IT’S THE BIGGEST day on the club football calendar with Dublin’s St Vincent’s up against Mayo’s Castlebar Mitchels in Croke Park.
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Result: St Vincent’s 4-12 Castlebar Mitchels 2-11
It’s time for the 2014 AIB All-Ireland senior club football final. St Vincent’s of Dublin take on Castlebar Mitchels of Mayo.
Here’s the teams:
CASTLEBAR MITCHELS: Ciaran Naughton; Alan Feeney, Eoghan O’Reilly, Ray O’Malley; Donal Newcombe, Tom Cunniffe, Patrick Durcan; Gerard McDonagh, Barry Moran; Neil Lydon, Aidan Walsh, Richie Feeney; Danny Kirby, Neil Douglas, Tom King.
ST VINCENT’S: Michael Savage; Kevin Bonnie, Jarlath Curley, Hugh Gill; Cameron Diamond, Brendan Egan, Michael Concarr; Daithi Murphy, Eamon Fennell; Gavin Burke, Diarmuid Connolly, Shane Carthy; Tiernan Diamond, Ciaran Dorney, Tomas Quinn.
St Vincent’s 0-1 Castlebar Mitchels 0-0: 1 min – Shane Carthy with the opening point of the game for St Vincent’s.
Two late changes for St Vincent’s see Ger Brennan and Ruairi Trainor in for them.
Early wides for Castlbebar Mitchels from an Aidan Walsh free and then Danny Kirby from play.
St Vincent’s 0-1 Castlebar Mitchels 0-1: 6 mins – The Mayo champions draw level courtesy of Patrick Durcan.
St Vincent’s 0-2 Castlebar Mitchels 0-2: 7 mins – Diarmuid Connolly sends St Vincent’s back in front but then Tom King ties the game with a pointed free.
St Vincent’s 1-2 Castlebar Mitchels 0-2: 9 mins – Fine goal for St Vincent’s as Diarmuid Connolly splits the defence with a pass for wing-back Michael Concarr to rush onto and finish calmly to the net.
Goal chance for Castlebar but cracking save by Michael Savage to deny Danny Kirby.
St Vincent’s 1-2 Castlebar Mitchels 0-3: 11 mins – Beautiful crossfield pass by Tom King for Aidan Walsh who pops over a neat point.
How big a loss will Richie Feeney be for Castlebar after going off due to a black card offence?
Cameron and Tiernan Diamond are the two St Vincent’s players who made way after the introduction of Ger Brennan and Ruairi Trainor to the starting line-up.
St Vincent’s 1-2 Castlebar Mitchels 0-4: 14 mins – Another fine point from a Castlebar forward, this time Neil Lydon is on target.
Bad miss by Tom King there from 20-yard free as the ball is gathered by Michael Savage.
St Vincent’s 1-2 Castlebar Mitchels 0-5: 16 mins – Great marksmanship as Neil Douglas sweeps over a point.
Another goal chance for St Vincent’s but Ciaran Dorney’s effort is blocked by Ciaran Naughton.
And again Naughton is called into action, this time he tips away a goal bound shot by Ruairi Trainor after the ball came back down off the upright from a Mossy Quinn point attempt.
Castlebar Mitchels 0-6 St Vincent’s 1-2: 21 mins – Fine point by Neil Lydon puts Castlebar ahead after quick thinking by Tom King saw him tap a free into his teammate.
Castlebar Mitchels 0-8 St Vincent’s 1-2: 23 mins – Barry Moran shines as a target man and offloads to Fergal Durcan for a point before Patrick Durcan comes forward to hook over another off his left.
Castlebar Mitchels 0-8 St Vincent’s 2-2: 26 mins – And there is St Vincent’s second goal with Dorney finding the net on this occasion. Neat interplay set it up with Ruairi Trainor offloading to Diarmuid Connolly who unselfishly fisted the ball across for Dorney to palm to an empty net. Level game now.
St Vincent’s 2-3 Castlebar Mitchels 0-8: 30 mins – Ruairi Trainor blasts the ball over the bar. There was a goal on there it seemed after Mossy Quinn spun away from Tom Cunniffe and sent the ball across to Trainor.
St Vincent’s 2-3 Castlebar Mitchels 0-9: 31 mins – Barry Moran points for Castlebar.
All square at the interval in Croke Park. We’ll be back shortly with the second-half action.
Castlebar Mitchels 0-10 St Vincent’s 2-3: 31 mins – First blood in this half to Castlebar with Tom King firing over a free.
Castlebar Mitchels 0-10 St Vincent’s 2-4: 33 mins – Shane Carthy ties the teams with another point for St Vincent’s.
St Vincent’s 2-5 Castlebar Mitchels 0-10: 35 mins – Mossy Quinn smashes over a point after a pass from Diarmuid Connolly.
St Vincent’s 2-6 Castlebar Mitchels 0-10: 37 mins – St Vincent’s extend their lead as Quinn taps over a free when Daithi Murphy is fouled.
St Vincent’s 2-7 Castlebar Mitchels 0-10: 38 mins – The Dublin champions have certainly started the second-half better. Their fourth point in a row comes courtesy of Diarmuid Connolly as he strokes the ball over from play.
