Soccer

Classy Carndonagh CS claim FAI Schools Cup glory again

Donegal school prove too strong for outgunned Coláiste Chiaráin, Athlone

Callum O’Brien of Coláiste Chiaráin in action against Carndonagh CS’s Dylan Sumner of during the Bank of Ireland FAI Schools Tony O’Neill Senior Cup Final (U19) at Home Farm FC in Whitehall, Dublin. Photograph: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Wed Apr 25 2018 - 19:20

Carndonagh Community School 2 Coláiste Chiaráin, Athlone 0

An utterly dominant display by Cardonagh Community College at Whitehall against Coláiste Chiaráin of Athlone earned a fully-deserved second Bank of Ireland FAI Schools Tony O'Neill Cup in three seasons for the Donegal institution.

It took until the injury time of the first half for Carn to make their dominance count though Corey McBride's breakthrough strike and they could easily have had more than just Conor O'Donnell's goal to show for their second-half masterclass. Coláiste Chiaráin had battled gamely without really threatening Daniel Houghton.

Carn's goalkeeper was also their captain and the Derry City stopper led from the back in engineering a triumph which more than atoned for the semi-final defeat suffered by their first year boys' team 24 hours earlier.

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Their victory never looked in doubt here. Despite a succession of corners failing to unhinge their opponents, a swift exchange of passes between Mikey Friel and McBride did the trick as the latter brushed off his marker to tuck the ball past Michael Hanley.

Just five minutes into the second half, an injury to Hanley curtailed his involvement with substitute Jamie Keogh instantly busy. Jack Doherty worked the stand-in goalkeeper most, firstly by forcing him to turn a curling effort around the post and then tipping his deflected shot onto the crossbar.

Coláiste Chiaráin attempted a series of ploys to counter the one-way traffic, including the switch of full-back Jayden Tumulty into midfield, but they were hit with a killer second goal 18 minutes from full-time.

The tormentor, Doherty, was once again involved by scooping a cross from the right for O’Donnell to apply a close-range finish.

Keogh managed to deny substitute Cade Cooke a third when he raced clear but it mattered little as the outcome was well established by that stage.

CARNDONAGH CS: D Houghton; L McLaughlin, J Harkin, C Doherty, F McClure; C O'Donnell (L Bradley 90 mins), O Hession, K Farren (P McCarron 90 mins), J Doherty (C Cooke 80 mins); M Friel (L Rudden 55 mins), C McBride (B Doherty 86 mins).

COLÁISTE CHIARÁIN, ATHLONE: M Hanley (J Keogh 50 mins); J Tumulty, P McManus, A Harney (R Hardiman 9 mins), D Sumner; A Francis, R Moran (D Duff 70 mins), S Ryan (A Freeburne 66 mins), R Lenehan (N Macken 55 mins); L Kelly, C O'Brien.

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