Gerry’s Fresh Fruit and Veg U13 Division 1 Football League Shield Final
Scotstown 3-14 Truagh 3-9
They say all things come in threes, and so was the case for Adam Monaghan. The centre-half back scored three goals to help Scotstown claim the U13 Division 1 Football League Shield title against Truagh in St Tiernach’s Park on Saturday.
Played in warm conditions, the young Monaghan played a blinder throughout, as did his fellow Blues, against a strong Truagh challenge that could have brought the title back to Carrickroe and its hinterlands at many stages in the second half.
Monaghan made his presence felt from the off, smashing home a goal after 20 seconds to give Scotstown the dream start.
Jamie McKenna responded for Truagh with a free, before a brace of placed balls from Rueben Sheridan and a point from Monaghan gave Scotstown a 1-3 to 0-1 lead after 8 minutes.
Sean O’Connell pulled a point back for Truagh before Scotstown tagged on two more, thanks to Jason Boylan and Oisin Murray.
Truagh were then thrown a valuable lifeline. A long ball punted into the square was palmed to the net by Cillian McKenna-Goodchild, reducing the margin to three points, 1-5 to 1-2 after 15 minutes.
Scotstown weren’t phased by their setback however, and a point by Jason Boylan gave the Blues a four point lead at the change of ends. They then tagged on another through Nicholas Sherlock at the start of the second period, leaving them five to the good.
Suddenly, Truagh hit the afterburners with two goals in as many minutes. First, Jamie McKenna slotted the ball into the left corner of the net from the centre of the box, before Nathan McGeough barged in from the stand-side and blasted home.
Truagh were now ahead for the first time, but Scotstown retook the lead with points by Sherlock from a free and Adam Monaghan from play.
Sean O’Connell and Shea Beggan swapped points to keep the teams deadlocked, before Jamie McKenna found the range from the placed ball to put the St Mellan’s boys in front once more.
Sahil Arya and Finlay Foy raised white flags to put Scotstown a point up with eight minutes remaining, until a brace of points from Luke McKenna and Oisin Hagan gave Truagh the lead once more.
Nicholas Sherlock and Nathan McGeough swapped points to keep Truagh in front with two minutes of normal time left, and the boys in red looked set for victory, until…….
Cometh the hour, cometh the man; Adam Monaghan was about the turn this titanic struggle decisively in Scotstown’s favour. First, he raced through the middle and slotted home his second goal on the stroke of injury time, before he brilliantly lobbed the goalkeeper for his third, just three minutes later.
Sahil Arya tagged on his second point to put the gloss on a now certain Scotstown victory, and a late Sean O’Connell free was not enough to deny the U13 Blues their day in the bright warm sun.
SCOTSTOWN: Domhnall Moyna, Caolium Mullen, Aaron McKeown, Rueben Sheridan 0-2 (2f), Oisin Murray 0-1, Adam Monaghan 3-2, Sahil Arya 0-2, Seamus McKenna, Jason Boylan 0-2, Finlay Foy 0-1, Enda Brady, Shea Beagan 0-1, Nicholas Sherlock 0-3 (2f)
Subs: Shea Murray for Shea Beagan, James Brady for Aaron McKeown.
TRUAGH: Conor Meehan, James McKenna, Peter Treanor, Liam Treanor 0-1, Shea McKenna, Killian McMeel, Luke McKenna 0-1 (1f), Nathan McGeough 1-1, Jamie McKenna 1-2 (2f), Sean McCabe, Patrick Corrigan, Sean O’Connell 0-2 (1f), Cillian McKenna-Goodchild 1-0.
Subs: Oisin Hagan 0-1 for Patrick Corrigan, Caolan McKenna for Killian McMeel.
