St Nicholas dig deep to seal Quarter Final spot with narrow win over Naomh Malachi

St Nicholas booked their place in the knockout stages of the DKIT Sport Louth Junior Football Championship with a battling two-point victory over Naomh Malachi at the Protection and Prosperity Louth GAA Training Centre on Thursday evening. The Nicks, who are the eighth and final team to reach the quarter-finals, edged through on a 1-13 to 1-11 scoreline and will now face Naomh Fionnbarra on Sunday week.

While they will go into that clash as underdogs, Karl O’Connor’s youthful and energetic side showed enough in this performance to suggest they will not be easily brushed aside. Their mix of work rate, fitness, and clever finishing made the difference against a Naomh Malachi team that fought to the very end.

The game started at a blistering pace. Inside the opening 30 seconds, Fionn Meagher opened the scoring with a neat finish off his left following excellent approach play from Alex Finnegan. Finnegan himself raised the stakes minutes later with a superbly struck two-point effort, but Naomh Malachi responded quickly, Darrin Kearney landing an excellent long-range free for his first of the evening.

Meagher and Finnegan continued to torment the Malachis’ defence, with Meagher clipping over another fine point. The game’s first real flashpoint came after 19 minutes when Hayden Quinn was pulled down inside the square. Kearney received a yellow card for the foul and Meagher made no mistake from the spot, rifling home the penalty to give the Nicks a three-point cushion.

Malachi responded well through the reliable Kearney, who hit back-to-back two-point frees, before Finnegan had the final say of the half with a tidy point to send St Nicholas into the break 1-5 to 0-6 ahead.

The second half began with Naomh Malachi attempting to claw their way back, Stephen Kelly pointing from play immediately after the restart. But the Nicks always had an answer. Padraic Downey struck from a free before landing a brilliant two-pointer, while substitute Cian Flynn also made an instant impact with a score from play. When Lee Kavanagh knocked over another free, St Nicholas had built up a five-point advantage.

Malachi kept themselves in touch through Jason Clarke and another outstanding Kearney effort, but Dylan Brogan and Meagher kept the scoreboard ticking for the Nicks. The Malachis set up a grandstand finish when Andrew Begley smashed home a late goal in injury time, reducing the margin to just two points. However, the Drogheda side showed composure in the dying moments, holding possession well to see out the win.

For St Nicholas, this result was a testament to their character and energy. Meagher’s early goal was crucial, while Finnegan and Downey provided leadership around the middle. Naomh Malachi will rue conceding the penalty and leaving themselves too much to do in the closing stages, despite the outstanding accuracy of Kearney, who finished with four two-pointers.

Final Score: St Nicholas 1-13 Naomh Malachi 1-11

St Nicholas scorers: Fionn Meagher 1-3, Padraic Downey 0-4, Alex Finnegan 0-3, Lee Kavanagh 0-1, Cian Flynn 0-1, Dylan Brogan 0-1

Naomh Malachi scorers: Darrin Kearney 0-8, Andrew Begley 1-0, Stephen Kelly 0-1, Jason Clarke 0-1, Kevin McShane 0-1

St Nicholas: Shane Finnegan, Stephen Finnegan, Ruairi Hanlon, Cebhan Houshidari, Aaron Flanagan, Alex Finnegan, Dylan Brogan, Alan Dyas, Brian Carter, Shane Downey, Con Sheehan, Hayden Quinn, Fionn Meagher, Padraic Downey, Lee Kavanagh.
Subs: Cian Flynn for Carter (HT), Sean Hoey for Kavanagh (51), Sean Lynch for Dyas (61).

Naomh Malachi: Darrin Kearney, Conor Begley, Daniel Mulligan, Stephen Burns, Sean Waters, Andrew Begley, Donal Begley, Malachy Mackin, Kevin McShane, Matthew Campbell, Padraig McLoughlin, Darren Clarke, Stephen Kelly, Padraig Moley, Jason Clarke.
Subs: Jamie Kelly for Donal Begley (21), Ronan McElroy for Campbell (51).

Man of the Match: Fionn Meagher (St Nicholas) – His sharp finishing, clever movement, and ice-cool penalty proved decisive in a tense championship tie.

Referee: Stephen Fitzpatrick (Clan na Gael)