St Columba's, Stranorlar hold off Loreto Milford to win Ulster schools title

St Columba’s College, Stranorlar took home the FAI Schools Dr Tony O’Neill Senior Ulster title with a 2-1 win over Loreto Community School, Milford, in the Letterkenny Community Centre on Tuesday afternoon.

The Stranorlar men took the lead after a good move just before the break that was finished off by Declan Patton, and Peter Sweeney’s header doubled their lead with 20 minutes to go.

And while Milford put on pressure late on, they couldn’t find the net until the 95th minute through Ciaran Connaghan, but it was too little, too late as James Atcheson and Oisin McMenamin's side won the trophy.

While chances weren’t flowing regularly, Milford put on more of the early pressure as they kept possession well, Connaghan firing wide early on, while a Daithi McTaggart corner had to be scrambled away by Ryan McConnell.

A curler from McTaggart was saved by McConnell, and Connaghan had the ball in the net soon after, heading in from a McTaggart cross, but the offside flag went up.

St Columba’s then had a couple of chances, Eamonn McBride forcing a save from Jake Morgan, before Sweeney’s free kick fell to Mark Gregg at the left of the box, but he couldn’t connect with his shot towards the near post.

McTaggart shot wide from distance, and both sides had big chances with one-on-ones, but the linesmen’s flags went up at both ends.

Loreto had a couple of dangerous crosses from Michael Kerr and McTaggart, but there were no takers, and St Columba’s took the lead before the break.

It came from a good move after a free as McBride’s outside of the boot pass found Gregg on the right, who beat the offside trap and pulled it back for Declan Patton, who poked the ball into the far corner.

It stayed 1-0 at the break, and Milford went in search of an equaliser after the restart. Connaghan’s header from a McTaggart free was well saved by McConnell, while Conor Gibson curled a free wide.

Connaghan headed wide from a Kerr cross, and McConnell made another good save from a McTaggart volley, and another Gibson shot was blocked after a corner as the leaders were under pressure.

But it was the Stranorlar men who got the second, against the run of play at the time, although it came after a neat move which saw McBride win a corner.

He swung the corner into the back post, where Peter Sweeney was there to head into the roof of the net with 20 minutes to play.

McConnell made another good save from a Caolan McBride effort, but Milford had few chances in the last quarter of an hour as St Columba’s pushed for a third.

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A lot of them came from corners, McBride finding Cian Thompson, who headed over, while McBride’s inswinger almost went straight in.

At the other corner, Gregg’s curler was glanced just wide by Patton, while McConnell made another save at the other end to deny Gibson.

Milford somehow didn’t get one back after an Alex Cullen header was blocked down, and Kerr’s rebound came off the left-hand post, before it bounced up to the grateful McConnell to hold.

Milford did get one back in the fifth minute of added time, an effort from Connaghan from outside the box looked to take a slight deflection and go in off the post.

But they were running out of time, and as St Columba’s cleared the ball twice, the whistle went for full-time.

Rowan McGroarty and Daithi McTaggart impressed for Loreto Milford, while McBride, Callum Long, and Patton put in great performances for the victors, but Peter Sweeney stood out as Man of the Match, just ahead of Ryan McConnell.

St Columba’s will now face Thursday's Connacht final winners, between Coláiste Baile Chlair Claregalway, or Coláiste Chiaráin Athlone, on March 3 in the All-Ireland semi-final.

St Columba’s College, Stranorlar: Ryan McConnell; Declan Patton, Peter Sweeney, Jack McNulty (Darragh Lynch 94); Fionn Hennigan (Cian Thompson 66), Callum Long, Eamonn McBride, Diarmuid Reid (Ronan McHugh 94); Mark Gregg (Liam Gallen 94); Jack Byrne (Matthew Callan 94), Caolan Byrne.

Loreto Community School, Milford: Jake Morgan; Roman McGroarty, Alex Cullen, Fionn Chernick (Charlie Gorman 84), Michael Kerr; Daithi McTaggart, Caolan McBride, Conor McLaughlin (Shay Gibbons 66), Shea Cannon (Harry Blaney 66), Ciaran Connaghan, Conor Gibson.

Referee: Marty McGarrigle.