Sky Blues 'Bridge 15-year    title wait in thriller

Mayobridge 4-12

Kilcoo 3-10

MAYOBRIDGE Minor manager Eoghan Woods was delighted for his side as they ended a 15-year wait to win the Down Minor Championship title and says it is the shot in the arm the Sky Blues club needed.

Played in Pairc Esler on Sunday, as the first of a double-header, it was a thriller and both sides deserve huge amount of credit for the game they served up but Mayobridge were worthy winners.

“It is amazing for them today and sure the club needed a wee lift; it has been in the doldrums for a few years and we needed a wee bit of a lift so I hope that give us a wee bit of a lift,” said Woods.

“We identified they had three or four good players and we put some of our players on them and marked them and just gave everybody else a go at it, sometimes we told them to carry it and then Darragh Poland is a good target for us inside and we have pace in the team and that gives us options. “We let them play football and I am delighted for them.”

Mayobridge got off to a dream start when from the throw in Daire O’Keefe made a charge for goal but Kilcoo keeper Eoin Rooney made a great save only for the ball to deflect across and hit the sliding Ryan Coulter’s knee for a goal.

The Bridge were in control and with 11 minutes gone they bagged another goal, this time target man Darragh Poland rifled into the net after a great turnover by the hardworking Corey Clerkin.

Kilcoo battled throughout but all their first half points came from frees, which kept them in the game with Taidgh O’Hare and young McEvoy doing the needful while Clerkin, Poland and Patrick Woods picked off points to give Mayobridge a 2-06 to 0-05 lead at the break.

However, Kilcoo were back in the game in a flash with a magnificent start to the second half as Conor O’Rourke slipped Barra McEvoy the pass and he fired into the net and a minute later the Magpies had grabbed their second goal with Madine rattling the net.

All of a sudden there was only a point between the sides, UTM chants were being battled with UTB chants and it was exciting stuff. The game was end-to-end throughout and played at pace and the Sky Blues responded with O’Keefe thumping home a third goal for his side. Manager Woods was content with how his side handled the pressure.

“It was an amazing start, a great start we got a goal straight way and maybe went to sleep a wee bit and lost a lot of ball,” Woods said.

“But they shocked us big time in the second half and we let in two goals but to be fair the boys could have wilted but they didn’t, they stood up and there is a lot of leaders in that squad and they closed it out. That’s what we asked them to do, to manage the game in the end and that is what they done.

“Kilcoo is always going to hit a purple patch, how you ride that out and how you deal with it is what matters. Our boys played like seniors and they showed maturity and I am just delighted that we won the title.”

There was still plenty of football to be played and the Bridge young guns pulled away with Clerkin, Daniel Carr, O’Keefe and Conor Colhoun on target but the Magpies hit back with O’Hare, Madine and McEvoy registering points.

However, Mayobridge weren’t finished and ten minutes from time the lively Carr made a great solo run before picking his spot and firing home his sides fourth goal of the afternoon.

Surely that was the game wrapped up, but Kilcoo, to their credit never gave up and it was silky stuff between Ciaran O’Reilly and Lorcan Ward that set up Cody McCusker who buried his shot into the net.

There was three additional minutes played and Bridge held on for a memorable victory and the celebrations began after the final whistle, in what was a fantastic final.

As Minor football returns to U18 grade next season, there’s a chance the same final will take place next season.

“I bet it was a great game of football and we said going into the game today for neutral people and anybody watching they should enjoy it because both teams went at it,” Woods said.

“Yes, both teams were set up a wee bit defensively but we still went at it the other way and took some great scores.

It is going to be the same team again next year and I suppose it is about how you keep it fresh and how you get them back and at it.”

It was a game that excited and played a full-tilt and it was great that the county board played the final in Pairc Esler, in front of a bumper crowd. It certainly was the pick of the double-header.

MAYOBRIDGE: Michael Gallagher, Rory Magone, Ben Kelly, James Keenan, Ollie De Rose, Daniel McMahon, Conor Colhoun, Daire O’Keefe, Conor Keenan, Daniel Carr, Corey Clerkin, Patrick Woods, Ryan Coulter, Darragh Poland, Ciaran McPolin.

Subs: Calum Hillen, Gerard Laverty, Darragh Magee, Ryan Magee, Joseph McConville, Kieth Rice, Dara Sexton, Jude McGlade, John Joe O’Hare.

MAYOBRIDGE SCORERS: D O’Keefe (1-02) D Carr (1-2), D Poland (1-01), R Coulter (1-00), C Clerkin (0-4, 0-3 frees), P Woods (0-01), C Colhoun (0-01), J Keenan (0-1, free)

KILCOO: Eoin Rooney, Sean Paul Gribben, Ruairi McEvoy, Colum Doyle, Dalach McGreevy, Taidgh O’Hare, Ben Curren, Liam Grant, Lorcan Ward, Cody McCusker, Barra McEvoy, Connor O’Rourke, Ryan Morgan, Ruairi Madine, Ciaran O’Reilly.

Subs: Lorcan McClean, Callum O’Hagan, Matt McEvoy, Morgan Fettes, Shea McEvoy, Ryan Mullan, Ryan O’Hagan, Taidgh O’Hanlon, Caolan O’Hare.

KILCOO SCORERS: B McEvoy (1-05, 0-5 frees), R Madine (1-01), L Ward (1-00), T O’Hare (0-04, frees)