clutch and went out behind off goalkeeper Foy.
McGovern came close again when, after another magnificent run by Purdy, he hacked at a loose ball only to see it deflected around the back off Christopher Gallagher.
Gallen, from a free, restored a two-point cushion for MacCumhaills but the teams were point-for-point between then and the end of the opening period.
McGovern took his point when he might have gone for goal after being fed by Hasson, who then scored to cancel out Fintan Griffin’s effort.
Lillis and Eoin McGeehin swapped points in the final minute and when they switched ends MacCumhaills – who were without Rory Mulligan at centre-back – had a slender 1-4 to 0-6 lead.
Just when it looked as if MacCumhaills had done enough, St Eunan’s pounced with a volley of goals to take the spoils.
Although there was none of the needle that marred their last encounter, the game ended with referee Martin Coll flashing three black cards in the concluding two minutes.
Sean MacCumhaills: Ciaran Foy; Matthew Doherty, Christopher Gallagher, Calvin O’Brien; Jack Burke, Ryan Finn (0-1, 1f), Joe Boyle; Fintan Griffin (0-1), Chad McSorley; Cormac Glackin (0-1), Luke Gavigan (1-0), Jamie Keegan (0-2); Anthony Bruton, Conor Lillis (0-3), Oisin Gallen (0-2, 2f). Sub: Calum Bonnar for Burke (black card, 57), Daire McCafferty for Boyle (black card, 59).
St Eunan’s: Ronan McGeehin; Ciaran McCloskey, Conor McWalters, Ryan Hilferty; Michael McGroary (1-0), Aaron Deeney, Donal Farren; Patrick McColgan, Jerome Angel Atuahene; Shaun Curran, Niall Hannigan (0-3, 2f), Eoin McGeehin (0-2); Louis Hasson (1-2), Matthew McGovern, Oisin Purdy (1-0). Subs: Eoin O’Boyle (0-1) for Atuahene (34), James Kelly for Hasson (40), Hasson for Curran (50), Darragh Morrison for McColgan (black card, 58).
Referee: Martin Coll (Gaoth Dobhair).
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