BALLYMAHON VS 2-8
CHANEL COLLEGE 1-8
Daire Walsh
DESPITE a strong second-half showing, Chanel College ultimately came off second best in a closely-fought Leinster Schools Juvenile Football ‘D’ decider with Ballymahon Vocational School in Kinnegad last Friday afternoon.
Given their form heading into the contest – which saw them winning the Dublin final with six points to spare over Coláiste Chiaráin followed by a 2-15 to 2-0 victory over Colaiste Mhuire in the Leinster semi-final – Chanel stood a great chance of coming on top.
However, they took a while to settle into their stride, and a goal inside the opening 10 minutes offered Ballymahon plenty of breathing space at an early stage in the tie.
Chanel were never going to be dismissed lightly, though, and the attacking prowess of Shane Murphy, Thomas Davis and Craig Lynch ensured that they only trailed by three points (1-3 to 0-3) moving into the second period.
With Murphy, Davis and Lynch (who all finished with 0-2 to their names) continuing to cause problems after the restart, there was still hope that Chanel could come away with the silverware.
Indeed, a stirring comeback looked a real possibility when Mark Herron reduced the deficit to one with a goal 10 minutes from time, but Ballymahon’s reply was emphatic, as a goal of their own moments later was enough to bring the cup back to Longford.