St Eunan’s, Letterkenny are into the Ulster Junior Colleges Tom Ticher Cup Under-17 final after a fine win over St Pat’s of Cavan today.
St.Eunan’s College, Letterkenny 3-1 St.Pat’s, Cavan
By Connor McGinty
A fast paced start – which is rather common for the Eunan’s teams of this generation – saw the Letterkenny side grow in confidence.
Good link up play between Connor O’Reilly and Michael Gallagher created the first chance of the game for Eunan’s.
Several other great plays followed from Gallagher and O’Reilly this time calling the keeper into action.
Eunan’s played some fine football with effective crossing, O’Brien delivered the majority. Determination showed and with St.Pats of Cavan leaving the ball for a goal kick Ryan O’Donnell and James Carolan made sure this wasn’t the case and put the ball back in the box with Eunan’s unlucky not to be a couple of goals up at this stage.
Michael Gallagher put in a man of the match performance along with James Carolan but the former had a magnificent strike 30 yards out which forced Lovett to make a rather difficult save.
Conor O’Donnell cracked the woodwork before the Letterkenny students broke the deadlock three minutes from half-time with Carolan taking a wonderful touch receiving a perfectly weighted O’Reilly pass and he finished.
With an Ulster Final place at stake St.Pat’s came out the hungrier team searching for a goal.
Despite Eunan’s dominating first half possession the Cavan side took control and scored a great work of passing play producing the goal and made exciting viewing at the home of Monaghan United.
12 minutes from time Gallagher again showing why he was captain, influencing almost every play but on this instance he found Carolan in the box who knocked it past the keeper to win a penalty.
Carolan converted from the spot and should have been stepping up three minutes later when pulled down in the box but appeals were waved away by the referee.
A third goal did come a minute from the end with Conor O’Donnell crossing in for Anthony Gallagher who was only on the pitch to slide home.
A great defensive display from a backline with Finn Harps Ellison who made sure all was in place. It was another Harps midfielder Brendan Barr who was also influential finding some great passes.
A repeat of the senior final now see Eunan’s face Carndonagh now next week in a game Eunan’s will want to win having narrowly lost the senior game one-nil recently.
St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny: Eoghan O’Boyle, Dylan O’Brien, Paul Bradley, Shane O’Donnell, Darragh Ellison, Conor O’Reilly, Conor O’Donnell, Michael Gallagher, James Carolan, Ryan O’Donnell, Brendan Barr. Subs used: Anthony Gallagher, Keenan Diver.
St Pat’s, Cavan: Stephen Lovett, Conor McGivney, Chris Sambete, Emmett Boylan, Kyle Tyler, Brandon Boylan, Patrick McPhillips, Gavin Brady, Bradley Okidja, Cian McGovern, Kamile Statura.
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