Culloville Blues give extra to clinch Armagh U21 title

Pearse Og 0-25 Culloville 3-18 AET

CULLOVILLE Blues showed resilience and a touch of class to eclipse a great Pearse Og side and clinch the Armagh U21 Club Championship title for an remarkable third time in a row.

It’s back-to-back senior U21 titles, with the Intermediate title in 2023 making it three in a row.

Captain Taidgh O’Neill lifted the cup insisting that his side were no one-win wonders.

“These boys here, we are winners for a reason, last year we won and a lot of people in Armagh thought that we were one-season wonders but I tell you what, I bet they are not thinking that now. Up Culloville,” said O’Neill.

It was fantastic game played in Armagh’s Box-IT Athletics Ground and both Culloville and Pearse Og deserve a lot of praise from the players and management for what they served up on Friday night.

The game was forced into extra-time and it took something special to separate the sides, such as Ryan Garvey and Ryan Duffy’s spectacular two-pointers to give Culloville that winning edge.

Michael McSorley, remember the name, because he was outstanding on Friday night for the Armagh City side, whereas the magnificent Garvey and the brilliant Duffy brothers were the difference for the Blues, on the few times they escaped their tight-markers.

Culloville threw away the chance to wrap the game up in full-time but you have to credit Pearse Og for their neversaydie attitude to claw their way back. The Blues trailed by a goal after an exciting first half where the City side deserved to be ahead.

Pearse Og had their homework done, they had their markers stick diligently to their men and they were a total pest, which didn’t allow the Blues to find any type of rhythm. It was an interesting opening half, with many fascinating battles and interesting duals.

Pearse Og’s Tom Scallion did a brilliant job marking Ryan Duffy for much of the game, while Darra Gillan was tasked with shadowing Eoin Duffy and the City lad did also a cracking job, for most of the game, but the Duffy lads only needed to get away from their markers on a couple of occasions to inflict untold damage, which they did to turn and ultimately win the game.

The Blues always looked the side more likely to grab a goal, yet it was Pearse Og who struck the woodwork twice in the first half. Throw-in was delayed by a few minutes due to the Culloville bus breaking down en route.

Pearse Og were dominant in the opening half, they won much of the breaking ball around the middle and with players such as Cian O’Hara threading passes they had a great platform to pick of scores, even if five of their first ten came from frees, with Michael Sorley kicking them all.

Josh Hunter’s tight angled effort doubled Pearse Og’s lead before Aaron Garvey opened Culloville’s account on seven minutes and they were backed up with points from Ryan Duffy and captain Taidgh O’Neill, but not before the City side had five points to their name.

McSorley finished the game with 16 points, 14 from frees, including a two-pointer and he kept Pearse Og in front for much of the game. Culloville initially struggled to get into the game until Charlie Garvey grabbed it by the scuff of the neck with his darting run and fine point. Ryan Duffy tagged on another and Eoin Duffy converted a free to narrow the gap at the break.

Half-time: Pearse Og 0-10 Culloville 0-07

Taidgh O’Neill’s stunning goal after a fine pass from Shane Connelly got the Culloville side up and running but Pearse Og always seemed to have the answer and they stayed in the lead with McSorley and Dara Harney on target.

Josh Hunter almost grabbed a goal at the near post but Blues keeper Paddy McCarthy was at the right place at the right time to save with his legs. It was frantic end-to-end football and Culloville’s brilliant Aaron Garvey robbed possession and steered over a wonderful point to level the score on 44 minutes. It wasn’t long until the Blues took the lead as captain O’Neill cooly rolled his penalty into the net then and Ryan Duffy followed up with a point.

The Blues were four points ahead with five minutes remaining and it looked as if they had come good when it really mattered but Shane McCleary and McSorley clipped over points to send the game into extra-time (0-17 to 2-11).

Culloville were a point ahead at half-time of extra-time (0-21 to 3-13), Ciaran Connolly’s goal came on 69 minutes as brothers Ryan and Eoin Duffy grabbed the points for the Blues, but again McSorley’s kicking kept Pearse Og in the hunt and in the second half of extra-time Sean Goodman levelled the score once more.

Again, it was going to take a moment of magic or an unimageable error to decide this final, this time Ryan Duffy landed a magnificent two-pointer and then Ryan Garvey, from 45-metres out somehow boomed his angled effort over for an outstanding two-pointer. It was a score worthy to win any game but City were in no mood to lie down. Oran O’Callaghan’s brace of points suggested just as much although the Blues captain O’Neill also landed a point with 80 minutes played.

Caolan McGinley’s effort made it a two-point game but time favoured the south Armagh side and the Blues hung on to clinch an emphatic third U21 title in a row.

PEARSE OG: Oisin O’Callaghan, Conor Green, Dara Gillan, Tom Scallon, Shea Carr, Ryan McGahan, Tristian Morris, Oran Callaghan (0-02), Jack Scallon, Olaf Kuroski (0-01), Michael McSorely (0-16, 0-14, 1tpf), Dara Harney (0-02), Callum Hughes, Josh Hunter (0-01), Rhys Stevens (captain). Subs used: Shane McCleary (0-01) for T Morris (46’), Caolan McGinley (0-02)

CULLOVILLE BLUES: Paddy McCarthy, Owen McShane, Cathal McEleavey, Caolan Murray, Conor Flanagan, Daire Dooley, Aaron Garvey (0-04, 1tp), Taidgh O’Neill (2-0341-0 penalty, 1tp), (captain), Charlie Garvey (0-01), Eoin Duffy (0-04, 0-1f), Ryan Duffy (0-05, 1tp), Taidgh Farrell, Shane Connelly, Ciaran Connelly (1-00), Jack McArdle.

Subs used: Sean Goodman for T Farrell (37’)

Referee: Martin Conroy