Sligo champions end club famine in stunning style
Coolera-Strandhill's Oran Harte makes a flying tackle on Niall Daly of Padraig Pearses during last Sunday's Connacht Club SFC Final at Markievicz Park. Pictures: INPHO/John McVitty
Rank outsiders even before their semi-final against Ballina Stephenites, the men of Coolera-Strandhill bridged a 41-year gap last Sunday afternoon when becoming the first team from Sligo to win the Connacht Club senior football championship since St Mary’s in 1983.
Their victory over 2021 Connacht champions Padraig Pearses was as tight and dramatic as they come, and had a large part to do with Ross Doherty flicking home a goal in the opening period of extra-time.
Considering Coolera-Strandhill only won the Sligo SFC title by one point after a replayed final, that they needed penalties to overcome Ballina Stephenites in the provincial final, and now that they had just one point spare after extra-time against red hot favourites Padraig Pearses, their familiarity with Markievicz Park, where all of those games – plus their county semi-final against St Mary’s – were played, perhaps had a key role to play given the tightness of the margins last Sunday.
“You look at the scoreboard – 1-15, 1-14 – it’s brilliant. But that group there, they’ve serious character, they’ve a serious will to win. And I’ve said it before, what they do for each other off the field is unbelievable. They’re such a tight group,” stressed jubilant Coolera-Strandhill manager John McPartland afterwards.
“We left Ransboro at half-eleven with a plan that we were going to come back as Connacht champions, and luckily we’re coming back to Ransboro as the Connacht champions.
“We played Ballina in the semi-final down here, it went to penalties, we weren’t given a chance there. Today, I think we were 7-1 to win. But that doesn’t affect us. What goes on in our little group, we do our homework on every team, we set targets and there’s a belief in this group,” added McPartland who put his side’s victory down to the “serious belief and a never-say-die attitude” of his players.
Coolera-Strandhill open the scoring on three minutes when Niall Murphy pointed a self-won free. The sides were soon level when Conor Daly received a Crossfield pass from Ronan Daly to point from distance.
The sides traded a point apiece before two on the spin by Oran Harte and Kevin Banks had Coolera-Strandhill two points in front towards the end of the opening quarter.
Conor Ryan, a member of the Roscommon U20 team, reduced the deficit but a point from Dublin native Ross O’Carroll on 18 minutes restored Coolera-Strandhill two points advantage. However, that was the Sligo side’s final score of the first-half whereas Padraig Pearses raised four white flags without reply, including a brace from Jack Tumulty, to ensure Frank Canning’s side led 0-7 to 0-5 at the break.
Coolera-Strandhill started the second-half brightly and halved their arrears when Keelan Harte pointed after a long period of possession for McPartland’s team. However, it looked as though Padraig Pearses had taken control of the match on 35 minutes as Paul Carey was fouled by Oran Harte which resulted in penalty converted by Declan Kenny. Followed by a converted free by Eoin Colleran, the Roscommon men were five points ahead after 42 minutes of play yet crucially, they would only score once more before the end of the half.
A free from Niall Murphy and a point from distance by Sean Taylor got the Coolera-Strandhill comeback underway and all of the best football during the final quarter was initiated by the Sligo champions as substitute Adam Higgins began to make a big impact. He pointed along with Niall Murphy to cut the gap to a single point.
Padraig Pearses looked to have steadied the ship when a 54th minute free by Colleran pushed the margin back out to two points but points from Murphy and Kevin Banks, from 45 metres, drew the sides level after which both sides, Coolera-Strandhill through Mark McDaniel and Padraig Pearses through Emmet Kelly, both had chances to win the match but their efforts sailed wide.
Murphy and Colleran traded early points in extra-time but matters were about to swing the way of Coolera-Strandhill. Sub Adam Higgins added his second point before the key score of the match came two minutes before the break, as a Niall Murphy free dropped short but was flicked to the net by Ross Doherty.
Padraig Pearses replied with two points, courtesy of Jack Nevin and Eoin Colleran, a free, but the local side still led 1-14 to 1-12 at the turnaround.
Another Higgins point gave Coolera-Strandhill a three points cushion after the restart and that would prove just enough, as the visitors could only reply with two points, from Jack Tumulty and Declan Kenny, as try as they might the equaliser never came.
The famous day for Sligo football now sees Coolera-Strandhill looking forward to an All-Ireland Club semi-final against first-time Leinster champions Cuala of Dublin, who are managed by Mayo native Austin O’Malley.
“We’ll enjoy tonight, tomorrow and the next few days. We’ll meet at the weekend, on Thursday or Friday, and we’ll come with a plan for Cuala,” said John McPartland.
“Look, Cuala are a great side. They’re looking at a bigger picture. There’s serious momentum behind them as well. But it’s a couple of weeks away, and we’ll set a plan and see what we can do.
“Look it, no one really regards Sligo football, especially club football. I suppose everyone was thinking it was going to be a Ballina-Corofin (final) and Pearses did it, but look it’s brilliant for Sligo football to see a club team as Connacht champions.”
Scorers – Coolera-Strandhill: Niall Murphy 0-5 (4f), Ross Doherty 1-0, Adam Higgins 0-3, Kevin Banks 0-2, Aaron O’Boyle, Oran Harte, Ross O’Carroll, Keelan Harte and Seán Taylor 0-1 each.
Pádraig Pearses: Eoin Colleran 0-5 (4f), Declan Kenny 1-2 (1-0pen), Jack Tumulty 0-3 (1f), Conor Daly 0-2, Conor Ryan and Jack Nevin 0-1 each.
Coolera-Strandhill: Keelan Harte; Conor McDonagh, Seán Taylor, Seán Murphy; Jonathan Cassidy, Ross O’Carroll, Oran Harte; Kevin Banks, Peter Laffey; Aaron O’Boyle, Barry O’Mahony, Ross Doherty; Leo Doherty, Niall Murphy, Mark McDaniel. Subs: Adam Higgins (for O’Boyle 36), Luke Bree (for Cassidy 68), Hugh Rooney (for L Doherty 70), Conor Burke (for Banks 76).
Pádraig Pearses: Paul Whelan; Gavin Downey, Niall Carty, David Murray; Declan Kenny, Caelim Keogh, Conor Harley; Conor Ryan, Niall Daly; Conor Daly, Ronan Daly, Adam McGreal; Eoin Colleran, Paul Carey, Jack Tumulty. Subs: Seán Canning (for McGreal 40), Conor Lohan (for Downey 50), Jack Nevin (for Tumulty 51), Emmett Kelly (for Carey 60), Tumulty (for Kelly ft), Mark Richardson (for Canning 72), Kelly (for Keogh 73).
REF: Thomas Murphy (Galway)
