Newbridge Town was the venue for the U17 Division 2 League Final clash of St. Paul’s
Monasterevin vs Dunamaise College. Having met earlier in the season in the group stage
and playing out a very competitive 2-2 draw, the final was finely poised to be a great contest
once again.
The opening 45 minutes saw some fine play from both sides with both keepers
being tested early on but despite pressure from both sides the respective defences came out
on top and the deadlock remained unbroken with the halftime score standing at 0-0. Following serious hairdryer treatment from Mr McDonnell, it was time to go again.
Early in the 2nd half it was Dunamaise that struck the first meaningful blow in a tight contest earning
them a 1-0 lead. Despite this setback the men of Monasterevin continued to play with the
bravery that we have seen throughout this campaign. It was a cross into the box which the
Dunamaise defence failed to deal with that presented St. Paul’s captain Oisin O’Reilly with
the opportunity to equalise and he duly obliged firing a ferocious strike into the back of the
net. Full time and the sides could still not be separated. 20 minutes of extra time was to
come. Extra time saw notable chances for both sides with St. Paul’s shot stopper Daire
Bannon refusing to be beaten, while at the other end good link up play in midfield between
the likes of Fionn Kirby and Dan Geoghegan presented striker Daniel Delaney with a goal
scoring opportunity which he was unlucky not to convert. The drama spilled over into what
can only be described as a marathon penalty shootout. Mr Bolger got out his lucky mascot as he picked the first 5. Fionn Kirby stepped up first and was incredibly unlucky to see his penalty hit the crossbar. Kirby a player instrumental in taking this St. Paul’s team to the final now had to rely on his team mates. The shoot out continued until all 22 players had taken a spot kick but still we had no winner. This presented Fionn Kirby with a shot at redemption and with his second penalty there would be no mistake.
In the end it would be Daire Bannon who emerged as the hero of the hour as his save earned
St. Paul’s an 11-10 victory on penalties. Mr Maguire had to be given oxygen. The final whistle sparked scenes of jubilation as St.Paul’s claimed the league title and will now progress onto the Leinster Champions League.
Team Mentors
D. Bannon E. McDonnell
T. Dunne L. Maguire
O. O’Reilly C. Bolger
D. O’Connell
E. Brett
C. Fitzpatrick
L. Ballard
D. Geoghegan
F. Kirby
A. Ryan
C. Molloy
Subs
L. Gould D. Orban
D. Delaney D. Lynch
K. KoperKiewicz J. O’Rourke
J. Sony
J. Whitley
E. Ryan
C. Poole
K. Power
