Magic Naomh Padraig triumph in penalty shootout to land All-Ireland JFC spot

After 80 minutes of football and a penalty shootout, the blue and yellow of Naomh Padraig, Uisce Chaoin were the ones invading the field with delight as the Donegal side secured a 3-1 penalty shootout win on an exciting winter’s afternoon in Parnell Park. 

Cill Mhuire put in a gallant effort and for a long time looked to be in the driving seat as the game entered extra time, but a late penalty score by Naomh Padraig’s Kevin Lynch gave them the lifeline they needed to crawl back into this tie and draw level to send the game to penalties. 

At four penalties apiece, substitute Conor Kelleher was the only Cork player to land his shot into the net, while Naomh Padraig’s Caolan McColgan, Lynch, and Rory Hirrell all found the target to put them into an All-Ireland junior final.

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The Donegal side had the first real opportunity in the game when Eunan Mullan floated in a high ball on top of Lynch who contested with goalkeeper Jason McDonnell, but Lynch’s punch of the ball hit off the post and fell wide. 

Drew McKinney and Denis O’Mullane traded shots in the opening five minutes but couldn’t find their target as both efforts fell wide of the post, but it was Kevin Doherty who eventually pushed Naomh Padraig into the lead when he hit over the opening point of the game of his right from a free. 

Liam Wall equalised minutes later when he hit over a free of his own, but Doherty was quick to push his team into the lead once again when he barreled through the heart of the Cill Mhuire defence to point over with ease. 

But it was the Cork men who gained the advantage with an opening goal on the 11th minute when the Cill Mhuire attack found Naomh Padraig sleeping in defence with Denis O’Mullane finding space to link up with his brother John inside, he by-passed the full-back line and fisted the ball across the Naomh Padraig box for the on-running Lawerence Aisling who palmed into the net. 

It would take nine minutes for either side to hit the next score, as the wide count began to add up and the overall play took a bit of a lull, but from a McDonnell kickout, John O’Mullane sent in a long ball from midfield to his brother Denis who found Lloyd Aisling powering off the shoulder who broke the line to kick over. 

Donegal county man Caolan McColgan eventually found his feet by sending over a monster of a point from 35-metres out to leave it 1-2 to 0-3 after 23 minutes, but Wall pushed it back to a three-point game a minute later when he sent over his second free. 

Cill Mhuire was dealt with a serious blow a minute before half-time when Tomás Collins was issued a black card for a foul on Caolan McColgan who was found breaking through, with Naomh Padraig’s Jonathan Toye hitting over the resulting free to push it back to a two-point game as the teams marched to the dressing-rooms with the Cork side leading 1-3 to 0-4 at the break. 

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Caolan McColgan opened the scoring in the second half from the first attack when the Donegal side sent a long ball into the inside forward, who created a tight angle for himself but fired over to make it a one-score game. 

Toye levelled the game three minutes later when he powered through the Cill Mhuire defence to score a superb point as the Donegal men hit their purple patch. 

Naomh Padraig were really taking advantage of the extra man, so much so, that they took the lead for the first time since the 10th minute of the match when Toye sent over his third of the afternoon. 

Caolan McColgan landed the score of the match from 40-metres when he dummied past two defenders to strike off his right to push the Inishowen men out to a two-point lead with the Cork side still failing to register a point in the second half by this stage. 

But Cill Mhuire never gave in as Wall and Denis O’Mullane hit back-to-back points to level the match as the game entered the final quarter in Dublin. 

Lawrence Aisling pushed the Cork side back into the lead when a turnover in their own half resulted in Cill Mhuire charging down the field in numbers and ending with the half-forward pointing over to make it 1-6 to 0-8. 

Cill Mhuire were dealt another blow in the 53rd minute when Lawrence Aisling was black-carded for a pulldown on Rory Hirrell, with Lynch adding his first point of the afternoon to level the match for a fourth time. 

Lynch had another chance to take the lead from the same position a minute later but his effort hit off the post and fell wide for a ninth Naomh Padraig wide. 

Wall nailed his fourth in injury time under severe pressure to push Cill Mhuire back into the lead, but Lynch was again on hand to keep Naomh Padraig in the tie as he sailed over a 45 to level the match and send it to extra-time on a 1-7 to 0-10 point scoreline. 

Cill Mhuire started extra-time like a dream when they sent a long ball into Wall, but the resulting effort saw Lloyd Aisling play the ball along the ground and nearly rattle the roof of the net, only to be denied by the crossbar but the ball found its way over the bar for a point. 

The next attack saw Wall feed Rory Duggan who darted through the defence to place the ball low into the corner of the net as the second green flag was raised for the Cork side in Parnell Park with the absence of Toye in the backline who was substituted earlier thorough injury, really showing, as gaps were appearing to show for Naomh Padraig. ,

Lynch and Sean O’Leary traded points before substitute Ronan Hoy brought it back to a three-point game at the end of the first period of extra-time as the bodies began to tire. 

Lynch’s free was the only score in the second period of extra-time until Caolan McColgan glided through three Cill Mhuire men before being brought down inside the box and was awarded a penalty which Lynch placed into the corner of the net to make it 2-9 to 1-13 as the match entered injury time. 

Cill Mhuire suffered their third black card of the afternoon for descent following the penalty decision but the Cork men were handed another lifeline when Denis O’Mullane knocked over a close free to level the match for a sixth and final time sending the match to penalties. 

And with four kicks on the spot taken by each team, it was Naomh Padraig who left the capital and will return on January 25 for their first national decider. 

Naomh Padraig scorers: Kevin Lynch 1-4, (1 ‘45’, 1 free, 1 penalty); Jonathan Toye 0-3, (0-1 free); Caolan McColgan 0-3; Kevin Doherty 0-2, (0-1 free); Ronan Hoy 0-1. 
Cill Mhuire scorers: Lawrence Aisling 1-1; Liam Wall 0-4, (0-2 fs); Ronan Duggan 1-0; Lloyd Aisling and Denis O’Mullane (1 free), 0-2 each; Darragh McIntyre 0-1. 

Naomh Padraig: Oran McCauley; Cormac Kelly, Caolan Harkin, Darragh McIntyre; Michael McCarron, Jonathan Toye, Jason McCallion; Eunan Mullan, Cormac McColgan; Oisin McIntyre, Kevin Doherty, Drew McKinney; Joseph McCauley, Kevin Lynch, Caolan McColgan. Subs: Rory Hirrell and Ronan Hoy for McCarron and Kelly (both half-time); Andrew McCarron for Toye (53); Dermot Keaveney for Doherty (59); Cormac Kelly for McIntyre (65); Jamie McColgan for McCauley (69); Joseph McCauley for Mullan (70) 

Cill Mhuire: Jason McDonnell; Aaron O’Mahony, William Ronan, Seán O’Leary; Brian Hinchion, Tomás Collins, Alexander Aisling; Kyle Kelleher, James O’Mullane; Liam Wall, Lawrence Aisling, Rory Duggan; Lloyd Aisling, John O’Mullane, Denis O’Mullane. Subs: Joe O’Mullane for O’Mahony (44); Darragh Linehan for Denis O’Mullane (62); Denis O’Mullane for Collins (74) 

Referee: David Hickey (Carlow)