St Kevin’s Lisnaskea … 5-8
De La Salle Belfast … 3-7
St Kevin’s Under-13.5s are one step away from Ulster silverware after a 5-8 to 3-7 semi-final victory over De La Salle, Belfast, on Friday.
Their reward is a McKee Plate showdown with St Joseph’s, Newry, who edged Castleblayney College 5-10 to 5-8 in a thriller.
Full-forward Tom Maguire set the tone with an early goal before Ultan McBarron struck twice to put St Kevin’s in control. De La Salle responded with 1-2 unanswered to narrow the gap, but late points ensured the Lisnaskea side held a healthy lead at the break.
Midfielder Canain McDonald covered plenty of ground, while captain Donnacha Cassidy led by example with a strong display. Danny McCaffrey added 1-2 from centre half-forward in the second half, and Maguire finished with 2-6, ensuring St Kevin’s stayed in command despite the Belfast school’s powerful midfield running.
“They had a big strong runner in midfield who powered through a couple of times and caused problems, but we were always the more balanced footballing team,” said coach Raymond Johnston.
With a McKee Plate final now on the horizon, Johnston knows how much it means to his players and the school.
“Ulster finals don’t come around too often, particularly at school level, and it’s a competition that is fairly strong, so it’s good for the boys,” he said.
“We’ve been in a couple of Ulster finals in recent years, but unfortunately, we’ve come up a wee bit short on those occasions. Hopefully, this time we can get over the line and bring silverware back again.”
The final is pencilled in for Monday, March 17, though the date is still to be confirmed.
Related posts:
To read more.. Subscribe to current edition
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere