Late goal dumps unfortunate Leitrim out of Connacht PPS Senior A Championship

Leitrim Schools’ interest in the Connacht PPS Senior A Championship came to an abrupt end on Friday as a third goal from St Gerald’s Castlebar ultimately proved decisive in a nerve filled and tension wracked final group game at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Bekan.

Needing to better the result of the Sligo Schools team to advance to the knockout stages, Leitrim were all set to just that as they were level with the Mayo men with five minutes to go while the Yeatsmen were on their way to a 14 point loss at the hands of Colaiste Bhaile Chlair.

But Leitrim’s passage ran aground seconds later, a slight touch from St Gerald’s centre-back Fionn O’Hara on a long shot from sub Ryan McNamara meant the ball came cannoning off keeper Scott Kerr and despite his best attempts, the Mayo man gathered and rounded the keeper to slam the ball to the Leitrim net.

Leitrim had enough time to chase the draw that would have been sufficient to get them into the quarter-finals but with St Gerald’s upping their defensive intensity and Leitrim perhaps that bit over-anxious, all they could muster was a free from Jamie Plunkett as the Mayo men held on for the victory.

The results means that Leitrim miss out with Colaiste Bhaile Clair, beaten by Leitrim in the first game of group 2 by 12 points, leaping over the Green & Gold thanks to a facile win over a weakened Sligo Schools side.

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It was the two point loss to Sligo Schools that ultimately did the damage to Leitrim’s hopes as a succession of missed chances came back to haunt Shane Ward’s side, leaving them bottom of the table thanks to the head to head rule.

Friday’s contest was a strange one - at times, Leitrim looked the far superior team but neither they, nor St Gerald’s, played with any real freedom or intensity, the importance of the game perhaps inhibiting both sets of young footballers but when Leitrim did move the ball at pace, they looked dangerous.

The phrase ‘goals win games’ is a cliche certainly but with good reason as Gerald’s three to Leitrim’s one ultimately proved the difference in a game of millimetres, no better illustrated than by the winning goal or Gerald’s second, Scott Kerr getting his hand to a rocket of a shot but the ball still entering the Leitrim net via the woodwork.

In fairness to Castlebar, they were the more wasteful side in terms of wides and shots that dropped short but they never played with the assurance of Leitrim who looked the better drilled and composed side for long periods but couldn’t pull away the way they should have, particularly in the first half when they had the wind.

As disappointing as the loss undoubtedly is for this group of footballers, there is absolutely no doubting the value of the combined schools team as a group of young players as they experience a higher level of competition and quality sustained training that will undoubtedly benefit county teams into the future.

St Gerald’s started the better but in a tense match, they only had two points to show for it, Conor Hoban’s free and a Ben Joyce long ranger, after 12 minutes as they hit a few wides and left a few short. Jack Moolick saw an effort, following a quick free, hit the woodwork and rebound clear.

After being under pressure, Leitrim showed their offensive potential when Senan McGowan landed a long range two point while Darragh Boyle, raiding from defence, got a pass in behind the defence and forced Castlebar keeper James Bolster into a good save, Moolick converting from the 50.

In what was to become a recurring pattern in this contest, the opposition hit back in style - a long ball into Patrick Garvey was quickly transferred to Joe Forry, his handpass found Joyce in acres of space and he gave Scott Kerr no chance from close range for the game’s first goal on the quarter hour mark.

Both teams missed chances but the sides were level on 19 minutes, McGowan booming a two point free from a good 50 yards high over the bar. Forry missed a close in free, the wind perhaps more difficult to gauge than what it appeared while Senan Kelly left an effort short.

Jamie Plunkett finished off a well worked move to edge Leitrim in front, Ronan Fox firing wildly wide a minute later and when Forry finished off a good Castlebar move, the scores were level at 0-6 for Leitrim to St Gerald’s 1-3 at the break.

The Mayo school had the wind for the second half and a quick break saw Forry launch a high ball towards the Leitrim goal, Scott Kerr doing extremely well under pressure to clear the bar. Leitrim broke at pace with Ronan Fox scoring a great point on the turn but Castlebar soon levelled with a point from Adam Burton.

Frankie McManus landed a big two pointer for the Green & Gold five minutes into the second period, Hoban pulling back a point from a free that could have been taken outside the arch. The gap was soon as three points when Moolick landed another huge two point free, Leitrim’s fourth of the game.

But Gerald’s hit back as sub Ryan McNamara, on for the injured Forry, hit a great point after immense Leitrim defensive pressure to cut the gap back to one after 39 minutes. Hoban left a shot short while a Moolick free saw a square infringement before we got two goals in the space of a minute.

The first came when Patrick Garvey’s quick free found Ben Joyce charging through, launching a rocket of a shot that Scott Kerr got a hand to but the ball hit the far post and rebounded into the net to put Gerald’s two up.

Barely had the cheers died down and Leitrim scored their own goal, a perceptive through ball finding Jamie Plunkett unmarked and the Aughawillan man made no mistake from close range. A fired up Leitrim went two clear when Karl Gethins charged in from the wing and blasted over the bar.

McNamara hit back with a well worked point on 48 minutes but it was St Gerald’s who were missing the chances, two missed opportunities to one for Leitrim sub Daire McCabe. However, the Mayo school drew level when dissent saw a free moved in and Gerald’s were content to take the guaranteed score from Hoban.

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With the game in the mix, it appeared Leitrim have survived a major scare when Kerr raced off his goalline to intercept a long through ball to Garvey, a poor touch from the Gerald’s forward but with just over four minutes of normal time left, Gerald’s struck for their third and final decisive goal.

Ryan McNamara’s long ball seemed headed for the arms of Kerr but centre-back Fionn McHale got a vital touch, the ball cannoning off the Leitrim keeper with McHale showing good awareness and neat footwork to evade a diving Kerr before playing the ball in the net.

Leitrim had time and, by that stage, knew they only needed a draw to advance to the knockout stages. Jamie Plunkett cut the gap back to two points from a free but an over anxious Leitrim tried to force passes and Gerald’s held out, Hoban missing the only real chance for a score in added time.

LEITRIM

Scorers: Jamie Plunkett 1-2; Senan McGowan 0-4, 2f, 1tp; Jack Moolick 0-3, 3f; Frankie McManus 0-2, tp; Ronan Fox & Karl Gethins 0-1 each

Team: Scott Kerr, John McGarry, Luke Farrell, Cillian McWeeney, Michael O'Grady, Evan Gilligan, Daragh Boyle, Senan McGowan, Frankie McManus, Ronan Fox, Karl Gethins, Jamie Plunkett, Jack Prior, Jack Moolick, Senan Kelly. Subs: Daire McCabe for Prior (42); Joey McBrien & Jack Attard for Gethins & Kelly (54)

ST GERALD’S CASTLEBAR

Scorers: Ben Joyce 2-1; Conor Hoban (3f) & Ryan McNamara (tp) 0-3 each; Fionn McHale 1-0; Joe Forry & Adam Burton 0-1 each

Team: James Bolster, Matthew Kelly, Matthew Flannelly, Eoghan Murray, Ross Connolly, Fionn McHale, Adam Burton, Caolan Moran, Jack Diffley, Luke Lydon, Ben Joyce, Conor Hoban, Joe Forry, Patrick Garvey, Rhys Neary. Subs: Ryan McNamara for Forry (31); Tiernan Brady for Neary (43); Eoghan Dever for Connolly (49)

Referee: Ian Monaghan (Roscommon)