Dominos Pizza U17 Cup Final ; St Brendans Park 0-0 Mastergeeha Fc

Dominos Pizza U17 Cup Final
Sunday 6th September 2015
St Brendans Park 0-0 Mastergeeha Fc .

Pictures and Report by Tommy Naughton
(Pictures Copyright to KDL & T.Naughton and cannot be used anywhere else without permission)

St Brendans Park and Mastergeeha Fc will have to meet again to see who will be crowned the 2015 Dominos Pizza U17 Cup champions. In a sun drench Mounthawk Park these two sides gave their all and after a quiet first half the game exploded in the last twenty minutes where both sides could have won and lost the game.

St Brendans Park started the better and had the first chance in the twelfth minute when they were awarded a free kick about thirty yards out from the Mastergeeha goal. Rory Kelly rolled the ball into the path of Nathan O’Leary whose curling effort was somehow saved by Jerry Cronin who went full length to finger tip the ball away from the top corner. Nathan O’Leary then picked out Donagh O’Brien with a long diagonal ball but his shot under pressure was again saved by Jerry Cronin. Mastergeeha came more into the game as the half move on and finished the half the better. Gearoid Kerins sent Patrick Warren down the left wing where his cross found the unmarked Donal Moynihan but he mistimed his jump and his header sailed wide of the far post. A minute later Patrick Kearney saved brilliantly in the Park goal with his feet to deny Patrick Warrens well struck effort from a tight angle. The best chance of the half came in the 40th minute when Mastergeeha broke quickly on the counter attack . Luke Murphy sent Patrick Warren through with the keeper to beat , Warren under pressure from Gavin Wadding instead of shooting tried to cut back onto his left foot and the danger was cleared by Gary Howard to send the sides in level at the break.

St Brendans Park again had the first chance of the first half but again Jerry Cronin save this time denying a long range effort from Segun Duyile. On the hour mark Mastergeeha finally had the ball in the net when Patrick Warren broke through to score only for the off side flag to go up to deny him. Twenty minutes left and St Brendans Park had their best chance of the game when Emanuel Abubakar and Segun Duyile played a one two inside the penalty box where Abubakar shot from close range was blocked by the sliding Ciaran Sheehan, but the danger wasn’t over as the rebound rolled into the path of Darcy O’Sullivan whose shot from six yards out was again saved brilliantly by Jerry Cronin who reacted quickly from the first shot to dive to his left and push the ball around the outside of the far post. John O’Brien then saw his free kick from distance saved by Cronin who was not going to be beaten in the form he was showing through out the game. Then after soaking up the pressure Mastergeeha broke in the 89th minute when Sean O’Leary picked out Patrick Warren with a long ball from the back , Warrens shot was blocked by the sliding Gavin Wadding and the ball rolled to the edge of the box where Brian Friel fire a shot low to the far corner and was denied by the diving Patrick Warren who flicked the ball past the bottom of the far post . The drama wasn’t over yet as the large crowd urged both sides on to get a winner and it nearly came in the 92nd minute for Mastergeeha . A quick counter attack saw Mastergeeha break through three on three Brian Friel played the ball to Patrick Warren who set up substitute Shane O’Sullivan inside the penalty area but his shot was again saved by Patrick Kearney from close range . The final whistle went directly after this chance and both sides will be back next Sunday to see who will be finally crowned the Dominos Pizza Cup Champions.

St Brendans Park ; Patrick Kearney , Segun Duyile, Gary Howard, Rory Kelly, Thomas Leen, Donagh O’Brien, Nathan O’Leary, Darcy O’Sullivan, Eamonn Sheehy, Sean Tansley, Gavin Wadding . Subs, Emanuel Abubakar for Rory Kelly (30 mins) , John O’Brien for Nathan O’Leary (60 mins) .

Mastergeeha Fc ; Jerry Cronin, Cian Jenkins, Ciaran Sheehan, Paudie O’Connor, Padraig O’Connor, Gearoid Kerins, Sean O’Leary, Patrick Warren, Brian Friel, Luke Murphy, Donal Moynihan. Subs , Shane O’Sullivan for Donal Moynihan (70 mins), Sean Twomey for Luke Murphy (80 mins) .

Match Officials ,
Referee , Anthony Morrison .
Assistants , Kevin Cunningham & Tom O’Sullivan .