Heartbreak for Dean in MacLarnon final replay

Dean Maguirc 0-12

Patrician High 1-10

By Niall Gartland

GUTTING, absolutely gutting. The Dean Maguirc came agonisingly close to clinching their first ever MacLarnon Cup title in Tuesday’s replay showdown against Patrician High under lights in Brewster Park, but victory slipped through their fingers in the closing seconds of another enthralling contest.

It looked like Ryan McCallan had propelled his school to the promised land when he slotted home an injury-time point, a score that had ‘winner’ written all over it.

At the very least, extra-time looked like the worst possible outcome at that juncture. Patrician would likely get one more chance – and they did, drawing a scoreable free converted by the reliable Peter Connolly.

But there was time for one more act. Patrician won the resulting kick-out and broke forward at speed, the ball finding its way to centre half-back Joseph McArdle who made no mistake around 20 metres from goal.

That was the dagger in the Dean heart, and the final whistle blew moments thereafter, leaving this talented young group of Dean footballers to come to terms with a one-two combo right at the very death that dashed their dreams of a historic title. Indeed, McArdle’s score was the first time Patrician led all day.

The Dean were the better team for most of the contest and accrued a 0-8 to 0-5 advantage by half-time, Eoghan Conway, Ciaran McCrysal and James McCallan getting through a mountain of work in the engine-room and Shea Munroe bringing his ‘A’ game to proceedings up front.

While it was already a hgely  enjoyable contest, the intensity levels ratched up another level in a frantic second-half where both sets of players expended everything for their respective causes.

The Dean opened up a 0-11 to 0-7 advantage following a fine score from Sean Donnelly after excellent work from Sean Óg Teague and Kevin Cuddy, and another Munroe free, and it looked the job was three-quarters done.

In the space of just a few minutes, however, the game was tossed on its head. Patrician corner-back Conor Meehan swung over a score, and then came the bodyblow of a goal – Tom Maguire palming the ball to the net after a speculative effort from sub Sean O’Brien. It was all square and anyone’s game.

The last ten minutes were utterly absorbing – albeit nerve-racking – as both teams pushed hard in search of victory. It looked like Ryan McCallan had won the day for the Dean when he traded passes with Tiarnan Mullin and boomed over a point into the Enniskillen night-sky as the clock ticked into injury time, but the die hadn’t yet been cast.

Patrician won a free which they duly converted, and there was still time, just about, for either team to conjure one last chance. The kick-out was won by Patrician, they sensed their opportunity and seconds later Joseph McArdle, an unlikely hero, had the ball over the bar. And that was that basically that – they had snatched victory right at the death, a heart-breaking outcome for the Dean all told.