St Joseph’s Book All Ireland Final Spot

Saturday 25.02.2023

Football

Paddy Drummond Cup Semi Final
St Joseph’s Gr Donaghmore 3-7 Ardee CS 0-7

Just a couple of weeks after securing their first ever MacLarnon Cup, St Joseph’s Gr Donaghmore can now prepare for an All Ireland Final following victory over Ardee Community School this afternoon in Inniskeen.  Donaghmore dominated the game for long periods but failed to show their authority on the scoreboard until the last ten minutes of the contest.

Sean Flynn opened the scoring for Ardee in the 3rd minute but that’s the last time that the Louth school would have that advantage.  Noah Grimes kicked his opening score in the 5th minute after collecting a pass from Ronan Molloy.  The first of Donaghmore’s three goals arrived in the 11th minute as Conor O’Neill fired to the net following an excellent pass from Galbally man Darragh Donaghy.  Donaghy would have a role to play in all three Donaghmore goals.

Midfielder John McKenna scored a point in the 16th minute to ease St Joseph’s four ahead before Ardee’s Lorcan Buckley cut the gap to three with a well taken point.  Noah Grimes shot over his second point in the 23rd minute but the Ardee men kept themselves right in the contest with two points of their own.  First through Sean O’Callaghan in the 24th minute and then through Tadgh O’Donnell in the 27th.

With the lead now down to two points Donaghmore sprang back into action.  Darragh Donaghy hitting the net in the 30th minute after an excellent pass from Shane Scullion.  Ardee did fire over the last point of the half from Andrew Wogan to leave the half time score St Joseph’s 2-3 Ardee 0-5.

Sean O’Callaghan was first on the scoreboard for Ardee after the restart but that score was brilliantly responded to by the Donaghmore men.  Another superb pass from Darragh Donaghy found Noah Grimes and he hammered the ball to the Ardee net to extend the lead to six points. Both sides exchanged points via Jamie O’Callaghan and Ronan Molloy in the 40th and 41st minute.  The game then became somewhat disjointed as both team missed a series of opportunities over the next 14 minutes.

It was Noah Grimes that broke the barren spell in the 55th minute and they might well have got a goal a minute later but Lewis Mantillas pulled off an excellent stop from a Ronan Molloy shot.  The last two scores of the game came from Donaghmore.  Noah Grimes slotted a free in the 61st minute just ahead of another point from hard working Shane Scullion.

Full Time Score – St Joseph’s 3-7 Ardee 0-7

St Joseph’s – L Quinn, J McNally, B Hughes, D Donaghy 1-0, J Rafferty, J Clarke, C O’Neill 1-0, S Scullion 0-1, J McKenna 0-1, L Hughes, N Grimes 1-4, C Sweeney, C Drayne, M McNally, R Molloy 0-1. Subs – MJ Mansel for J McKenna, C Donaghy for C Sweeney, E O’Neill for D Donaghy, J Field for C Drayne.