The Saints ability to find the back of the net denied Knockbeg the title

St Pat’s Navan 4-14 

Knockbeg College 0-17 

ST Pat’s of Navan beat Knockbeg College to the Leinster ‘A’ title in Manguard Park last week after they showed a clinical touch in front of goal.

It took the Meath side just 15 seconds to score their first goal and that was the first of four they scored against the wind in the opening half.

Knockbeg never stopped trying and the accurate score taking of Tadhg O’Gorman kept them somewhat in the game but it appeared that every time they got within touching distance, St Pat’s would come forward and get another goal to drive a dagger in the heart of Knockbeg.

With both sides backed by vocal support from the sidelines, the atmosphere crackled even before the ball was thrown in. However, the Knockbeg supporters were momentarily silenced in an instant when Meath county minor Harry McGuirk rattled their team’s net straight from throw-in. McGuirk was to prove to be a particularly sharp thorn in the side of Knockbeg throughout the game.

Eoghan Harris responded with two points for Knockbeg but St Pat’s got their second goal in the seventh minute when Eanna Kenny spun away from Cian Howard and finished nicely to make it 2-1 to 0-2.

McGuirk tagged on a point but Knockbeg appeared to be finding their feet for the first time when Dale Heffernan got in for a point and then O’Gorman, who finished the game with 11 points, got on the scoresheet for the first time with a two-point free, to leave the score at 2-2 to 0-5.

Any progress was quickly stunted as even though Knockbeg were starting to get some joy in an attacking sense, they just could not keep the door shut at the far end and the third St Pat’s goal arrived in the 16th minute. Michael Gormley’s initial shot well saved by Mark Dowling but Cormac McKenna was following in and was able to turn the ball home.

Knockbeg’s response to that was their best spell of the game and O’Gorman scored two more two-pointers, one from a free and one from play, to help get his team right back into the game with the score at 3-3 to 0-10 with five minute left in the first half.

They just couldn’t build on that, however, and McGuirk scored twice, either side of strong appeals for a penalty for a foul on Knockbeg’s Greg Kelly being waved away.

The half ended as it had began, with a St Pat’s goal. Oisin Giles, son of Meath legend Trevor, linked up nicely with McKenna in the last minute before the break and after receiving the return pass beating Dowling to make it 4-5 to 0-10 at half time.

The game already had the feel of one that was over as a contest and then McGuirk scored the first two points after the restart.

Knockbeg deserve credit for not completely buckling and the final 25 minutes were played out at 0-7 apiece.

O’Gorman continued his good shooting while there were well taken points scored by Cormac Murphy and Michael Brennan. At the other end, another of the Meath county minor contingent on the St Pat’s team, midfielder Conn Brennan, scored probably the point of the game with a huge two-pointer from around the 45 metre line.

The journey for this Knockbeg team may have ended with defeat this year but they have shown through their season, and in flashes here, that some real quality throughout their team and they will surely bring more exciting times to their school in the years to come.

SCORERS:

St Pat’s: Harry McGuirk 1-9 (1tp, 1tpf, 0-2fs)Cormac McKenna 1-1, Conn Brennan 0-3 (1tp), Oisin Giles and Eanna Kenny 1-0, Patrick Travers 0-1.

Knockbeg: Tadhg O’Gorman 0-11 (1tp, 2tpfs, 0-4fs), Eoghan Harris 0-2, Dale Heffernan, Michael Brennan and Cormac Murphy 0-1 each.

ST PAT’S, NAVAN: Ryan McDonnell; Art O’Neill, Niall Rogan, Ben Browne, Oisin Giles, Michael Gormley, Conor Larkin; Conn Brennan, Tomás Proudfoot; Eanna Kenny, Cormac McKenna, Johnny Finnegan, James Heery, Patrick Travers, Harry McGuirk 1-9.

Subs: Charlie Reuter for Larkin (51m), Ruairi McDermott for E Kenny (52m); Jack Kenny for Travers (52m).

KNOCKBEG COLLEGE: Mark Dowling (Crettyard); Will Duffy (Ballylinan), Nisun Balogun (Killeshin), Podge Brennan (Graiguecullen), Tadhg Murnane (Castledermot), Harry O’Gorman (Castledermot), Cian Howard (Asca); Dale Heffernan (Killeshin), Darragh Brennan (Crettyard); Cormac Murphy (Éire Óg), Greg Kelly (Castledermot), Michael Brennan (Crettyard), Mikey Regan (Killeshin), Tadhg O’Gorman (Castledermot), Eoghan Harris (Arles Killeen).

Subs: Tadhg Deane (Tinryland) for D Brennan (50m), Henry Hovenden (Ballylinan) for Regan (56m), Nathan Walsh (Palatine) for Duffy (59m), Brendan Byrne (Michael Davitts) for Howard (63m).

Referee: Lee Moore.