Academy Lose Out In MacRory Cup

Tuesday 05.11.2024

Club

Abbey VS Donegal 4-14 St.Patricks Academy Dungannon 2-13

St.Patricks Academy Dungannon made a disappointing start to this year’s MacRory Cup campaign when they lost out at Donnelly Park in Trillick to an impressive Abbey Vocational School Donegal side who were making their debut in the competition.

The winners were backboned by Four Masters players who are the reigning Ulster Minor champions and they set their stall out in the first half when establishing a 4-5 to 1-7 advantage. Their first two goals came from Darragh Griffin and Tiarnan McBride who both profited from a long ball in to flick to the net. From the next kick out they won possession to find the net again through  Eoghan Gallagher and they never looked back. The Academy had recovered from the first goal to draw level thanks to points from Lorcan McMurray, Luke Neeson and Eoin Long and despite further points from Liam McGeary and Enda Cush after that two goal salvo and a Long major they were undone again just before the interval as Conor McCahill found the net.

Two Oisin Doherty frees increased Abbey’s lead on the restart and while the Academy responded through Davin McKeown and McMurray efforts from McCahill and Griffin kept them at arms length. With seven minutes left to play a well taken goal from McKeown goal reduced to gap to four points and we looked set for a close finish. A long range McKeown point though was all that Dungannon manged in the closing stages as Abbey tagged on points from McCahill, McBride and Doherty to ensure that they got their campaign off on a winning note.

Abbey scorers: C McCahill 1-4 (2f), O Doherty 0-5 (4F), E Gallagher 1-1, T McBride 1-1, D Griffin 1-1, Turlough Carr 0-1, Tomas Carr 0-1

Dungannon scorers: L McMurray 0-5 (1F), D McKeown 1-2, E Long 1-2 (2F), L Neeson 0-1, L McGeary 0-1, E Cush 0-1, C Maguire 0-1

Referee: P Gallagher, Castlederg