Navan O’Mahony’s 1-11 St. Peters Dunboyne 2-06

Navan O’Mahony’s and St. Peter’s Dunboyne contested The Under 15 Division 1 Championship Final in Navan on Saturday afternoon.  The meeting was a repeat of the group stage fixture which saw Dunboyne emerging victorious by a healthy six-point margin, just under six weeks previously.  As a result, O’Mahony’s were outsiders on the day, having only gained promotion to the top table less than 3 months previously.  This promotion was gained off the back of a string of impressive performances in Division 2 which saw them reach the Division 2 league final, as well as being crowned champions in the Division 2 Féile competition.  An impressive semi-final victory against St. Colmcilles in Laytown handed O’Mahony’s the ticket to the decider. Dunboyne, on the other hand, were a seasoned division 1 side who had demonstrated their proficiency throughout the year, losing only 1 of their 7 group stage games and as well as recording an impressive victory against a strong Senchalstown team in the semi-final.  

The prize on offer for the victors of the U15 Division 1 championship was the Paddy O’Brien Cup, with the cup being named after the Brews Hill stalwart.  As is now tradition, The Final was also played in the Brews Hill venue which bears his name, “Paddy O’Brien Park”.  The final is an annual occasion which brings great joy to the people of Navan O’Mahony’s, but this year’s edition had the added bonus of having representation from a Navan O’Mahony’s side for the very first time.

Although conditions were somewhat frosty for the onlooking crowd, the players from both sides seemed to be unaffected by the nippy conditions and treated the spectators to an enthralling encounter from start to finish.  Dunboyne had the upper hand during the initial exchanges, however, failed to register a score during this period of dominance as they battled a strong breeze, playing into the Brews Hill end of Paddy O’Brien Park.  The O’Mahony’s goalkeeper Ciaran Scott, made a fine save to deny the Dunboyne corner forward from opening the scoring inside the opening minute.  A superb block by Diarmuid O’Bric followed seconds later to maintain parity in what was a frantic opening 90 seconds. It took 5 minutes for O’Mahony’s to register the first score of the game, as Conor McCarthy pointed from a seemingly impossible angle.  This came from a quick counterattack which was started by a trademark Ivo Fitzherbert near-hand tackle and an incisive long ball from CJ Cashin.  This score appeared to settle the O’Mahony’s men as they opted for the high press from the resulting kick out and notched up a further 4 points in quick succession, with 2 points each for Tiarnan Black and Rian Porter.  Conor McCarthy added to his tally to leave the score at 0-06 to 0-00 heading for the first half water break.  It was clear that the wind was going to have a bearing on the outcome of the game and as a result, O’Mahony’s were eager to notch as many scores as possible, while aided by the breeze.  On the stroke of the first half water break, Porter channelled his Inner Stephen Bray to kick what was arguably the score of the day.  Receiving the ball on the half-turn on the edge of the “D”, Porter swivelled and shot in the same motion.  He sent the ball sailing between the uprights with yards to spare, much to the delight of the onlooking supporters.

First Half Water Break – Navan O’Mahony’s 0-07 St. Peter’s Dunboyne 0-00

The second quarter was a much tighter affair, with scores being hard to come by for both sides.  A spirited Dunboyne team talk at the water break resulted in the visitors pointing within seconds of the restart to alert the crowd that this battle was far from over.  O’Mahony’s, who struggled to break down the Dunboyne rear-guard, only managed two additional points in the remainder of the half, with one from Rian Porter and the final score of the half coming from Conor McCarthy on the stroke of half time.  Spirited defending from O’Mahony’s defenders Adam Fagan, Jack Lafford and Rian McDaid afforded little respite to the Dunboyne forwards over the course of the hour.  The trio notched up a number of impressive turnovers to limit the visitors to just a single point in the opening half.   At the other end, a superb stop from the Dunboyne goalkeeper was all that stood between Ciaran McAreavey and the game’s opening goal, midway through the second quarter.  Cormac Nugent gave a Rolls Royce performance in the first half playing as the O’Mahony’s “sweeper”.  You would be forgiven for thinking that he had played the position for years as he continued to mop up loose passes.  An impressive half by O’Mahony’s left 8 points between the sides at the break, however, Dunboyne had shown enough endeavour in the opening 30 minutes to ensure that no spectators were making plans for an early exit.

