‘We’re reaping what has been sewn,” says delighted Carr
The St Muredach’s team managemen, from right to left: James Carr, Aiden Sweeney, John Brogan and David McHale. Picture: David Farrell Photography
Mayo senior footballer James Carr, his fellow Muredach’s management and wider school community, including students and teachers, watched the tense finale that went the way of the Ballina school after late scores by Oisin Gavin and Conor Jordan took them over the line.
It was an ending wrought with sentiment for young Jordan; the passing of his grandfather Benny the previous weekend had caused this game to be postponed by 24 hours and the wave of emotion could be felt amongst the entire Muredach’s crew. Jordan’s insurance score in injury time to see the game out for his school clearly meant just a little bit more to all associated with St Muredach’s and Ballina in that moment.
A first-half Corey Lavery McCay goal did prove crucial for the Mayo outfit but it was a right battle up until the finish, with equalising scores being hit a total of nine times throughout the contest.
“It was a frantic finish and we were delighted to come out the right side of it,” said Carr after the game. “We were under the pump for the last 10 or 15 minutes but we dug it out, in fairness to our boys.
“We knew what Claregalway were going to bring. They’re a big physical side, really good in the tackle and we have sometimes struggled with bringing the ball into the tackle.
“But right there at the end, a couple of our big lads stepped up with some big plays to get the ball out of our defence and it made a huge difference.”
It was a typical winter season game of football with rough winds and rain but James Carr praised both sides for how they handled it.
“The COE here is brilliant and the pitch is in impeccable condition. You can’t do much about the breeze but our lads did well,” said the Ardagh man.
“Claregalway managed it really well as well, there were some serious scores on a day that maybe wasn’t the best for football but it showed the quality on show.”
Carr explained that a serious body of work has gone into this campaign and a place in a Connacht senior ‘A’ final for the first time in a generation is St Muredach’s richly deserved reward.
“When myself and David (McHale) decided to take on this team, we both knew we had an awful lot going on outside of school and with football ourselves, playing with a lot of different teams. But we said that if we were going to do it, we’d do it right,” he said.
“In fairness, the boys have really bought in and this is the only show in town at the moment for them lads. We’ve trained over 40 times and they’ve been good sessions with 30 or 40 lads in training.
“It is good quality football they’re playing and it shows in their performance, they’re a real team. You’d know they’ve been playing together for the last four or five months in some really intense training sessions and we’re reaping the benefits of it.”
An all-Mayo Connacht final now awaits St Muredach’s College against St Gerald’s College from Castlebar, who beat St Jarlath’s of Tuam on the other side of the draw.
“We’ve played Gerald’s before and we know what they’re going to bring. They’re an extremely good side with quality in droves and we’re looking forward to having a good crack at them in the final,” said Carr.
The final is scheduled to be played on Valentine’s Day, Saturday, February 14.
