St Mary’s Rochfortbridge seek Leinster glory
There is certainly good reason for the feel-good sentiment amongst the football community of Rochfortbridge this week. Firstly the local secondary school, St Joseph’s, collected a much-coveted North Leinster Colleges A title last Thursday. This week the local club St. Marys are preparing for a Leinster Club Junior final in their home ground.
St Mary’s are putting the final touches to their preparations ahead of Sundays Leinster JFC showdown with Moynalvey of Meath. After a difficult couple of years for the club which saw them slip from senior to junior, The Bridge will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of the Ballinagore side of 2005 who captured the Leinster Junior title. Ballinagore of course went on to gain promotion from intermediate to senior in 2007 and The Saints would love to emulate that achievement.
Moynalvey, like all Meath teams will provide a tough test, but a home venue and home support might be enough to swing this decider in favour of the Westmeath representatives.
North Leinster Colleges A League Final
St Josephs Rochfortbridge 2-7
Athlone Community College 0-5
St Josephs Rochfortbridge too strong for tired Athlone Community College.
In a highly entertaining game played in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Pairc Chiaran Athlone last Thursday, St Joseph’s Rochfortbridge ran out deserving eight point winners of this well contested North Leinster Colleges A League Final. Aided by a stiff wind, the Rochfortbridge outfit bagged two first-half goals to lay the seeds of this victory.
The Athlone boys for their part failed to reach the heights which saw them account for a highly rated St Pats Navan side just two days earlier, also in Pairc Chiaran. The fact that this was their third big game in a week, and on heavy pitches, it is little wonder that the Athlone side looked fatigued. While they will be disappointed not to have retained the league title they won last year, they will learn from the experience as they prepare for championship. They will be the first to recognise that, on the day they were outplayed by a hungrier and well-drilled outfit.
St Joseph’s raised eyebrows when easily accounting for a strong Moate CC outfit in their semi-final and showed again last week that they are a side to be reckoned with this year.
Trailing 2-4 to 0-2 at the break ACC needed scores early in the second half if they were to turn things around. Despite gaining the upper hand for the opening 20 minutes of the second half, scores were hard got and the much-needed goal failed to arrive.
Centre forward Jason Cully gave an eye-catching performance for the victors for whom Mark Gorman, Shane Brogan, Paul Lewis, and Eoghan Gorman also excelled.
With the league title in the bag Cormac Daveys men can now look forward with optimism to their upcoming Championship campaign.
ACC continued their preparation for the upcoming championship with a ‘bonding’ weekend in Dingle, which included a challenge match against Pobal Scoil Corcaigh Dhuibhne and a talk by none other than Paidi O’Se. They begin their defence of the Leinster Colleges A title with a home game against Athy on Tuesday December 9.
St Brigids U-21s bidding for seven in a row
When the St Brigids U-21 side take the field for this years county final (Saturday, Ballyleague 2pm ) they will be bidding to capture their seventh title in a row. The Kiltoom boys got the better of St Aidan’s in last years decider, but it is Elphin who provide the opposition this time around. With many of last years side still on board the Saints will be warm favourites to complete the remarkable feat of capturing seven titles on the trot.
Manager Frankie Donnelly can count on a number of the clubs senior side including Peter Domican, Niall Grehan, and Conor and Cathal McHugh. The U-21s will be keen to make up for the disappointment which surrounded the senior side’s shock exit from the championship earlier in the year and also to make an impression on recently appointed senior manager Eoin O’Donnellan.
