Paddy Carr backs Scoil Mhuire Buncrana to bounce back after Ulster final heartbreak

Football can be a cruel game. On another day, with a little more luck, Scoil Mhuire Buncrana might have been the ones lifting the Dr Tony O’Neill U-19 Senior Ulster Cup.

Instead, they left Letterkenny Community Centre with a sense of what might have been, edged out 2-0 by a clinical and resolute St Eunan’s College side.

For manager Paddy Carr, the disappointment was clear, but so too was the pride in his players, who battled relentlessly throughout.

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“We’re very disappointed because we thought we played good football throughout the match, but in the end, the ball didn’t fall right for us at the right times,” Carr admitted to Donegal Live after the match.

Scoil Mhuire created more than enough chances to turn the tide, but football, as ever, is a game of fine margins. Time and again, they asked questions of St Eunan’s, only to find an immovable obstacle in the form of Andrew Nicholls.

“We tested the St Eunan’s goalkeeper a couple of times, but we just couldn’t find the back of the net and that’s the difference on the day,” said Carr. “They had a great goalkeeper playing in nets today in Andrew Nicholls, he’s a top player for both his school and for his club Bonagee too.

"You could see his experience showing when you needed leaders stepping up, and Andrew did that.”

It was a frustrating afternoon for the Inishowen side, who had their fair share of possession and attacking intent. But when St Eunan’s took the lead through Ronan Buchanan’s first-half strike, they tightened up at the back, making it difficult for Buncrana to break through before making it 2-0 before the breakthrough an own goal.

“Once St Eunan’s went 1-0 up, they got very solid defensively, which is a great credit to them,” Carr reflected.

“And then just before half-time it’s 2-0 and we’re then really chasing the game in the second half, but that’s the way it goes and we wish St Eunan's all the luck going forward in the All-Ireland semi-final.”

This defeat, however, does little to tarnish the legacy of this group of Buncrana players. Many of them were part of last season’s All-Ireland winning side, and for Carr, this is just another step in their development.

“I think we’ve had great days with these lads, but you have to take these defeats too,” he said. “It’s days like these that make you stronger.

"I’ve been very lucky to have worked with these boys who were on that All-Ireland winning team last year, so we’ve had our day but hopefully we’ll be back again next year as hungry to go again.”

The final whistle may have signalled the end of their Ulster title defence, but with the hunger and experience in their ranks, few would bet against Scoil Mhuire Buncrana returning even stronger next season.