St Mel’s College Longford cross the first hurdle in Leinster

St. Mel’s College . . . 1-13  Scoil Mhuire, Clane (Kildare) . . . 1-8

With more than a few supporters remarking on how last year was the year when the expectation was that the 20-year drought for the famous football school would come to an end.  That was the conversation before the start of the game. By the end, hopes were rising that maybe this might yet be the season when it all happens. 

It wasn’t that St. Mel’s overpowered Clane, or that they looked like an unstoppable force. Instead, their qualities were more understated, more subtle – but no less effective for that. 

Defensively, Paddy Clancy led by example, embodying the spirit. Time and again he showed immaculate positional sense to deny Adam Fitzpatrick and Ben Kehoe possessions, while beside him, Paul Eivers also had a tough opponent in Eoghan Lyons, but aside from the goal, he was focused and disciplined.  

Longford’s Leinster minor title winning captain Mark Cooney at centre-half-back was the main performer in the diamond while up front, other Clonguish players James Hagan and Cormac Flynn were relentless energetic, always positive in possession, and very accurate in their finishing, giving the home side a level of threat that Clane simply didn’t possess. 

More than any individual however, St. Mel’s strength was their movement, their cohesion, and the precision of their passing, all of which helped to create high quality chances. They played into the breeze in the first half and got out to a flying start with four of the first five points, including two excellent strikes from play – one off each foot – from Hagan. 

Daniel Colbert was physically dominant at midfield for Clane and his ability to win primary possession was the platform on which the Kildare students tried to mount their challenge, but without the same ability to open up the opposition defence, they relied on taking on defenders in one-on-one situations and trying to win frees, or even running into two and three tacklers at times. 

The visitors  got a few calls in their favour, a crucial block by Seán McGinn on Cormac Flynn denied St. Mel’s a goal and kept Clane in the game, and they got back to just one point adrift at 0-5 to 0-4 when Adam Fitzpatrick split the uprights from a ‘45 in the 24th minute. 

The breeze favoured Scoil Mhuire in the first half and getting to half-time just a point adrift (1-6 to 1-5) wouldn’t have been a crisis. 

A slip in the Clane defence allowed Paddy Mollaghan to steal possession and set up Hagan for an excellent finish for St. Mel’s, but the Longford college returned the favour when they switched off in defending a Scoil Mhuire free.

After taking a moment to realise that he had more space available than he could have hoped for, Eoghan Lyons drove at goal from the left corner of the attack and picked out the bottom corner of the net with a clinical finish. 

The decisive third quarter was one-sided however, as St. Mel’s just looked so much slicker in attack, with far more threats. Cormac Flynn’s relentless movement earned a free that Hagan converted, Daniel Carey struck a fine point on the run and Mollaghan hooked a kick over the bar on the turn.

 When Flynn pointed himself to complete a run of four-in-a-row scores, Mel’s had stretched the lead out to five points with ten minutes gone in the second half, and there was never a point from then on when they looked like they might be reeled in. 

A desperation goal-line block from McGinn prevented Ryan Keogh from adding a second St. Mel’s goal, but they didn’t need it. 

Clane continued to drive at the St. Mel’s defence and they tried a few different tactics in their bid to make a breakthrough, including deploying Mick O’Toole as a big target man on the edge of the square. 

Paddy Clancy was unperturbed as Mel’s continued to defend with energy and patience, and with five minutes to play, both sides had added just two extra points each, and the running of the bench could begin from both managers. 

A trip to Mullingar to play St. Joseph’s of Rochfortbridge lies in wait next week, with top spot in the group on offer if the boys in blue can find a way to continue their momentum. And if they do, expect optimism levels to continue to rise, as more and more people start to believe that this younger group are right there in the mix once again.   

ST MEL’S COLLEGE: Jack Finnegan (Grattans); Ryan Keogh (Killoe), Paddy Clancy (Killashee), Paul Eivers (Killoe); Cormac P Flynn (Clonguish), Mark Cooney (Clonguish), Daniel Carey (Clonguish, 0-1); Jamie Dorr (Clonguish), Enda Quinn (Killoe, 0-1); Conor Doherty (Killoe, 0-1), Davin Donnelly (Killoe, 0-1), Eoghan Kiernan (Clonguish); Paddy Mollaghan (Killashee, 0-1), James Hagan (Clonguish, 1-5, 2 frees), Cormac Flynn (Clonguish, 0-3). 

Subs:- Tommy Killian (Killashee) for E Kiernan (half-time); Alan Mimnagh (Clonguish) for D Carey (51 mins); Conor Mulligan (Killoe) for P Mollaghan (57 mins).  

SCOIL MHUIRE, CLANE: Evan Dunne; Seán McGinn, Paddy Connolly, Calum O’Reilly; Niall Keane, James O’Donoghue, Liam Blake; Daniel Colbert, Adam Millea; Robert Lynch, Ben Kehoe, Mick O’Toole; Eoghan Lyons (1-1), Adam Fitzpatrick (0-7, 6 frees, 1’ 45), Josh Gannon. 

Subs:- James Moore for B Kehoe (42 mins); Jack Grealis for L Blake (49 mins); Aidan Maddock for A Millea (53 mins); Billy Kelly for R Lynch (57 mins); Neil Vizzard for J O’Donoghue (60 mins). 

Referee: Mark Glancy (Rathcline).