Abbey Vocational School secure place in their first ever MacLarnon Cup final

The ultimate inquisition when accessing the Abbey Vocational School’s MacLarnon Cup journey so far this year is, have the Donegal side really been tested in Ulster yet, or are they just that good nobody can match them? 
Abbey Vocational School 2-14 St Patrick’s Grammar Downpatrick 0-6  
 
A performance so perfect, with a style of play so simple, it made the spectators on the sideline in Garvaghy almost believe that they too could fit into the team and play well.  
 
It’s made look that easy when you have players like Kevin Muldoon, Seanán Carr and Conor Meehan knocking over the scores with such simplicity. 
 
Trailing 1-14 to 0-4 on the 58th minute, the last thing any Downpatrick defender wanted to see was one of those three players picking up speed and driving through the heart of the St Pat’s defence like a knife through butter. 
 
But that’s exactly what happened with Muldoon hunting down goalkeeper Conal McGlew who, under pressure attempted to dispose of the ball quickly, only for the Four Masters forward to slap the ball from his grasp as it fell into the net, in what was one of the easiest goals he’s scored this year. 
 
For 60-plus minutes it was nothing but untold ruthless pressure from the Abbey school, forcing the opposition to make unfortunate mistakes and capitalising on them as each second ticked on. 
 
With both sides not showing their cards in the first 10 minutes of the match, it was the Abbey who got their noses in front first, with two points from Meehan and one from Muldoon, all through set-piece opportunities. 
 
Downpatrick’s DJ Farrell would crawl one back minutes later when he fired over under severe pressure off his right after his side broke the Abbey’s wall of defence, with Matthew Murray and Charlie McShane joining the attack. 
 
However, this would be their last point of the half as the Donegal team took total control.  
 
Following Muldoon’s first strike at goal, which was saved and sent out for a ‘45’, his follow up dead ball was miskicked, but landed low into the arms of Naomh Bríd man Aaron McGroary who slotted over.  
 
Muldoon was a menace for the Downpatrick defenders and after breaking the opposition’s defensive ring, he was left one-on-one with the keeper, but his shot instead flew over the crossbar for another point. 
 
Turlough Carr, who put in a heavy hour of work, extended his side’s lead with two long-ranged points, but by the time his brother Seanán nailed home the first goal on 29 minutes, it was clear the game was over. 
 
With Muldoon again cutting through defenders, he fed the ball to the elder Carr, darting off the shoulder. Galloping past full-back Luka Carew, he gave ’keeper McGlew no chance as he calmly placed the ball to the bottom left of the goal. 
 
With the scoreline standing 1-7 to 0-1 at the break and the Abbey’s path to their first ever MacLarnon Cup final almost guaranteed, the second half became nothing more than target for the inside forwards, with Meehan nailing four superb frees, while McGroary and Conor McCahill also adding their names to the second-half scoresheet. 
 
The only positive from St Pat’s in the second half was when they hit three points on the bounce from Farrell and Eoin Murray, but by the time Muldoon fired home his side’s second goal, it was just a case of waiting for the final whistle as the Abbey secured a 14-point win in what was a very anti-climactic semi-final. 
 
Between club, county, and school football over the past month for most of these players, the impact of so many games for this team has yet to be determined. But through every challenge and every scenario, they seem to find a way to win, and win in style.  
 
Abbey Vocational School: Daniel McGinty; Terence McGovern, Leo McGowan, Donal Gallagher; Caolan Sweeney, Callum McCrea, David Monaghan; Tiarnan McBride, Kevin Muldoon 1-3, 2 ‘45s’; Turlough Carr 0-2, Seanán Carr 1-0, Oisin Mogan; Conor McCahill 0-1, Aaron McGroary 0-2, Conor Meehan 0-6, 6fs. Subs: Patrick Gormley for Sweeney (45 mins), Oisin Brogan and Oisin Doherty for Mogan and McGroary (53 mins), Callum Dunnion for McCrea (58 mins). 
 
St Patrick’s Grammar Downpatrick: Conal McGlew; Matthew Murray, Luka Carew, Eunan Fitzsimons; Odhran O’Prey, Gerard Dorans, Charlie McShane; Ryan Gates, Niall Flannigan; Daire Higgins, Adam Dorans 0-1, Eoin Murray 0-1; Seán Murphy, Luke McCabe, DJ Farrell 0-4, 3 fs. Subs: Callum Valentine and Lorcan Murray for Gates and Flannigan (HT), Tómas Murphy for Higgins (42 mins), Eoin Mullan for McShane (55 mins). 
 
Referee: Mark Loughran (Errigal Ciarán)