Impressive St Mary's storm to title

After losing the last two finals, St Mary’s Kiltoghert made sure there was never any doubt that they weren’t going to win this Newtowngore Engineering U17 Division 1 Final as they proved far too strong for a battling Mac Diarmada Gaels.

Sunday’s curtain raiser in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada was certainly good value for money as both teams produced a superb first half where Mac Diarmada started and finished best but couldn’t match a golden period of St Mary’s who plundered 2-6 in a blistering seven minute spell.

Wild celebrations as St Mary's Kiltoghert claim Connacht Gold Leitrim SFC title - GALLERY

St Mary's Kiltoghert produced a stunning comeback as they recovered from a five point deficit to claim the Connacht Gold Leitrim Senior Championship title in dramatic fashion on Sunday, their 0-11 to 1-7 victory over Mohill seeing them lift the Fenagh Cup for the first time since 2013 and Observer photographer Willie Donnellan was there to capture the wild celebrations that followed .... see who you can spot!

Man of the match Ben Guckian dominated the proceedings - in the air and around the field - as Mac Diarmada were never able to counter the St Mary’s man’s prowess and once they got going again in the second half, they proved far too strong for their opponents.

Having won the finals in 2018 and 2019, St Mary’s lost the last two deciders as their growing strength in underage football is beginning to show in the winner’s column and the depressing thing for the rest of the county is to wonder just how many of these superb players are going to be lining out with Mary’s senior teams in the years to come.

If Guckian, quite rightly, was the star of the show, he had ample support - be it from the superb Gardiner brothers, Aaron Glancy and Hugh Bracken in defence through to the deadly duo Brian Keaney and Josh Maye, St Mary’s simply had too much quality in too many areas of the field.

Brian Keaney strikes for a St Mary's point in the second half Picture: Willie Donnellan

It wasn’t for the want of trying and certainly not for the lack of effort from Paul Honeyman in particular. A combative player, Honeyman was top scorer in the game with 2-6 and looks a player with real potential, a nose for battle and an eye for a score.

But Mac Diarmada just couldn’t cope with St Mary’s overall strength - even the subs they brought on made an impact as the scale of the work being done at underage level in the club over the last ten years is starting to make it onto the field.

Josh Maye opened the scoring from a free after a minute after a foul on Hugh Bracken but Paul Honeyman took a delivery from a low pass to score three minutes later. Brian Keaney played a one-two with Maye to fire over seconds later but it was a committed Mac Diarmada Gaels who were making early inroads.

Darragh Gardiner was robbed of the ball by Honeyman and Jack Foley’s run led to a good point for Naoise McManus. Honeyman then played a free short and took the return to score as Mac Diarmada led 0-4 to 0-2 after 11 minutes.

St Mary's young guns becomes kings of Leitrim as second half blitz overwhelms Mohill

ST MARY'S KILTOGHERT 0-11 MOHILL 1-7

St Mary’s were struggling to impose themselves with a poor Josh Maye shot fumbled out for a fifty which Ben Guckian put wide but Daniel Brady played a nice one-two to fire over on 14 minutes - that score opened the floodgates as St Mary’s camped in the Mac Diarmada Gaels half for the next seven minutes.

Dean Earley almost goaled but had his shot saved on the line before following up with an effort that was tipped over. The goal did come a minute later when Guckian, Aaron Glancy and Daniel Brady were all involved in a move that found Josh Maye in space behind the defence and his clinical finish found the net.

Points flowed from Keaney, Guckian (from 50 yards) and Maye before good work from Hugh Bracken set up Ben Guckian for his team’s second goal. Cian Reynolds added a point when Guckian won a throw-ball after the Mac Diarmada keeper was penalised for delaying over a kickout.

That saw a 0-4 to 0-2 deficit turned into a 2-8 to 0-4 lead in the space of seven minutes but any thoughts that we were in for a one-sided massacre were swept aside when Mac Diarmada Gaels rallied before halftime.

Honeyman from a free and Mark Ahern added points before Mac Diarmada keeper Darragh Lee denied Diarmuid McSherry a goal. From that save, Mac Diarmada broke down the field at pace. Cathal McCarthy made a good catch and played a better pass into Honeyman who drilled a great shot to the Mary’s net.

Another Honeyman free left just four points in it at the break, St Mary’s leading 2-8 to 1-7 at the halftime of a breathless encounter. The second half was slower to get going but St Mary’s did add points from a Guckian free and a fine Keaney effort from play after a clever Josh Maye flick.

Mac Diarmada Gaels were creating chances but not taking them before an off-the-ball foul allowed Honeyman to convert a free on ten minutes. 

Mac Diarmada Gaels' Conor McCarthy gets the ball away under pressure from St Mary's Jack Deegan Picture: Willie Donnellan

But St Mary’s were seemingly getting stronger and two good points from Keaney, one after he robbed an opponent himself and soloed in to score, and another from Guckian left eight between the teams. Paul Honeyman and Ben Guckian swapped points but St Mary’s were finding the target more regularly, Guckian (free) and Maye after a brilliant Gerard Murtagh pass stretching the lead.

The game was finished as a contest when Ben Guckian took off on a fabulous mazy run, weaving his way through a few defenders before unleashing a rocket to the Mac Diarmada Gaels net with nine minutes to go.

Mac Diarmada hit back immediately with a strange goal, St Mary’s penalised for a foul which was then moved in. The ball was transferred to a running Paul Honeyman who drilled the ball to the net without ever stopping.

That cut the gap back to ten points but St Mary’s weren’t for turning with sub Niall Stenson and Brian Keaney firing over a point apiece to complete an impressive 12 point victory for St Mary’s Kiltoghert.

Fans out in force for Leitrim GAA County Final double header - GALLERY

Our third and final gallery of Willie Donnellan's fan photos from Sunday's Leitrim GAA County Final double header in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada ... see who you can spot!

ST MARY’S KILTOGHERT

Scorers: Ben Guckian 2-5, 4f; Brian Keaney 0-6; Josh Maye 1-3, 1f; Cian Reynolds, Dean Earley, Daniel Brady & Niall Stenson 0-1 each

Team: Liam Crowe, Jack Deegan, Ambrose Devine, Aaron Glancy, Darragh Gardiner, Gerard Murtagh, Hugh Bracken, Aaron Gardiner, Ben Guckian, Cian Reynolds, Brian Keaney, Diarmuid McSherry, Dean Earley, Josh Maye, Daniel Brady. Subs: Dara Holmes for Glancy (HT); Niall Stenson & Daniel Martin for McSherry & Earley (41); Emmet Doran & Ronan Noone for Reynolds & Bracken (53)

MAC DIARMADA GAELS

Scorers: Paul Honeyman 2-6; 3f; Mark Aherne, Naoise McManus & Gavin D’Arcy (f) 0-1 each

Team: Darragh Lee, Tommy Smyth, Michael McBrien, Kian McGovern, Matthew Lee, Dessie Wisely, Nathan Mahon, Jack Foley, Ciaran Redican, Gavin D’Arcy, Paul Honeyman, Naoise McManus, Cathal McCarthy, Karl Winters, Kayelon Murray. Subs: Mark Ahern for Murray (21; Michael Keegan for Lee (54); 

Referee: Gareth Foley