St Patrick's College Corn na nÓg winners
The Anglo-Celt Community & Sports Awards, in partnership with Mannok and Kingspan, will take place this evening in the Cavan Crystal Hotel. St Patrick's College Corn na nÓg team are finalists for Team of the Year...
Christmas came early at St Patrick's College, Cavan when the school’s footballers secured the Corn na nÓg title, their third success in the prestigious Ulster Schools Under-14.5 football championship in the past decade. The victory marks another milestone for the college, which has established itself as a formidable force at this grade.
The Corn na nÓg journey for St Pat's began with a hard-fought win against Abbey CBS, where the Cavan boys displayed resilience to come out on top by five points. This victory set the tone for a campaign characterised by impressive performances and tactical discipline. In the next round, they faced St Pat’s, Dungannon and recorded a comprehensive victory.
Their momentum continued with comfortable wins over both St Pat's Armagh and Omagh CBS as they grew into the competition. A bye to the semi-final saw them maintain their focus, and they faced St Pat's Maghera in Garvaghey, a significant test given Maghera's triumph over Cavan in the Dalton Cup semi-final the previous year. However, St Pat's Cavan put in a polished display, overcoming their opponents convincingly and booking their place in the final.
The final itself was a keenly contested affair against St Colman's, Newry. Played in ideal conditions in Castleblayney, the Cavan side had to battle hard against resilient opposition but ultimately prevailed on a scoreline of 0-14 to 2-5. The key to their success was the ability to take scores from a range of positions and their defensive solidity, particularly when St Colman's threatened late on.
Mentors Gavin McNerney, Gary Duignan and Fergal Sheridan deserve enormous credit for preparing the team meticulously, blending a robust defensive structure with a dynamic attacking philosophy. Their efforts in fostering a cohesive unit paid dividends throughout the campaign, and the final was no exception.
In the final, St Pat's Cavan were well served by their central spine, with the midfield pairing controlling the game for long spells and the inside forwards showing clinical finishing. A crucial phase came midway through the second half when, despite conceding two quick goals, the Cavan boys maintained composure and responded with three unanswered points to re-assert their control.
The triumph in the Corn na nÓg reflects the hard work put in by the players and management alike.
The victory is a testament to the strength of underage football in the college, which continues to produce teams capable of challenging at the highest level in Ulster schools' football.
The victorious St Patrick's College, Cavan team lined out as follows: George Donohoe (Drumalee), Dylan McDonald (Killygarry), Noah Costello (Crosserlough), Senan Graham (Butlersbridge, 0-3), Aaron Farrelly (Denn), Odhran O'Reilly (Mullahoran), Darragh McKenna (Mullahoran, 0-2), Killian Smith (Lavey, 0-3), Jack Forde (Laragh United), Enda Burke (Drumlane, 0-3, 1f), Darragh Maguire (Butlersbridge, 0-1), Patrick Donohoe (Belturbet), Zach Byrne (Cavan Gaels), Donncha Gaffney (Crosserlough), Ben O'Reilly (Belturbet, 0-2, 1f).
Subs: James Finlay (Cavan Gaels), Adam Rudden (Laragh United), Emmett Corkery (Drung), Cian Fitzpatrick (Drumlane).
With special thanks to our partners and sponsors in these awards - Mannok, Kingspan, Sherry FitzGerald Declan Woods, Cavan Crystal Hotel, Dovida, Kyte Powertech, CICS Silo Clean and Joe Rowley Windows