St Joseph’s beat Sacred Heart after thrilling Schools Final

St Joseph’s Coalisland 5-9

Sacred Heart Omagh 2-13

ST JOSEPH’S College (Coalisland) produced five goals during this entertaining Ulster final with Omagh’s Sacred Heart College at Clogher on Monday to clinch the Irish News U-13.5 Shield.

The two teams served up a fast-paced encounter at St Patrick’s Park where play moved swiftly from end to end and the fact that St Joseph’s scored three more goals than Sacred Heart made a significant difference on the day.

Sean McGlone opened the match scoring through a second minute Sacred Heart point but St Joseph’s replied with the first of their goals as well-compiled build-up play carved out an opening that Cathal Conlon finished crisply to the net.

Jake Donnelly was proving lively up front for Sacred Heart and he landed a point before Dylan Doris got on the board for St Joseph’s. Jake Donnelly then tagged on his second point as Sacred Heart attacked at pace plus Donnelly was also to hand to rattle home a Sacred Heart goal on 13 minutes following good work by Daire Smyth.

The Omagh school now held a 1-3 to 1-1 advantage approaching the middle mark of the opening half. Conor Timlin chipped over a point in reply and St Joseph’s midfielder Daithi Campbell went close with a first-time effort on goal not long after.

Cathal Conlon did bring St Joseph’s level from a 17th minute point and one minute later Daithi Campbell got a goal for the Coalisland school. Jake Donnelly pulled a point back before Eoghan McGirr posted a further point onto the St Joseph’s account.

Sacred Heart responded well with Cead McGrath delivering the ball into Conor Fyfe who in turn supplied the goal finish on 22 minutes. The teams were back all-square now at 2-4 apiece.

Cead McGrath pointed for Sacred Heart but St Joseph’s surged forward to claim their third goal when the influential Sean Og McCabe found the net with a dipping effort after 27 minutes.

McGrath added a point and Jamie Coney was denied a goal by Sacred Heart keeper Ronan O’Neill who saved well.

Daithi Campbell sent over a minute later for St Joseph’s and just before half-time goal number four arrived for St Joseph’s when Dylan Doris drove the ball home. That left the interval score reading 4-5 to 2-6 in favour of St Joseph’s.

Sacred Heart began the second half with a Daithi Teague point but St Joseph’s Jamie Coney managed to drill in a fifth St Joseph’s goal on 37 minutes.

St Joseph’s keeper Cathair Campbell and defence were called upon to thwart some Sacred Heart forward moves, although two well-taken Sean McGlone scores gave the Omagh campus something to build upon by the 42nd minute.

Conor Timlin pointed from play plus converted a free for St Joseph’s heading into the last ten minutes or so.

Daithi Teague and Conor Fyfe points for Sacred Heart came either side of a Ryan O’Neill score on behalf of St Joseph’s.

Timlin tapped over a 55th minute free as St Joseph’s moved closer to the title but Sacred Heart kept trying hard and landed subsequent scores courtesy of Dylan McCrory and Cead McGrath.

There were some possible chances late on but the two defences cleared their lines with no further scores being registered. St Joseph’s had done enough then to secure Shield success following a very decent game of football with Sacred Heart here.