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Wednesday, March 03, 2010
So near yet so far for Muredach’s
By Mark Higgins
SUMMERHILL, SLIGO 3-07
ST MUREDACH’S, BALLINA 0-11
SUMMERHILL College overcame a spirited St Muredach’s side on Sunday, but only with the help of an additional 20 minutes, after normal time finished with a spectacular equaliser from the Sligo school’s Niall Colleary.
It ended an hour of tight, tough football between the two schools, before Summerhill powered ahead in the additional time to secure their spot in the provincial decider. Conceding three unanswered goals proved too much for the Ballina students, who could point to wayward shooting at pivotal stages as an explanation for their defeat. Yet it could have ended differently, had Muredach’s been able to hold on to their lead in the closing minutes of normal time.
Protecting a four-point lead, it seemed as if the Ballina boys had done enough to guarantee their passage, but a terrific Summerhill fightback, kick-started by the first of two Niall McManus goals and completed with Colleary’s superb point, forced the game to extra time.
The match had begun with a bang, as Niall Murphy opened the scoring with a goal; a well-placed ball from Heraty found the centre-forward in front of the posts, before he passed his man and blasted to the net. St Muredach’s responded well, slotting over three points to draw level. Darragh McCormack opened the account with two well-taken frees, before Cillian Foody added a third after a smart turn. Colleary restored the Summerhill lead with a free, only for McCormack to level again with a free of his own.
The two sides continued to swap scores, a Colleary free for Summerhill matched by an effort from McCormack, the wing-forward bursting through on goal after great work from Michael Walsh.
St Muredach’s were beginning to dominate, controlling possession and putting pressure on the Summerhill rearguard, and soon began to turn this domination into scores.
McCormack pointed after a blistering run through the Summerhill defence, before two more points from substitute Billy Doherty and Padraic Collins stretched the lead to three. The Ballina side showed no sign of slowing up, with Foody adding another score, and they seemed set to finish to the game out. Summerhill, however, surged forward and were rewarded with the first of sub McManus’s goals. A long-range goal effort was well-saved, only for the ball to ricochet into the path of the corner-forward, who fisted into the net.
The goal reduced St Muredach’s lead to the minimum, and signalled a frantic finish to the match, with Summerhill desperately looking for the elusive equaliser. It arrived at the death, as Paul Logan won possession, backed himself to score and curled a beautiful shot between the sticks. Normal time ended on the resumption, signalling an additional 20 minutes of play.
Summerhill took control of the game in the added time, powering through the tackles and firing over a succesion of points. Colleary delivered an excellent score from distance, before two quick points from Heraty left three between the sides. St Muredach’s did manage a point in reply, with Padraic Collins slotting over after a long-free rebounded off the Summerhill post.
A point from Heraty was cancelled out by another Collins effort, before the game was effectively finished with a second Niall McManus goal, as the corner-forward crowned an excellent performance by outjumping St Muredach’s goalkeeper, Mark Duffy, and fisting the ball down to the net. The final whistle blew on the restart, sending Summerhill to the final.
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