Scoil Mhuire Clane overcome Ardscoil Rís challenge

Scoil Mhuire Clane 1-10

Ardscoil Rís 0-5

Amongst the wet and muck of a stereotypical winter football affair, Scoil Mhuire emerged victorious and progressed to the next round of the Bosco cup with their win over Dublin’s Ardscoil Rís.

The visitors to Clane were actually first on the scoreboard when full-forward Harry Curley knocked over from close range after less than a minute played.

The home side would respond instantly with a superb score from Fergal McKennedy to get his team off the mark.

Scoil Mhuire would take the lead for the first time through their star scorer in this Leinster PPS Senior Football campaign, Killian O’Sullivan. The left-footed corner-forward knocked over a simple free to open his account.

Barring the opening score of the game, the play had been all going one-way with Scoil Mhuire pouring on the pressure.

DJ Percival moved his team into an 0-3 to 0-1 lead when he latched onto a breaking ball before converting. It was exactly 50% for Clane as they reached the 10-minute mark with three points and three wides to their name.

The teams were battling one another, but chiefly the conditions as the soft ground and wet ball through many previously coherent moves into disarray.

Killian O’Sullivan would be next on the scoresheet when he curled over a fine effort from long range.

Ardscoil Rís would respond with just their second point of the game after they worked a free-kick short to mifielder Conaill O'Sullivan, who calmly slotted the ball between the posts.

After 13 minutes of this game, the tie would get its first and only goal as Ronan Doorey found himself one-on-one with Cillian Cummins. Doorey drilled his effort goalwards and Cummins did well to parry the ball up in the air, but the strike still had enough forward momentum to carry it over the line.

A huge moment in this game and an unfortunate one for the Ardscoil Rís ‘keeper who with a pair of dry gloves likely sees that ball fly away from his goal.

The Dublin school needed a response, but it was much the opposite as the goal only further drove on Scoil Mhuire.

The Clane school hit three points in two minutes to put themselves eight points clear at 1-7 to 0-2 as Fergal McKennedy, Killian O’Sullivan and DJ Percival all added to their respective tallies.

However, Ardscoil Rís would get a lifeline not long after when Scoil Mhuire 'keeper Hugh Muldoon brought down Donagh Fay inside the box.

Full-forward Harry Curley stepped up to the spot-kick, but was denied by Muldoon who redeemed himself in exceptional style with a strong save low to his bottom right.

The last score of the half would go to the trailing side when Harry Curley knocked over a close-range free-kick.

The late point sent the sides in at the break with the Clane school holding a commanding 1-7 to 0-3 lead.

After a strong first half showing from the home side on the scoreboard, neither side would register a score for another 14 minutes of play following the restart.

That was in part due to the actions of both goalkeepers who excellently denied two clear goal chances at either end.

Both goalkeepers spread themselves expertly and closed the angle of the shots they faced to keep this game as it stood before the break.

The barren spell was broken by Killian O’Sullivan who got his fourth of the day for Scoil Mhuire.

Ardscoil Rís would not get their opening score of the second half until nine minutes from the end when substitute Andrew Matthews converted from close range.

The heavy ground and rough conditions took their toll on this game as the teams finished the second half with Clane having outscored their opponents by just 0-3 to 0-2.

Points from Scoil Mhuire’s Fergal McKennedy and substitute Ben Kehoe were split by Harry Curley’s third of the day for his side as the Clane school closed out for victory.

Scorers: Scoil Mhuire Clane, Killian O'Sullivan 0-4 (0-2 frees), Fergal McKennedy 0-3, Ronan Doorey 1-0, DJ Percival 0-2, Ben Kehoe 0-1.

Ardscoil Rís, Harry Curley 0-3 (0-1 frees), Conaill O'Sullivan 0-1, Andrew Matthews 0-1.

SCOIL MHUIRE CLANE: Hugh Muldoon; Mick O'Toole, Patrick Connolly, Cian Burke; Calum Doran, Liam Blake, Conor O'Sullivan; Daniel Colbert, Ruadhan Kane; DJ Percival, Ronan Doorey, Fergal McKennedy; Killian O'Sullivan, Daragh Mulahy, Adam Fitzpatrick. Subs: Ben Kehoe for Daragh Mulahy (51 minutes), Josh Gannon for DJ Percival (54 minutes), Ryan McManamon for Mick O'Toole (61 minutes).

ARDSCOIL RÍS: Cillian Cummins; Patrick O'Donovan, Cillian Keane, Christian Caira; Ciaran O'Connor, Sean Keogh, Cathal Baldwin; Ronan O'Neill, Conaill O'Sullivan; Shane Dunphy, Harry Page, Colin McSweeney; Donagh Fay, Harry Curley, Ciaran Watt. Subs: Ryan Murphy for Harry Page (Half-time), Conor O'Brien for Donagh Fay (42 minutes), Andrew Matthews for Cillian Keane (46 minutes), Fionn Daly for Colin McSweeney (51 minutes), Peter Maloney for Ciaran Watt (60 minutes).

Referee: PJ Cummins