Academy break their duck against St Paul’s

St Patrick’s  Dungannon 1-9 St Paul’s Bessbrook 1-7

ST Patrick’s Academy Dungannon picked up their first points in the MacRory Cup when they held off a spirited St Paul’s Bessbrook side at Mullaghbawn.

It was a game where the Academy were always in front with Lorcan McMurray’s goal just before halftime having a major bearing on the outcome of the contest.

That goal left them six points to the good at the short whistle but they still had to pull out all the stops to get over the line as an early second half goal from Bessbrook took the Armagh School right back into the contest.

This was the Academy’s last game in the group and they now face a last sixteen straight knockout clash potentially against holders Omagh CBS or title favourites St Mary’s Magherafelt in a fortnight’s time.

After going agonisingly close to beating Abbey CBS in their previous outing this was a deserved win for an improving Dungannon side which will no doubt give them a confidence boost going ahead. Eoin Long was very sharp for the winners and after he had opening the scoring from a free the Cookstown teenager added a brace of points all within the opening eight minutes.

A free from Fergal Boylan opened Bessbrook’s account and they then closed the gap to the minimum thanks to Shea Loughran.

A Conor Holmes fisted effort restored Dungannon’s two point advantage before Ronan Martin responded for St Paul’s at the end of the opening quarter.

That proved to be their last score of the first half however as the Academy went about establishing a lead that ultimately won them the game. Long knocked over another free and after a ten minute barren spell midfielder James Mulgrew put three between the sides.

In the 28th minute the crucial score of the contest arrived. A shot for a point from Joel Kerr came back off the post with Holmes winning the rebound but his attempt at a goal was saved by Bessbrook keeper Ciaran McCann although the ball ran free for McMurray to finish from close range into an empty net to leave it 1-6 to 0-3 at the interval.

Bessbrook had been wasteful in that opening period with seven wides but the opening score of the second half took them right back into contention when good work from Loughran saw him find Boylan who fired to the net to half the Academy’s advantage.

Two minutes later Daithi O’Callaghan cut in from the right wing to score a quality point and all of a sudden it was very much game on again. It took the Academy eighteen minutes to open their second half account via Mulgrew but Boylan was then on target as well as from a free to reduce the deficit to the minimum again with less then ten minutes left on the clock.

Long took his personal haul to 0-5 when he knocked over a long range free but Bessbrook weren’t going away with half back Fionn Toale getting forward to point.

For the fourth time in the game only a single point separated the two sides but as was the case on the three previous occasions Bessbrook couldn’t find an equaliser with Dungannon substitute Eoin O’Neill having the final say three minutes into injury time.

Scorers

Dungannon: Eoin Long 0-5 (3F), Lorcan McMurray 1-0, James Mulgrew 0-2, Conor Holmes 0-1, Eoin O’Neill 0-1

Bessbrook: Fergal Boylan 1-3 (2F), Shea Loughran 0-1, Ronan Martin 0-1, Daithi O’Callaghan 0-1, Fionn Toale 0-1

Referee: Paul Faloon, Down