Half Time – Navan O’Mahony’s 0-09 St. Peter’s Dunboyne 0-01

The second half picked up where the first half left off.  Scores were hard to come by in the opening minutes and both sides missed a flurry of chances, with forwards at both ends getting to grips with the blustery conditions and the changing of ends.  Dunboyne were the first to strike in the second half, adding a point to their tally after 5 minutes to reduce the deficit to 7.  Anyone who knew Paddy O’Brien would be familiar with his catchphrase, “Take your points and the goals will come”.  The O’Mahony’s men took heed of this advice and O’Mahony’s stretched their lead to 10 points when Midfielder Patrick Yourell netted calmly from the penalty spot following some fantastic footwork from full forward Sean McNally.  McNally’s footwork would not have been out of place on the fields of Anfield or Old Trafford.  His incisive run opened the door for Rian Porter, which left the Dunboyne backs with no other option but to foul Porter to prevent an almost certain goal.  Yourell duly obliged from the spot and put O’Mahony’s firmly in the driving seat heading into games final quarter.  However, as was to be expected from an exceptional Dunboyne team, they replied with 2 unanswered points in the lead up to the final water break to once again remind the local support that this was not going to be a procession to victory for the Brews Hill outfit.

Second Half Water Break – Navan O’Mahony’s 1-09 St. Peter’s Dunboyne 0-04

The last 15 minutes are often described as the “championship minutes”.  More often than not, championship games are won and lost in this period.  As was the case throughout the course of the match, the break seemed to work in favour of Dunboyne.  They pointed within 30 seconds of the restart to further reduce the deficit to 7.  A number of wides followed for both sides and it looked like time was running out for Dunboyne.  O’Mahony’s, who had efficiently worked the ball out of defence all afternoon, were caught out with 8 minutes to go when they were turned over in the middle of the field following a number of lateral passes.  A direct ball into the Dunboyne full forward line was clinically finished to the roof of the net to bring the game right back in to the melting pot with just over 7 minutes remaining.  The palpable nerves among the O’Mahony’s crowd were put at ease momentarily as Tiarnan Black added to his tally to extend the O’Mahony’s lead to 5 points.  However, there was more drama to come.  As Dunboyne went in search of a late goal, O’Mahony’s were happy to settle for a foul on their own 45.  The resulting free kick was dropped short and after a series of failed clearance attempts resulted in the ball ending up in the back of the O’Mahony’s net.  With the wind in their sails, Dunboyne won the resulting kick out and notched a terrific point to reduce the deficit to the bare minimum.  Dunboyne looked certain to restore parity in the final moments only to be denied by a superb turnover by Ivo Fitzherbert and Seán Betson as they doubled up on the onrushing Dunboyne midfielder to strip possession.  Moments later substitutes Jamie O’Reilly and Mark Murphy combined superbly to relieve the ever-growing pressure. This attacking move culminated in the final point of the game which came from Tiarnan Black, who finished the day with an impressive four points and in doing so sealed a memorable win for Navan O’Mahony’s.

Full Time – Navan O’Mahony’s 1-11 St. Peters Dunboyne 2-06

Navan O’Mahony’s Captain Sean Betson received the Paddy O’Brien Cup on behalf of the team, much to the delight of the O’Mahony’s crowd.  Members of the O’Brien family were also in attendance to witness what was a magnificent day for all involved with Navan O’Mahony’s.

Navan O’Mahony’s: Ciaran Scott, Rian McDaid, Jack Lafford, Diarmuid Ó Bric, Adam Fagan, Seán Betson (Cpt.), Cormac Nugent, Ivo Fitzherbert, Patrick Yourell (1-00, 1p), Ciaran McAreavey, Tiarnan Black (0-04, 2f), CJ Cashin, Conor McCarthy (0-03), Sean McNally, Rian Porter (0-04, 1f)

Subs: Jamie Peters, Jamie O’Reilly (for Cashin, 48), Mark Murphy (For McAreavey, 45), Brian Hughes-Magennis, Ciaran Wickham, Diarmuid McCarthy, Luke Clarke, Christopher Stapleton.

Manager: Brendan O’Reilly

Coaches: Finian Murtagh, Mike O’Reilly

Backroom: Declan O’Reilly, John Fagan, Eoin McCarthy, Amanda Betson, Fintan Porter.

Tweet

Most Read Stories