Minor League Final: St. Francis emerged victorious in the 13 aside minor final against Garadice Gaels last Wednesday in Leitrim Village on a scoreline of 1-09 to 1-08. We struggled throughout the first half and Garadice led 1-08 to 0-03 after playing with the aid of the breeze. Diarmaid McKiernan, Wayne Reynolds & John Crawford scored our first half points but we were unable to contain the outstanding Conor Gaffney in this period.
However the second half performance was full of courage & determination as the lads set about reeling in the opposition. We chipped away at the lead and had the score at 1-08 to 0-08 with time running out as Garadice missed a couple of frees that would have closed the game out. We kept pushing forward and were awarded with a penalty deep into injury time. Diarmaid McKiernan was the coolest man on the pitch and duly despatched the spot kick to level the game. There was still time for one final attack in which we won a free and again Diarmaid nailed the kick to seal a dramatic victory. There were great scenes as John Crawford lifted the cup. The team was Kevin Moran, Alan McTigue, Kevin Moran, Kyle Flynn, Padraig Clark, Shane Walsh, John Crawford, Brian Moran, Luke Bradley, Niall Sorohan, Wayne Reynolds, Diarmaid McKiernan, Ciaran Walsh, Gareth Higgins, Jack Ozdobinski, Calum Moore.
Well done to all the panel who put in a great effort over recent months and to manager Eamonn McGowan & selectors Padraig Cornyn, Noel Heron & Fergal McPartland. Commiserations to Garadice Gaels who were short a couple of key players due to injury. Many thanks to Henry Sorohan who sponsored a meal for everyone after the game it is much appreciated. Best of luck to all the players who are now preparing for exams. We wish Alan McTigue a speedy recovery after sustaining a serious injury in the final.
