Extra time win for St. Joseph's in U16 NI Cup Final!

Grosvenor College 1 

St Joseph’s Boys 2

St. Joseph’s Boys came away 2-1 winners after extra time in a dramatic U-16 Northern Ireland Cup at the Danny Blanchflower Stadium In Belfast yesterday.

The prestigious trophy made its way back over the Glenshane Pass and into Creggan after a game that saw the Derry side take an early goal in the second minute, dominate the first half but the inability to finish off some clear-cut chances saw their slender lead pegged back on the hour mark. It then needed extra time before the winner could emerge.

It was all guns blazing in the opening minutes as St. Joseph’s piled pressure on the Grosvenor goals.

It was just two minutes in when the Derry side opened the scoring. A corner from the right saw full-back and captain Shea McGinley climb high at the back post, and his header flew into the back of the net past helpless Kingham in the Grosvenor goals.

On the quarter hour St. Joseph’s midfielder Tommy McLaughlin almost doubled the score. He collected the ball in the centre of the park, beat his marker and blasted narrowely over the crossbar.

So dominant were the Creggan men that it was twenty minutes into the game before Patton in the Derry goals had his first touch. The back four marshalled by McGinley was steadfast, winning all aerial tussles and clearning their lines with ease.

St Joe’s were very much in the ascendancy at this stage, and a probing run on the half hour mark by St. Joseph’s Eoin Canning should have resulted in a goal but his low drive just went wide of the upright.

Minutes later, St. Joseph’s netminder Patton was called upon to save when a shot by Grosvenor’s Sam Logan had to be punched over the crossbar.

The Derry side had a number of chances in the dying minutes of the first half but the teams went in at half time 1-0.

It was a different game in the second half with a resurgent Grosvenor finding their rhythm. They came out in the second period with a more positive approach and some long balls pumped high up through the centre saw forwards Anderson and Simpson causing problems for the Derry back four.

An early chance saw Grosvenor winger Benjamin Greer, beat his marker on the right before unleashing a shot that crept just high above the crossbar.

A bout of sustained pressure by the Belfast side saw it pay dividends. The danger again came from the right side. A low cross was scrambled away by Patton in the St. Joseph’s goals but failure to clear saw the ball drilled home by Zach Anderson to bring the scores level.

In the dying minutes of the second half, some good goalkeeping by Odhran Patton kept his team in the tie, the most notable being a long range shot from Reuben Hall which he parried wide of the goals.

It was the Belfast side who finished the game stronger with St. Joseph’s holding on for extra time.

Resilient

A thorough team talk from manager Emmett McGinty and coach Sean Friars saw a resilient St. Joseph’s take to the field in the first period of extra time and pushed on by midfield dynamo Noah Doherty and the strong running Glenn McCourt, it was the Derry side who took the lead and what proved to be the winning score.

A tactical masterclass by coach Sean Friars who brought on Kyle Nixon, and within minutes the tricky winger broke away on the right side of the 18 yards box, turned his marker and blasted low into the Grosvenor goals past a helpless Kingham to score what was the winning goal.

As Grosvenor pushed forward for an equaliser, it was the Derry side who created the better chances in the dying minutes through breakaways and they had the best chance to put the game beyond doubt but a 30 yards drilled free kick by Callum Deery sailed dangerously close to the crossbar.

The final seconds of the second period of extra time saw Patton in the St. Joseph’s goals, calm the nerves as he dived low to save a goal bound shot from Logan. Their nerves were calmed even more minutes later as the referee blew the final whistle that saw the trophy head down the new motorway back to the glass cabinet at Westway.

In a very good overall team performance from the Derry lads’, in which the back four stood firm all throughout the game, others worth a mention were captain Shea McGinley, Noah Doherty, Callum Deery, Ciaran Mullan and Caoimhin Ramsey. Special mention too of Lennon Hamill, who despite being unwell during extra time, battled through to the final whistle. The players dedicated Friday’s win to their late teacher, Mr. Sean O’Kane who sadly passed away last year.

St. Joseph’s Boys – Odhran Patton; Shea McGinley (capt), Lennon Hamill, Ciaran Mullan, Eoin Canning, Callum Deery, Tommie McLaughlin, Noah Doherty, Shea Doyle, Glenn McCourt, Caoimhin Ramsey, Shane Moran, Cormac Ferguson, Calvin Brown, Kyle Reddin, Kyle Nixon.