Kevin Muldoon praises Abbey side after shining in semi-final triumph

Abbey Vocational School player Kevin Muldoon has praised his side’s victory following their win in Garvaghy against St Patrick’s Grammar which now sees his team advance to the school’s first ever MacLarnon Cup final. 

The Four Masters dynamo, who recently signed with Sligo Rovers from Derry City at the start of the year, had an exceptional performance from midfield, scoring 1-3 on the day. 

“I think today . . . that was probably our best performance of the year. We played very well; we were solid in defence and we had great pace on the attack which thankfully resulted in scores. It was brilliant to see us doing that for the entire game,” Muldoon told Donegal Live. 

But with regards to records and creating history for the Abbey, it’s not something that fazes the dual sportsman, stating that it’s all about giving their best performance as a team on the day, and seeing where that takes them. 

“It’s a great achievement to say that we’re in the final. That’s a piece of history in itself, just to be here. We’re all very proud as a group to be representing the school and the community, that’s what it’s about. 

“For us, it’s back to school tomorrow. Hopefully, we might get a nice welcome and we’ll get a big bus for the other students to come to the final in a few weeks.” 

With a side coached by Stuart McFadden and Donegal star Jamie Brennan, the duo were no doubt satisfied with the midfielder’s performance, as Muldoon broke almost every defensive line he went near. 

And in doing so, he set up teammate Seanán Carr for the first goal on the 29th minute, before his high press on the Downpatrick’s goalkeeper resulted in a goal for himself. 

But despite that, Muldoon emphasises that it’s all about sticking to the team’s plan and that their side is not worried about individual accolades. 

“We’re very well coached here. We have a plan in place, and we know how we want to play. From a defensive point of view, it’s about being compact, keeping it tight and not allowing any gaps for the opposition to break through, and then on the attack, it’s about moving quick and getting our shooters on the ball as quickly as possible, so they have time to get the shot off.” 

For the moment, the Donegal Town native is still balancing his time between GAA and soccer until the school season ends in a few weeks, as he adapts to life with the ‘Bit O’Red side in Sligo. 

“Yeah, it’s a change from Derry, but Sligo is really enjoyable. I’m loving my time there at the minute. I’m playing with great lads and have fantastic coaches.  

“We played our first friendly against Knock in Kiltimagh the last day, so it was nice to get my first game for Sligo and hopefully there’s many more to come.”