Disappointed but boys have been unbelievable for school - McFadden

Abbey Vocational School, Donegal Town may have come up short by a point in the MacRory Cup final, but manager Stuart McFadden hailed them as heroes who have given everything for the school.

“Look, straight after the final whistle, there is disappointment that we didn’t win the game, but those boys have been absolutely unbelievable for the school; the boys that are leaving. We need to remember that the majority of that team will compete again next year, so we will come back and give it another go.

“It’s going to be hard to take; it’s going to be hard for the boys. It’s a disappointment, but that’s sport sometimes,” was how McFadden reacted when speaking after the final whistle.

He had watched his side get off to a great start with two  goals from Conor McCahill and they were four points ahead at the break, but they were unable to deny St Pat’s, Maghera who were relentless from the first quarter onwards.

“We knew that if we could get a quick start, we would be in a good position at half-time. We were happy but disappointed that they got a few chances up the middle. We made a couple of changes and I felt it changed the game a bit. It was just one of those days when we forced it a wee bit to try and get back into the game.

“Maybe a score over the bar might have been good enough to build a wee bit of momentum. But look, take nothing away from Maghera, they were very good. They were well set and they attacked well. They had zoned in on us and they knew who the main players were and they put good men on them. But look, it is what it is.”

Looking back on their first ever season in the MacRory Cup McFadden says there are plenty of positives to take for the school and for the players.

“It’s a huge experience. It could be the biggest game some of the boys will ever play. Obviously some of them will go on and play senior club and senior county,  I do have no doubt about it.

“But look, we came up the road, make no bones about it, we came up the road today to win the cup. It is just going to be a big disappointment that we are going back down with nothing with us.

“The students and the school and the support we have received over the past two weeks has been nothing short of incredible and I would like to thank everybody for that.”

He also agreed that there will be plenty of lessons to be learned in defeat.

“Yeah, they will take lessons from it. There has to be a winner and there has to be a loser, that’s sport. At this moment in time, it is hard to take that we are not the winners.

“They will look back on it when they finish school as a great run with a MacLarnon medal, with a Paddy Drummond medal. It’s just a pity that we couldn’t add one more to it, especially for those Leaving Certs,” said McFadden.