'I won't sleep tonight with the amount of adrenaline running through me' - McCauley

Games can shift in an instant, and this All-Ireland junior semi-final stood as a textbook case, with Kevin Lynch’s penalty midway through the second half of extra-time injecting fresh energy into a Naomh Padraig side that ultimately secured their place in a national final on 25 January.

By then, 76 of the scheduled 80 minutes had ticked away, with the Donegal men trailing by two points. It was the towering Naomh Padraig full-forward who raised the only green flag of the match, following county star Caolan McColgan’s marauding run through three defenders before he was hauled down in the penalty area.

Cill Mhuire’s Denis O’Mullane managed to slot a late free to drag the game to the drama of penalties. But when the chips were down, it was the Donegal men who held their nerve, with McColgan, Lynch, and Rory Hirrell converting their spot-kicks following a 1-13 to 2-10 match. For Cill Mhuire, only Conor Kelleher found the back of the net.

Naomh Padraig were under siege at times, and for long stretches, Cill Mhuire looked home and dry — until they weren’t. The fighting spirit of this small club from Inishowen in north Donegal kept delivering answers to every question posed. On a day that will go down as the finest in their history, they became the first Donegal side to reach an All-Ireland junior final.

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“I can’t really sum up how I feel right now, I’m just overjoyed with emotion. I don’t think I’ll sleep tonight with the amount of adrenaline running through me,” said Naomh Padraig manager Daniel McCauley after his side’s 3-1 penalty shootout triumph at Parnell Park.

They had trailed by three points at the interval, with Lawrence Aisling’s 11th-minute goal giving Cill Mhuire the edge. But the Donegal men emerged for the second half rejuvenated. McColgan and Jonathan Toye orchestrated the comeback, each chipping in with two points, as the men in blue and gold seized the momentum. It took the Cork side until the 44th minute to register their first score of the second half.

Even then, Cill Mhuire found a way to hit back, with Liam Wall, Denis O’Mullane, and Lawrence Aisling all raising white flags to claw their way back into a contest that became a nerve-shredding affair.

Extra-time only deepened the drama. Rory Duggan’s goal for Cill Mhuire appeared to tip the scales, but Naomh Padraig refused to wilt.

“I think when we look at key moments and exciting moments, you have to look at how we performed in extra-time,” McCauley reflected.

“We went a point up after we scored our penalty and you think, with two minutes or so left on the clock, we would see the game out. But fair play to Cill Mhuire — they came back at us and scored their free to take it to penalties under serious pressure.

“They (Cill Mhuire) could’ve so easily won the game, but fair play to our lads—they defended like dogs right to the end. We kept our discipline, even when fatigue started to kick in, and we pushed through to the shootout. It’s just a brilliant day."

In crediting his players and their determination, McCauley was not short of praise.

"We have boys like Caolan McColgan on the team and Kevin Lynch, they're top players for us and they stepped up when we needed them most.

"We couldn't get a foothold in the game for large periods, but when the big men stood up, it was vital. Even in the penalty shootout, the five men stood up, and fair play to them. Even our goalkeeper Oran, he needs a special mention because he was excellent all day and then at the end he saved two penalties, it was unreal."

Naomh Padraig’s journey is far from over, but they can take a moment to savour the fact they will become the first Donegal club to play in an All-Ireland final at Croke Park.