St Pius Magherafelt come out on top against Abbey in frantic Ulster U-16½B final

St Pius X College Magherafelt came out on top against Abbey Vocational School in Ulster Schools U-16½B Rafferty Cup final at Celtic Park.

Abbey Vocational School 1-8 St Pius X College Magherafelt 1-11

An excitable pitch invasion greeted the final whistle with three points between the sides. The Donegal Town team were five down at one stage in the first half, although managed to get themselves into the half-time break just one behind, with Josh Cullen and Conor McCahill playing a huge part in turning the tide. 

Abbey got level and then briefly ahead and it was on a knife edge and Cathal Scullion’s brilliant goal on 46 minutes put St Pius three in front. And although Abbey fought tooth and nail till the end, it was St Pius - who lost four players to injury during the match - who held out. Dylan Rocks kicked four vital scores and Abbey will lament seven second half wides. It brought the obvious contrast in emotions from both parties, who each had a huge vocal support.

Oisin Doherty opened the scoring for St Pius but immediately pulled up following the shot and had to be replaced, with Oisin Brogan levelling for Abbey. Dylan Rocks’ two frees and a point from substitute Odhran McKenna slotted in with ease to put the Derry team 0-4 to 0-1 up  on 11 minutes.

Scullion showed great acceleration to score the next two points and St Pius had manufactured a five-point lead just short of the 20th minute, 0-6 to 0-1. 

Stephen McGurrin and Darren Russell’s Abbey - who by then had kicked the final’s only three wides - were struggling but mustered a goal just when it was needed most, as on 21 minutes, Cullen got a slap on a dropping free from McCahill. Then, a minute later, Cullen kicked a real fister-pumper of a point to reduce their arrears to just the one, 1-2 to 0-6.

Another Dylan Rocks free and Eoin Rocks point on the turn re-established the St Pius foothold. McCahill, though, pulled two back for Abbey with top-class points before the break. Knowing they weren’t at their best, their deficit of 0-8 to 1-4 certainly wasn’t the worst. 

Eoghan Gallagher, with direct running, got in to level it up at 1-5 to 0-8 three minutes into the second half and Abbey continued on the front foot, although put their next three wide at a juncture when they were dominating. McCahill, after first hitting the upright - scythed one over on 39 minutes for Abbey’s first lead since the sixth minute.

Eoin Rocks, at the Brandywell end, tied it up again and things became more and more tense. However, when Scullion got the ball on the left sideline on 46 minutes and cut his way in, he had only one thing in mind and slammed home a wonderful individual goal to put St Pius 1-9 to 1-6 in front.

Both goals were living charmed lives at times and McCahill, again, was the one to get Abbey back on the road. He scored a free and then, with another bulldozing run, Gallagher pointed and it was 1-9 to 1-8.

With four minutes to play, Masters lost midfielder Aidan Quinn to a second yellow and were down to 14 and McKenna’s second point of the afternoon made for a two-point advantage for St Pius with three minutes to play. Dylan Rocks scored from a tight angle to make the cushion three. 

Laying siege to the St Pius goal, Gallagher plucked a ball on its way down - amid the screams saying it was wide - and his shot at goal was blocked by a sea of bodies as frantic defending as sturdy as the walls of Derry managed to keep it out.

Abbey Vocational School scorers: Josh Cullen 1-1; Conor McCahill 0-4, 1f; Eoghan Gallagher 0-2; Oisin Brogan 0-1.
St Pius X College Magherafelt scorers: Cathal Scullion 1-2; Dylan Rocks 0-4, 3f; Odhran McKenna and  Eoin Rocks 0-2; Oisin Doherty 0-1. 

Abbey Vocational School: Lewis McCaughan (Four Masters); Callim Doherty Kennedy (Naomh Bríd), Terence McGovern (Four Masters), Eoghan O’Neill (Four Masters); Cian Gavigan (Four Masters), Tiernan McBride (Four Masters), Oisin Brogan (Naomh Bríd); Aidan Quinn (Four Masters), Kevin Rose (St Naul’s); Kevin Muldoon (Four Masters), Óisin Doherty (Four Masters), Conor McCahill (Four Masters); Turlogh Carr (Four Masters), Josh Cullen (Four Masters), Eoghan Gallagher (Naomh Bríd). Subs: Aidan McHugh (Four Masters) for 5 (43), Jake Quinn (Four Masters) for O Doherty (48), Patrick McGonigle (Four Masters) for Rose (59).

St Pius X College Magherafelt: Ethan Martin; Darragh Jackson, Paddy Bleeks, Conor McMullan; Odhran Bell, Ryan McCann, Torrey Cudden; Zach Gavigan, Padraig Donaghy; Cody Rocks, Oisin Doherty,  Dylan Rocks; Eoin Rocks, Cormac McTaggart, Cathal Scullion. Subs: Odhran McKenna for O Doherty (4), Turlough Cartin for Jackson (15), Kian Maynes for McTaggart (41), Michael McCaffrey for McMullan (53).