Football

Video: Paddy Tally hails his heroes as St Mary’s, Belfast shock University College Cork

Corey Quinn of St Mary’s tries to get away from UCC’s Kevin Flahive yesterday’s Sigerson Cup semi-final in Mayo. Picture by Sportsfile 
Corey Quinn of St Mary’s tries to get away from UCC’s Kevin Flahive yesterday’s Sigerson Cup semi-final in Mayo. Picture by Sportsfile  Corey Quinn of St Mary’s tries to get away from UCC’s Kevin Flahive yesterday’s Sigerson Cup semi-final in Mayo. Picture by Sportsfile 

Sigerson Cup semi-final: St Mary’s University College, Belfast 2-7 University College Cork 2-6

ST Mary’s manager Paddy Tally saluted his players’ great resolve as they launched a stunning comeback against UCC to book their place in the Sigerson Cup final against UCD in Bekan, Co Mayo.

UCC scored two goals in the fifth minute of the game to take a comfortable 2-0 to no-score lead, but St Mary’s dug deep and fought back to somehow lead 1-6 to 2-2 at half-time.

And even though they trailed by two points late on in the game, a Ciaran Corrigan goal sealed the famous win for the Belfast students.

But now they face the Sigerson Cup record holders UCD, who saw off a strong University of Limerick outfit in their semi-final, and Tally knows his side will be underdogs once again for that decider today.

“We can say this is bonus territory now, but it is going to be another massive game against UCD,” said Tally.

“The key was to come up here and get to the final. Now we are there and we can start planning for tomorrow. But it’s just great to be there and in with a chance.”

But St Mary’s definitely deserved their spot in the final, after they showed fantastic battling qualities to get back into the game, when Ian Maguire and Cathal Bambury struck the early goals for UCC and put them in control.

The Cork side could have expected St Mary’s to roll over after such a flying start but Matthew Fitzpatrick’s tonic goal in the 17th minute gave Tally’s side a chance and they took a one-point lead into half-time.

When Killian Spillane scored his second free in the 48th minute, St Mary’s were two points down and facing into a strong breeze for the closing minutes of the game.

But their senior players stood tall once again, and the ball was worked up-field for Corrigan to score the crucial goal.

Despite two late free-scoring opportunities for Cork county player Brian O’Driscoll, he missed both, and St Mary’s lived on.

“I am relieved, I would have been very disappointed if we hadn’t have won the game because if you take the two goals out of it St Mary’s are the better team,” said Tally.

“If you give a team a six-point start on you it takes an immense amount of courage and belief to come back from it.

And they showed that, and they played super football after that. St Mary’s had Conall McCann and Kieran McGeary black-carded before Corrigan’s goal in the second half but they somehow kept their heads.

Instead it was the Cork side who fell apart in the closing minutes. Adrian Spillane saw red, after an earlier yellow, for a black card for a frontal charge on Conor Meyler in the 58th minute.

Then, as the game ticked into injury-time Alan O’Donovan got a straight red for UCC when he was involved in an incident with Corrigan.

Corrigan’s goal remained the difference, and Tally said it was a wonderful score worthy of winning any game.

“The second goal was class. It was stereotypical football, working the goal out of nowhere,” he said

“And that goal was crucial because I don’t think we would have held out the game apart from the goal.

“It gave us that cushion and Cork were coming back at us hard in the second-half, and we had to have that wee cushion.

“The goal was probably the winning of the game for us.”

St Mary’s: M Reid; K Mallon, A McKay, R Mooney; C Byrne, C Meyler, K McGeary (0-2 frees); B Og McGilligan, O O’Neill (0-3, 0-2 frees); C Corrigan (1-0), C McCann, S McConville; K McKernan, C McShane, M Fitzpatrick (1-1).

Subs: D Kavanagh for McGilligan (49), A Nugent for McConville (60).

Yellow cards: McKernan (28), O’Neill (33), Mallon (34).

Black cards: McCann, replaced by C Quinn (0-1) (31), McGeary, replaced by C Mac Iomhar (47).

UCC: M Martin; C Begley, F Clifford, J Foley; K Crowley, S Cronin, T O’Sullivan; I Maguire (1-0), R O’Toole; B O’Driscoll (0-3, 0-1 free), A Spillane, J Kennedy; R Buckley, K Spillane (0-2 frees), C Bambury (1-1).

Subs: K Flahive for Begley (h-t), A O’Donovan for O’Toole (41), S Sherlock for Buckley (45).

Black cards: A Spillane, not replaced (58).

Yellow cards: Foley (14), A Spillane (20), Kennedy (39), B O’Driscoll (49), I Maguire (50).

Red cards: A Spillane (58), O’Donovan (60).

Referee: J Molloy (Galway).