Naomh Fionnbarra March Into Junior Championship Final

DKIT Sport Junior Football Championship

Semi Final | At Integral GAA Grounds, Drogheda

Naomh Fionnbarra 1-17 St Nicholas 2-0

Naomh Fionnbarra secured their place in the DKIT Sport Louth Junior Football Championship final with a comprehensive victory over St Nicholas at the Integral GAA Grounds in Drogheda on Sunday afternoon.

The semi-final had originally been scheduled for Dunleer, but a waterlogged pitch forced a late change of venue on Sunday morning. The move to Drogheda did little to unsettle Naomh Fionnbarra, however, as they produced a dominant opening half to put themselves firmly in control of the contest.

From the opening exchanges, Naomh Fionnbarra looked sharp and purposeful, moving the ball well and putting the St Nicholas defence under sustained pressure.

Niall McCreesh (Naomh Fionnbarra) gets a shot away despite St Nicholas pressure

Niall McCreesh opened the scoring after six minutes with a well-taken point from play, and the Finbarrs continued to dictate the early exchanges.

Ciaran Murphy doubled their lead after 14 minutes before Conor Osborne added two points in the space of two minutes to give Naomh Fionnbarra a 0-4 to 0-0 advantage after 15 minutes.

St Nicholas struggled to find a way through a well-organised Naomh Fionnbarra defence, while the winners continued to build their lead at the other end.

McCreesh added his second point after 21 minutes before Stephen O’Reilly produced an outstanding score two minutes later, landing a superb two-pointer from play to underline Naomh Fionnbarra’s control of the game.

Ciaran Markey then converted a free after 26 minutes, with O’Reilly adding another point from play three minutes later.

The pressure continued as the half entered its closing stages, and Naomh Fionnbarra were rewarded again when Andrew O’Reilly converted a two-point free in the 31st minute.

Half-time: Naomh Fionnbarra 0-11, St Nicholas 0-0.

St Nicholas needed a huge response after the restart and they got the start they were looking for when Hayden Quinn found the net just three minutes into the second half.

The goal gave St Nicholas a lift, but Naomh Fionnbarra quickly settled themselves and responded with a point from Matthew O’Reilly in the 35th minute.

Ciaran Markey then converted another free a minute later as Naomh Fionnbarra continued to keep the scoreboard moving.

Ciaran Murphy was a central part of a slick Naomh Fionnbarra attack

St Nicholas struck for a second goal shortly afterwards, with Leo Quinn finding the net, and for a brief period the momentum appeared to be shifting. Matthew O’Reilly added another point from play in the 38th minute before Padraig Butterly followed with another score a minute later. Markey added another point from play in the 49th minute.

Then, Ciaran Murphy finished to the net, putting further daylight between the sides and effectively ending any hopes of a St Nicholas comeback.

Naomh Fionnbarra remained composed during the closing stages and continued to play with confidence. Andrew O’Reilly completed the scoring with a free in the 57th minute as the Finbarrs comfortably saw out the remaining minutes.

While St Nicholas showed character to find two goals after the interval, Naomh Fionnbarra’s outstanding first-half performance had already laid the foundations for victory.

For Naomh Fionnbarra, attention now turns to the biggest game of their championship campaign, with a Junior Championship title within touching distance.

Full-time – Naomh Fionnbarra 1-17 St Nicholas 2-0.

Man of the Match: Stephen O’Reilly (Naomh Fionnbarra)

O’Reilly played a key role in Naomh Fionnbarra’s commanding performance, contributing three important scores, including an excellent two-pointer from play.

Naomh Fionnbarra team: Fionn McQuillan; Adam Hanratty, Ronan Callaghan, Adam Kirwan; Chris McGlynn, Josh Crosbie, Andrew O’Reilly (0-3, 1tpf); Matthew O’Reilly (0-2), Jack Butterly; Conor Osborne (0-2), Stephen O’Reilly (0-3, 1tp), Pádraig Butterly (0-1); Ciaran Murphy (1-0), Ciaran Markey (0-2, 1f), Niall McCreesh (0-2).

Subs: Thomas McCreesh for Pádraig Butterly 53 mins, Sean Boyle for Chris McGlynn 58 mins, Stephen Doyle for Andrew O’Reilly 62 mins.

St Nicholas team: Shane Finegan; Alex Jordon, Donal Carr, Aaron Flanagan; Cebhan Houshidari, Sam Reilly, Dylan Brogan; Hayden Quinn (1-0), Shane Downey; Philip Kirwan, Roy Kierans, Con Sheehan; Alan McCordick, Fionn Meagher, Alex Finnegan.

Subs: Leo Quinn (1-0) for Alex Finnegan half-time, Paudie Downey for Hayden Quinn 40 mins, Ross Brady for Con Sheehan 45 mins, Jamie O’Brien for Alan McCordick 55 mins.

Referee – Ultan McElroy (Kilkerley Emmets)

Photos – Ciaran Culligan Photography

Niall McCreesh of Naomh Fionnbarra