St Peter's snatch late victory in Atty Hearty Cup final
St Peter's secured the Atty Hearty Cup with a late winner, defeating Keady 1-9 to 1-8 in a highly strategic battle at Box-IT Athletic Grounds.
A highly strategic, low-scoring 1-9 to 1-8 battle at Box-IT Athletic Grounds was decided by a late winner which sees the Atty Hearty Cup resting in Lurgan.
The hero of the hour was St Peter’s defender Oisin Haughey, who landed the winning score deep in injury time.
Keady had been hoping to make it a hurling and football championship double, but the dream was not to be. However, whilst they were fated to go under, it does not in any way detract from their ability as footballers. Missing key forward and county panellist Tomas Galvin, who is recovering from surgery, was a major blow.
The North Armagh contenders were never headed, having entered the final with an unbeaten 5-from-5 record through the championship, topping off their campaign with a semi-final win over Pearse Óg.
The Dwyers, who reached the final through a battle-hardened path of four wins and one defeat, had a last-gasp attempt to win the day, but their top marksman Sean Woods saw his accuracy forsake him with a two-point free attempt.
Keady relied heavily on James O’Hara, the joint-top scorer in the entire intermediate championship, but the opposition had their homework well rehearsed, keeping the sharpshooter scoreless from play, thus nullifying his long-range threats whilst limiting him to a dead-ball conversion.
Missing their lethal attacker Niall McConville through injury, the Whites’ scoring burden fell heavily on young star Conan Moore, who didn’t disappoint.
St Peter’s commitment and sharpness throughout the field enabled them to dictate matters for considerable periods. The newly crowned champions ground out a 0-7 to 0-4 lead by half-time, with Ruairi McDonald (2), Conan Moore, and Conal Wilson all contributing to that three-point cushion.
Keady’s opening scores were both dead-ball strikes, courtesy of Woods and O’Hara. Their only other scoring contributor prior to the break was Darragh Geraghty with a two-pointer.
St Peter’s restarted in fiery spirit, with former county player Aaron Findon rattling the net. Keady’s tactical response was centered around a long dropping ball from Sean Woods, which was crucially met by Jack Loughran and punched directly into the back of the net. Prior to that green flag, scores had been swapped by Shea Harvey (Keady) and Callum McKerr.
A brace from Woods levelled the sides late in the game, but just as the clock entered four minutes of injury time, Oisin Haughey scored the spectacular winner. Keady had one final long-range free attempt from Woods which sailed wide, sealing the title for the North Armagh representatives.
Perhaps this was a game where the Dwyers deserved a draw given the nature of the second half. The sides were only deadlocked once close to the finish, but few would argue that St Peter’s were overall the better team and capped a magnificent season with the ultimate prize.
ST PETER’S: Jack Mulgrew, Glenn Flanagan, Sean O’Neill, Fionbarr McKee, Oisin Haughey, Emmet Haughian, Conal Wilson (0-1), Aaron Findon (1-0), Barry Creaney, Callum McKerr (0-1), Ryan Kelly, Ruairi McDonald (0-2), Patrick McGibbon (0-1), Harry Fearon, Conan Moore (0-3). Subs: Michael Gogarty for Patrick McGibbon, Caolan Campbell for Emmet Haughian, Ciaran McCavigan for Aaron Findon.
KEADY: Paudie Donnelly, Jack Molloy, Jack Loughran (1-0), Danny McGee, Daire Harvey, Conor Corvan, Shea Harvey (0-1), Oisin Keenan, Martin Hughes, Daire Geraghty (0-2), Reece Butler, Sean Woods (0-4), Barry Molloy, James O’Hara (0-1). Subs: Padraig Toal for Conor Renaghan, Ciaran Donnelly for Martin Hughes, Dara McKee for Daire Geraghty, Oran McCooey for Danny McGee.