Heartbreak For St.Ciarans

Thursday 27.02.2020

Club

St.Ciarans Ballygawley 2-13 Virginia College Cavan 4-7 (Virginia win 5-4 on pens)
There is surely be a better way to decide a Schools final after St.Ciarans Ballygawley suffered penalty heartache at Breffni Park on Wednesday night as Virginia Cavan annexed the Markey Cup.

Both sides gave it their all in a real thriller and they couldn’t be separated after extra time but to decide any game this way, especially an underage final, is surely wrong and something that the powers that be should look at. St.Ciarans grabbed the first goal of the night at the end of the opening quarter when Pauric Traynor converted a penalty. In the closing stages of the first half though the Cavan lads struck for goals from Conor Nulty and Aaron McCabe to give them a narrow 2-3 to 1-5 advantage.

Both sides exchanged points on the restart before a goal from Ruairi Canavan edged Ballygawley in front. St.Ciarans added a brace of points to go three in front but Virginia levelled with a goal from Nulty to force extra time. Aaron McCabe then got a Virginia goal early in extra time before St.Ciarans were awarded another penalty but this time Traynor’s spot kick was saved by keeper Glen Prendergast. With time up a long range Canavan free levelled matters and sent the game to the lottery of penalties with Virginia prevailing in sudden death.

St.Ciarans Ballygawley: S McMenemin; J Hetherington, B Quinn, O McCaughey, F McElroy, P Traynor(1-0, pen), M McCarney, C Quinn (0-3), R McElroy, E Millar, P Kane, M Quinn(0-2), R Canavan(1-4f), O Robinson(0-2,1’45), R Harper. Subs B Carberry for E Millar, O Treacy (0-1) for R Harper, E Carberry for M McCarney, C Bogue (0-1f) for R Canavan, M McCarney for B Quinn

Virginia College: G Prendergast, L Doyle, C Donoghue, R Kellet, S Kavanagh, N Carolan, T Lynch, A Sweeney, C Fitzpatrick, A Mannion(0-1), R Galligan(0-2), N McCabe, C Nulty(2-1), S McEvoy(0-1), A McCabe(2-1). Subs: R Cullen for T Lynch, C McCabe for R Kellet, T Farrelly (0-1) for A Mannion, T Hagen for C Fitzpatrick, S Og McGearty for R Galligan, O Tynan for N McCabe, C Monaghan for C Nulty