St Vincent’s 2-7 Castlebar Mitchels 0-11: 41 mins – Cracking point for Castlebar by wing-forward Neil Lydon into Hill 16.
St Vincent’s 3-7 Castlebar Mitchels 1-11: 44 mins – Dramatic passage of play. Firstly Neil Douglas sees his point attempt hit the post, fall into the arms of the waiting Danny Kirby and he rifles it into the corner of the net. Then at the other end St Vincent’s attack and Diarmuid Connolly rises highest in the goal mouth to flick the ball to the corner for their third goal of the match.
Substitute: Cameron Diamond is on for St Vincent’s for the injured Eamonn Fennell.
Goal chance for St Vincent’s when Cameron Diamond’s point attempt hits the bar and Michael Concarr tries to net from the rebound but Ciaran Naughton parries and clears.
St Vincent’s 3-8 Castlebar Mitchels 1-11: 49 mins – Diarmuid Connolly points to push St Vincent’s clear by three.
Substitute: James Durcan is on for Castlebar for Neil Douglas while Kevin Golden replaces Ruairi Trainor in the St Vincent’s side.
St Vincent’s 3-9 Castlebar Mitchels 1-11: 51 mins – Connolly with another classy point for St Vincent’s.
St Vincent’s 4-9 Castlebar Mitchels 1-11: 53 mins – That should be the decisive score. Connolly slaloms through the defence, loses the ball briefly before picking it up and walloping a left-foot shot to the net.
St Vincent’s 4-10 Castlebar Mitchels 1-11: 55 mins – That’s 2-5 now for Diarmuid Connolly as he points from play.
St Vincent’s 4-10 Castlebar Mitchels 2-11: 55 mins – Danny Kirby’s second goal of the game for Castlebar cuts the gap to five points.
Substitute: Castlebar bring on David Joyce for Ray O’Malley while St Vincent’s bring on Adam Baxter for Ciaran Dorney. Castlebar replace Ger McDonagh with Shane Hopkins.
St Vincent’s 4-11 Castlebar Mitchels 2-11: 60 mins – That looks like the insurance point as Shane Carthy raises a white flag.
Even the great Sexton left Leinster to play for a better club!!
The analysis isn’t worth squat without application of a strategy that all the players buy into. Something is not right in Munster badly need to rebuild with 2-3 quality signings, Henshaw would be nice, and a top quality management team needs to be given 3 years minimum.
Why would Henshaw want to move to munster. When he has the best coach of all the provinces and the best youth development. A few big signings would be nice for connacht maybe cj stander and dave foley ?
Well said Harvey. He’d be mad to leave a great learning environment with Mils, Bundi, Pat and great players his own age around him. Time to put the idea of Connacht as a feeder club to bed. Munster should come up to Connacht and see how things are done with a small budget because that is where they are now. They could learn how to develop players like Leader, Marmion and Henshaw. Sort your mess out, especially your board, and leave Connacht grow.
Exactly they wont even invest in there own youth ie jj hanrahan he has the potential to be one of the best outhalfs in the country and he was let go. Problem with leinster and munster is they are looking for the quick fix to get them back winning trophies there two different teams than what they were a few years ago with different coaches . Things arent going to be built overnight for them .
Good things are happening at connacht and if the other provinces and the irfu come in and unsettle things they will have shown alot of disrespect for the people out west.
At the moment the irfu need pat lam more than he needs them. They would want to keep on his good side he is doing great things for irish rugby at the moment.
@theheathen you can also add Buckley to that list of home grown big hitters; also just look at the difference Connacht has been to Quinn Roux, he’s a new player since he moved!
Munster did all that developing years ago that’s how they got to the top so did Leinster the problem is now they have to try stay there which is not easy sucess leads to expectation!Connacht are just starting to build something now hopefully they succeed with the players they have but have bit to go yet don’t get carried away with yourselves!
A load of bull Harvey
Leinster get back the wining trophies? I think Leinster have been winning trophies season after season for a long time now.
Your problem is you know and I know that good young players want to do the best for themselves and play for the best teams. Munster and Leinster are the two biggest and best teams in all the Celtic nation’s history.
If a young player didn’t want to play for either of them he simply doesn’t have enough ambition
Henshaw to Munster and Marmion to Leinster is the way it will work out.
@Harvey Kinkel The Leinster development set up is the best in the country, yes the coach is sh*t but there are plenty of young guys coming through. They don’t need a “quick fix”, but it is always nice to augment a team with quality players such as Elsom and Thorn.
Munster on the other hand can’t develop a centre if their lives depended on it. JJ is a massive loss! Personally I think if they want to buy a centre they should try to get a bench warmer in Leinster or Ulster or go after Chris Farrell in Grenoble
@ Chris McDonnell it is ridiculous to say a player wanting to play for Connacht has no ambition. They’re not too far off the other Irish Provinces in the Pro12 and their coach is certainly better than the others. I’m hoping coaches like McCall Jackman and O’Shea feel homesick soon!
Yer all full of crap
@harvey great rugby jargon there harv,perhaps you could keep the replies a bit shorter with less big words for the ordinary supporter!!
I said henshaw would be nice. Well done Harvey you miss the point completely and then respond subsequently saying the management in Connaught and potential is better than munster. Ya haven’t a clue
Lay of the hash lad.