St. Patricks, Maghera prove too strong as they win MacRory Cup at Celtic Park!

Danske Bank MacRory Cup final

St Patrick’s Maghera 0-12

Abbey Vocational 2-5

WHEN you look in the round at the first Danske Bank MacRory Cup final ever held in Celtic Park Derry on Sunday afternoon, it was a good thing that Abbey Vocational School from Donegal town got the start they did. 

Had they not scored two goals in the first eight minutes and led by 2-1 to 0-1 after ten, this final could well have been a canter for St Patrick’s Maghera. Those early scores set the south Derry side a challenge and, despite their poor finishing particularly during the opening half, they came out one point, but comfortable, winners of the trophy for the 17^th time.

The eventual winners shot six wides, hit the upright twice, dropped some shots short and wasted three goal chances – all in the first half! But they totally controlled a lot of the general play between the 10^th and 53^rd minutes.

A black card for defender Pádraig O’Kane caused Maghera to take a step back, even retreat a little, and that drew Abbey on for a couple of late scores that meant the Donegal side were just one point adrift when Tyrone referee mark Loughran called a halt after 63 plus minutes of play.

It would be easy to patronise Abbey Vocational. They are a small school and their starting team had 13 from the local Four Masters team and two from Naomh Bríd. Never before has a MacRory Cup finalist drawn from such a narrow base. They have surpassed all expectation to take their talent so far in the competition and over the opening ten minutes they showed that they held the huge threat we wrote about in our preview last week.

They got a dream start when Kevin Muldoon drew the Maghera defence to the left wing and then released Conor McCahill to race through and almost shoot through goalie Jack McCloy to the net.  

Although eventual Player of the Match Gavin McIvor responded with a point for Maghera, the Derry school was caught too high in the eighth minute and Muldoon intercepted. He carried the ball 60 or 70 metres with Finbar McShane in hot pursuit before support arrived from McCahill who raced through to claim his second goal.

Then we had another interception a few minutes later much closer to goal and McCahill pinged a point. It looked as if Maghera were in some kind of trouble.

But those problems surfaced very early in the game allowing the management and the team on the pitch to adjust their approach slightly. They then began to dominate. However playing into the changing room end seemed to present problems for shooters while Abbey goalie Lewis McCaughan saved well on two occasions when a goal looked the obvious outcome.

Still points from Mark McGurk, Darach McGonigle and Cormac Óg McCloskey closed the gap to four at the break. By this stage, it was apparent that all the Derry side had to do was control their shooting and Cathal McKaigue would be lifting the highest accolade in Ulster schools’ GAA for the first time since current Derry midfielder Conor Glass did it in 2016.

McCloskey and Darragh Doherty pointed twice from the left wing in the opening two minutes of the second half. McCloskey added another in the 34^th and suddenly the teams were on level par when Gabhan McIvor fired over in the 37^th.

Abbey held out for a further eight minutes before Darach McGonigle was fouled 13 metres from goal and McCloskey tapped over the first score of the day from a free to give St Patrick’s the lead.

Abbey couldn’t get their attack going. They were fumbling break ball at midfield and couldn’t work ball out of defence with the same pace that resulted in the two early goals. The game was there for Maghera to take.

Finbar McShane pointed and then impact sub Kevin Barry Mullan and McGonigle combined for Darragh Doherty to stretch the lead.

The black card for Pádraig O’Kane in the 53^rd minute changed momentum as well as allowing Conor McCahill to score Abbey’s first point for quite some time.

Maghera were less creative over the final then minutes but Kevin Barry Mullan took a pass from McGonigle to fist a point and open the gap to three once more.

It was Maghera’s final score. However, although the Carr brothers with points apiece whittled the lead down to a single point, the Derry side never really looked like being caught.

McIvor won the Iggy Jones Player of the Match. It could have gone to Pádraig Haran, team captain McKaigue, Cormac óg McCloskey with his four points or Darach McGonigle whose influence increased as the game developed. Maghera simply had too much to offer on the day.

St Patrick’s: J McCloy, R Collins, P O’Kane, N McNicholl, D Doherty 0-2, P Haran, D O’Neill, C McKaigue capt., O Doherty, F McShane 0-1, T McHugh, M McGurk 0-1, G McIvor 0-2, D McGonigle 0-1, C óg McCloskey 0-4, 0-1 free.

Subs: KB Mullan 0-1 for O Doherty (35), D O’Kane for M McGurk (57), D McCloskey for T McHugh (60), S O’Kane for N McNicholl (60 +1)

Abbey VS: L McCaughan, E O’Neill, A Quinn, D McGinty, C Gavigan, P McGonagle, O Brogan, T McBride, T Colhun, Tomás Carr 0-1, Turlough Carr capt. 0-2, O Doherty, C McCahill 2-2, 0-1 free, E Gallagher, K Muldoon.

Subs: E McCrea for A Quinn (41), T Lenehan for E Gallagher (44), D Griffin for T Colhun (47),

Referee: M Loughran (Tyrone)