Holy Trinity reach their first MacRory Cup Final

Holy Trinity Cookstown 0-10

St.Patrick’s Maghera 0-5

HOLY Trinity defied the odds with an outstanding team display at Coney Park in Ardboe on Sunday afternoon as they made history when qualifying for a first ever Danske Bank MacRory Cup Final at the expense of St Pat’s Maghera.

They may have went into this encounter at the Loughshore as underdogs but they certainly didn’t read the script with a brilliant display with every player in a green jersey playing their part.

Their opponents were dealt a major blow as early as the 11th minute when they had midfielder Patrick Walls sent off and no doubt that gave Holy Trinity the belief that it was going to be their day.

In a contest that was played in difficult weather conditions scoring was always going to be tough and the Tyrone lads turned around a two point deficit to lead by the same margin at the break despite having played against the wind.

They made mistakes, as all teams do, but for the most part they made the right decisions when they had to and the fact that they limited their opponents to just a single point from play over the course of the sixty odd minutes tells its own story.

Holy Trinity also picked up three black cards at different stages of the second half to their opponents one, the first of which went to keeper Rian Smith who fouled Maghera substitute Luke Diamond as he attempted to get in on goal.

In that second half Holy Trinity kept their opponents at bay and when they broke they did so at purpose taking some fine points into the bargain from Shea Lawn and Shea Quinn.

Their reward now is a clash with St Mary’s Magherafelt in the decider and while they will no doubt have to perform even better that is for another day.

It was St Pats Maghera who opened the scoring in the 6th minute with a well struck “45” from the boot of Rory McGill.

Five minutes later though the Derry school were down to fourteen men when Walls received his marching orders from referee Martin McNally after the Monaghan official had consulted with his linesman. Shea McKenna doubled their advantage from a free before Cookstown got up and running at the end of the opening quarter when Blaine Ryan got on the end of a Shea Quinn free to palm the ball over the bar.

McGill then left two between the sides with a superb point effort from play after going past a couple of defenders but then Holy Trinity began to come into the contest.

Lawn converted two frees off the ground into the wind before good work from Jack Martin released Peter Loughran and the full forward gave his side a lead that they were never to lose.

In first half injury time they moved two clear when Quinn got on the end of a Lawn free to fist over and leave it 0-5 to 0-3 at halftime.

Two minutes into the second half Lawn hit an outstanding effort from play from distance and you just got the feeling that it was going to be Holy Trinity’s day.

Lawn then converted a forty metre free to put four points between the sides and leave Maghera with it all to do.

In the 40th minute a mistake from keeper Smith gifted the ball to Diamond and he then brought the substitute down and got a black card. McKenna converted the resulting thirteen metre free but amazingly they were to score just once more in the contest.

McGill was then black carded with Quinn drilling over the resulting free from distance. Quinn then weighed in with the point of the game, a spectacular effort from long range with the outside of his boot.

Full back Luke Cullen then received a black card but Holy Trinity pushed on with Lawn hitting a beauty from out on the left wing.

McKenna got a late free for Maghera and in injury time as they pushed for a goal Cullen, who was now back on the field, blocked brilliantly to deny Peter McCullagh. The scenes at the final whistle showed what it meant to everybody connected with Holy Trinity and they now have one more big fence to jump.