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Noonan goal turns it for St Patrick's

LEINSTER COLLEGES SEMI-FINAL REPLAY: St Patrick's, Navan 2-13 St Mary's, Edenderry 0-10: THE COLM O’Rourke-trained St Patrick…

Mon Mar 01 2010 - 00:00

LEINSTER COLLEGES SEMI-FINAL REPLAY: St Patrick's, Navan 2-13 St Mary's, Edenderry 0-10:THE COLM O'Rourke-trained St Patrick's side qualified for yet another Leinster Colleges senior football A final by virtue of a win over reigning champions St Mary's in their replayed tie at Cusack Park, Mullingar, on Saturday.

Shane Barry missed a glorious chance of a goal for the winners as early as the second minute, but his free-taking and that of St Mary’s midfielder Seán Hurley were of a high standard throughout the opening half-hour.

Shane Gillespie also missed a great goal chance when he scored a point for the Meath school midway through the half, at the end of which St Patrick’s deserved their two-point lead, 0-7 to 0-5.

There was very little between the teams for the opening 15 minutes of a livelier second moiety, with Farrell’s wonderful long-range free-taking for the Offaly school again noteworthy.

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Seán Doyle spurned a terrific goal opportunity for the losers in the ninth minute, his point-blank flick rebounding off the St Patrick’s crossbar.

At the midpoint of the second half, the sides were tied at 0-8 apiece, but the Navan side were dominant from there on in.

The match-turning first goal came in the 48th minute, Cormac Noonan setting up Fiachra Ross for a clinical finish.

With Alan Forde and Shane Gillespie always to the fore, St Patrick’s were six points to the good by the time St Mary’s introduced Paul Cribbin in a last-ditch attempt to rescue their crown, but the Australian Rules hopeful was clearly carrying an injury.

An innocuous free from Gillespie went all the way to the net in the third minute of injury-time, to copperfasten St Patrick’s victory. They now face Coláiste Eoin, Stillorgan, in the provincial decider.

ST PATRICK'S: C Flynn; C McConnell, C Finnegan, B Dillon; N Groome (0-1), D Maguire, P Fox; C Sheridan, C Noonan; C Fitzsimons, S Barry (0-3, all from frees), A Forde (0-4); F Ross (1-2), S Gillespie (1-3, 1-0 free), F McEntee. Subs: C Wickham for Dillon (7 mins), M O'Brien for Noonan (59 mins).

ST MARY'S: S Geoghegan; C Grehan, D Kelly, B Kenny; T Hickey, J Kavanagh, C McNamee; S Hurley (0-6, five frees, one 45), P Farrell; P Foy (0-1), D Flynn (0-1), E Farrell; S Doyle, A Sullivan (0-1), S Cullen. Subs: D Grehan for Farrell (37 mins), L Pender (0-1) for McNamee (41 mins), C Hurley for Doyle (48 mins), E Holton for Kenny (50 mins), P Cribbin for Flynn (56 mins).

Referee: S Carroll (Westmeath).