St Paul’s Bessbrook 2-18 St Mary’s CBS 2-15
ALTHOUGH last year’s beaten finalists St Paul’s Bessbrook raced into a seven points lead inside the first 13 minutes and maintained at least a five points’ advantage throughout the rest of the game, they can count themselves very lucky to still be in this season’s Danske Bank MacRory Cup.
A very late pressure point from top forward Shea Loye rescued extra time and the game was ultimately decided by a penalty awarded in the 75th minute for a foul on Ryan Hughes. There were protests from the St Mary’s defenders before Liam Kerr slotted the ball into the corner of the net.
Richard Keenan quickly added a point to which CJ McKenna responded with his ninth free. But St Paul’s held firm under the late pressure to line up a derby semi-final with Abbey CBS.
St Mary’s will be disappointed at coming so close, but not getting over the line in a highly entertaining tie. In hindsight they will rue their very slow start that allowed St Paul’s score the first seven points inside 13 minutes, the pick of them Ryan Hughes’ effort in the 10th minute.
CJ McKenna lofted over two frees to get the Glen Road boys going, but the excellent Shea Loye played in Niall McGuinness for a 22nd minute goal for St Paul’s and they led by 1-9 to 0-4 at the break.
St Mary’s came out strongly for the second half and cut the lead by scoring the first three points, two McKenna frees and a fine effort from the nippy Paddy Doyle.
Loye (two frees) and Richard Keenan opened the lead again, but three frees from McKenna cut the deficit to five points entering the last five minutes.
That was when the fireworks went off; St Mary’s captain Declan Smyth volleyed to the net in the 57th minute and three minutes later Paddy Doyle fired home a second goal to put the Belfast side a point up.
St Paul’s took it to extra time though with a late Loye point and the same player sandwiched one between two for Keenan as Bessbrook went 1-16 to 2-11 up at the break in extra time.
However points from Smyth, Niall McCann and Dominic McEnhill levelled the argument before the contested penalty decision saw the pendulum swing for the last time in Bessbrook’s favour to see them over the line.
St Paul’s : R Daly, J Bennett, D Hanrahan, C Magenis, C Cosgrove, E McCabe, C Clarke, Z Burnickas, D O’Hagan, N Magennis 1-0, R Keenan 0-5, R McGuinness 0-2, L Kerr 1-2, 1-0 pen., 0-1 free, S Loye 0-8, 0-5 frees, R Hughes 0-1.
Subs : D Loye for C Cosgrove (43), A Davidson for R McGuinness (46), S McGenity for C Cosgrove (50), T O’Hagan for D O’Hagan (73).
St Mary’s : G Smyth, N Ward, M McPolin, M Mallon, J McCaffrey, N Gibson, E McCabe, D Smyth capt. 1-1, N McCann 0-1, D McEnhill 0-2, C McLarnon, D Grego, P Doyle 1-2, CJ McKenna 0-9 free, K Bradley.
Subs : S Wilson for K Bradley (21), M Napier for N Gibson (45).
Referee: Paul Falloon.
