Crucial goals get St Mel’s College Longford through to the quarter-finals

St Mel’s College . . . 3-8  St Mary’s Edenderry . . . 0-8 

Goals at crucial stages of the game was the decisive factor as St Mel’s College scored a comfortable win over St Mary’s Edenderry to book their place in the Leinster Schools Senior ‘A’ Football Championship quarter-final against St Peter’s Wexford in mid-January. 

The first green flag raised was a real gift as Paddy Mollaghan directed the ball into the back of the net after capitalising on a poor kick-out with just seven minutes gone in the knockout preliminary round clash at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Friday.  

Starting without Killoe senior player Paddy Moran, St Mel’s ended up leading by 1-5 to 0-2 at the break and were denied a second goal when a shot from wing back Cormac Flynn was well saved by the opposing keeper Callum Hurst in the opening minute of the second half. 

St Mary’s then closed the gap with a point apiece from Kaelem Bryan (free) and Cian McNamee before a significant moment in the match materialised when the St Mel’s keeper Stephen Oates produced a great save to stop a point-blank goal attempt from Cillan Lowry. 

The Longford college launched an immediate counter-attack with substitute James Hagan providing the perfect pass for Michael Flynn to find the back of the Edenderry net in the 37th minute. 

The St Mel’s victory was wrapped up with Jamie Dorr putting Davin Donnelly through for the killer third goal in the 46th minute. 

ST MEL’S COLLEGE: Stephen Oates (Grattans); Paddy Clancy (St Brigid’s Killashee), Conor Flynn (Clonguish), Mark Cooney (Clonguish); Cormac Flynn (Kilmore, Clonguish), Andrew Flynn (Clonguish), Kevin Baskett (Clonguish); Jamie Dorr (Clonguish), Ross Shields (Clonguish); Daniel Carey (Clonguish), Harry Mulvihill (Grattans), Davin Donnelly (Killoe, 1-0); Cormac Flynn (Clonguish, 0-4, 2 frees), Paddy Mollaghan (St Brigid’s Killashee, 1-0), Michael Flynn (Clonguish, 1-3, 1 mark).  

Subs:- James Hagan (Clonguish) for P Mollaghan (half-time); Enda Quinn (Killoe, 0-1) for K Baskett (41 mins); Paul Eivers (Killoe) for D Donnelly (55 mins); Shane Donohoe (Killoe) and Eamon Igoe (Killoe) for H Mulvihill and D Carey (60 mins). 

ST MARY’S EDENDERRY: Callum Hurst; Cian Cocoman, Kieran Ryan, Eoghan Cullen; Cillian Foran, Cathal Nolan, Andrew Hill; Darragh Kilduff, Declan Osagie; Callum Dunne, James Lynch (0-1), Cillian Lowry (0-2); Darragh Carey, Kaelem Byran (0-4, 3 frees), Cian McNamee (0-1). 

Subs:- Ross Healion for D Carey (half-time); Ben Kearney for D Kilduff (44 mins); Paidi Gorman for C Cocoman (48 mins).

Referee: Mark Glancy (Rathcline). 

Leinster S.F. ‘A’/ Br. Bosco Cup Quarter-Finals    

1. St. Mary’s Knockbeg College v Naas CBS  

2. St. Mel’s College v St. Peter’s College Wexford  

3. St. Patrick’s Cl. Sch. Navan v Scoil Mhuire Clane  

4. Coláiste Choilm Tullamore v Maynooth Ed. Campus   

First named at home unless determined otherwise by CCC due to travel distance 

Semi-Finals (Neutral Venues)  

Winners 1 v Winners 2  

Winners 3 v Winners 4