Drama till the bitter end as Naomh Muire pip Gaoth Dobhair for Junior Comórtas

Daniel Devlin can hold his head high as the Naomh Muire hero, with his last-minute punched goal in extra-time sealing the Comortas Junior final against Gaoth Dobhair at Cloughaneely.

In a game of twists and turns it looked like it was Gaoth Dobhair’s for the taking after they came back with Oisin Diver hitting home a last-minute goal to bring the game to extra-time. However, it was Naomh Muire who retained the crown they won on home turf last year.

Naomh Muire opened the better of the two sides in the first quarter with the Rosses side hitting over four superb points with Gaoth Dobhair failing to get out of their own half due to Naomh Muire’s high press and excellent workrate.

Shaun Burns opened the scoring for his team in the opening minute as he fired over off his right to give his side the lead early on.

Eoin Martin would reply straight from the kick-out, first from a free on the edge of the box, while the second was nailed over when Gaoth Dobhair were caught slacking as they attempted to play the ball out of their own half from a short kickout, resulting in Martin capitalising a putting over for his side’s third point.

Following a Harry Harden free that put Naomh Muire four points ahead, Gaoth Dobhair turned the screw and upped the ante on the attack with their first point coming from an ‘own point’ after Naomh Muire’s corner-back Conor Cannon put his foot to prevent a ball from landing into the hand of Cian McBride with the resulting kick going over the bar.

Darragh McGee and McBride would follow this up with a point each of their own from long-range kicks to put a point in it, but with the breeze very much in their favour, Naomh Muire spread the gap when Paddy McCafferty shot from 50 metres out with the wind and the bounce of the ball carrying it over the bar.

In what was an extremely physical game, Martin was causing real problems in the opening half. After hitting over two previous points off his right, the inside forward got his third score on the 22nd minute when, under pressure, he fired over off his left to make it 0-6 to 0-3 as we approached the end of the half.

With five minutes left, Gaoth Dobhair would turn the screw when Oisin Diver punched home a goal after McBride broke down the wing, snuck through the defence in the corner to play the ball across the goal for Diver to be on hand as the Gaoth Dobhair men levelled the game with five minutes left.

Harden would have the final say as he put over two frees in injury time to give Naomh Muire a two-point lead at the break with the score standing at 0-8 to 1-3.

Martin Coyle would open the second half with a free to bring the game back to within a point as Gaoth Dobhair opened the second half the better of the two teams.

But Naomh Muire would keep their distance with Burns slotting over his second point of the afternoon to put two points back between the sides as Naomh Muire hit their first point of the half in the 41st minute.

With the game slowing, the match needed a boost of intensity with both sides only scoring a point apiece in the second half.

But it was Naomh Muire who entered the last 10 minutes with a rejuvenated attitude with Harden and Martin once again shooting over to leave it 0-11 to 14 with seven minutes left. Gaoth Dobhair were not giving up as Diver and Mark McFadden scoring from tight angles to keep their side in it.

With two points in it and with three minutes left, Martin shot for a goal to end the contest and give his side the win, but Daniel Roarty was on hand as the ball was kicked directly at the keeper with the match now really springing to life as the game entered injury time.

With time running out, Gaoth Dobhair needed that all-important goal, and it eventually came as Diver slotted home his second in the 62nd minute when he shot from the edge of the ‘D’, through the defence and into the back of the net to give his side the lead for the first time.

With Gaoth Dobhair looking like they were going to steal the win, Naomh Muire charged down the field and finished with Martin hitting over a final free – his fifth point of the afternoon as the game entered extra time with the full-time score finishing 2-6 to 0-12 points.

Coyle would open the proceeding in extra time with a point from a tight angle, but it would start to turn into a disaster for Naomh Muire after Gaoth Dobhair got their third goal when a long shot from Mark McFadden fell into the hands of Hugh Sweeney, only for the goalkeeper to drop the ball into the net.

Coyle would put his side even further ahead, with five points now separating the teams, but Martin would hit over another free to make it a two-score game as the whistle blew for the final break as the game entered the final 10 minutes.

With time running out and Gaoth Dobhair not letting up on their defensive shape, it was certain that Naomh Muire needed a goal as the game entered the final five minutes.

Adam O’Brien sliced the ball off the foot as it skimmed over the crossbar to make it a three-point match. Martin reduced it to two from a free as we entered injury time.

Naomh Muire had one last shot of the dice when Harden lobbed the ball into the box, with both sides scrambling to win possession, it was Daniel Devlin who punched it as it sailed in the air and rolled into the back of the net for Naomh Muire to win what can only be described as an extremely exciting final.

Naomh Muire scorers: Eoin Martin 0-7, 4fs; Harry Harden 0-4, 3fs; Daniel Devlin 1-0; Shaun Burns 0-2; Paddy McCafferty and Adam O’Brien 0-1 each
Gaoth Dobhair scorers: Oisin Diver 2-1; Mark McFadden 1-1; Martin Coyle 0-3, (1f); Darragh McGee, Cian McBride, and Conor Cannon (own point) 0-1 each.

Gaoth Dobhair: Daniel Roarty; Sean Noel McFadden, Aaron McGee, Seosamh McGee; Liam Breatnach, Jamie Doherty, Mikey Ó Baoill, Fiachra Coyle, Darragh McGee; Oisin Ó Duibhir, Mark McFadden, Martin Coyle; Neil McGee, Cian McBride, Cronan McFadden. Subs: Ryan McFadden-Ferry for Ó Baoill (41), Daniel McLaughlin for McGee (55 mins), Dylan McFadden for McFadden-Ferry (60)
Naomh Muire: Hugh Sweeney; Conor Cannon, Ferdia Doherty, Daniel Gallagher; Fintan Doherty, Daniel Ward, Shaun Burns; Paul Boyle, Adam O'Brien; Jack O'Donnell, Paddy McCafferty, Danny Ward; Harry Harden, Daniel Devlin, Eoin Martin. Subs: Tuathal Looney for Ward (43), Patrick Gillespie for Burns (51), Laurence Coyle for O’Donnell (70)
Referee: John Ward (An Clochan Liath).