Valiant Moate CS bow out as Knockbeg prevail in thriller

Knockbeg College 4-17 Moate CS 1-24

By Kevin Egan

Moate Community School’s senior football season was a short one as this recent defeat to Knockbeg College meant they were knocked out of the Leinster championship before the end of October.

Still, there will be plenty of students up and down the country who will play senior football for a lot longer this year, and they will never come close to being part of an experience like this tumultuous battle with a talented Carlow school, packed with former county minors from Kildare, Laois, and the Dolmen County.

A first round defeat to Scoil Mhuire, Clane left Moate Community School with no safety net coming into this game, but that pressure brought out the best in them, as they took on a physically imposing Knockbeg side and came agonisingly close to recording a win that would have been every bit as good as any that the school has achieved for several years.

Twice, they held the lead; first it was early, and a Knockbeg wave was always coming. The second time, however, they nudged a point in front in the final quarter with the wind at their backs, only to be reeled in by 1-2 from substitute Eoghan Harris.

Darragh Deegan kicked three consecutive points to cancel out Mark Buggy’s two-pointer after 15 seconds. However, there was a strong wind blowing down the ground from the car park end of the field, so Knockbeg were always going to have a spell where they got the scoreboard moving freely.

They did in style, racking up 1-4 in a flash. Cormac McConnon positioned himself perfectly under a long-range shot to pull the ball down and squeeze it in between Fionn Higgins and the near post of the goal. Aaron Mackey rifled over another score from distance, with Buggy and Aodhán Bergin causing a world of trouble close to the Moate goal.

Playing into the breeze and hugely overmatched when it came to size, Moate had to use their footwork and movement to stay in touch and they did that well, particularly down the left flank where Alex Mullen Adamson was in fine form.

Knockbeg scored a wonderful team goal, finished by Buggy but created by a magical and slick offload from Bergin, to stretch the lead out to eight points with just over 20 minutes played. From then until half-time, Moate were outstanding, cutting the gap to one by half time.

Evan Daly scored two first half points and also went on a driving run down the side that drew a wild, frustrated tackle from Fionn Lawlor, setting up Luke Tooher for a two-point free. Into the wind, Tooher’s kick was majestic and true, while he also floated in the high ball that Billy Stenson palmed to the net for a Moate goal.

Tooher and Deegan fired over the last points of the half to make it 2-11 to 1-13 at the turnaround, with a mere two wides apiece in what was an incredible and breathless 30 minutes.

Measured by the yardstick of scoring rates, the second half wasn’t quite at the same level as the first; but from a footballing point of view, it was no less fascinating and no less impressive, instead putting emphasis on different strengths, such as contests for possession and control of the ball.

Facing into the breeze, Knockbeg needed to work the clock and the Moate defence with each possession and their fielding ability, allied to some tremendous play around the breaks from Aaron Mackey, Greg Kelly and Fionnán Brennan, allowed them to do that.

Mackey pounced on a slack pass out of defence to play the ball into Buggy for a cool, soccer-style goal, and points from Ronan Dooley, Aodhán Bergin and Luke Byrne briefly pushed them six clear.

Sixty seconds and two Luke Tooher possessions later, the gap was back to two, as the talented young golfer split the uprights with two left-footed strikes from distances that if added together, would require a solid strike of a nine-iron to cover.

Aaron Mackey attempted to hit back with a goal at the end of a typically incisive run only to be denied by a diving block from John Paul. And when Harry Hughes and Darragh Deegan (two) fired over the next three points - Deegan’s score a particularly sweet strike at the end of two long kick passes to cover 90 metres of ground - Moate had their second lead of the day and were bouncing.

Even when Knockbeg equalised through Eoghan Harris, it felt like a relief for Moate as the goal was gaping when John Hendricken’s shot rebounded off the post and into the chest of the substitute.

Harris didn’t have long to wait to put his name on a goal as, two minutes later, Moate stared elimination in the face as he got the decisive touch on Bergin’s hanging shot.

Such had been the drama up to that point, not one of the supporters that were packed around the field ruled out the possibility of another twist, and Darragh Deegan couldn’t have come any closer to bringing that about when he fired a shot off the crossbar in the final minute of normal time.

Deegan and Seán Mackey also had late attempts on goal fly over the bar deep in stoppage time, but they were hoping for miracles at that stage, trying anything they could from tricky angles and distances when, realistically, they knew their time in the Leinster championship was expiring.

In time, the fact that they played their part in a sporting contest that packed an incredible amount of drama and quality into a single hour may provide some consolation.

Player of the match: In a long list of contenders, Mark Buggy gets the vote after his sensational display of shooting, including two very well-taken goals. Knockbeg’s incredible ball-winning ability at midfield was a vital part of the story and both Cormac McConnon and Donnacha Lawlor can take an equal part of the credit for that, while Aaron Mackey had a superb game as well, particularly in the second half when the pressure was coming on his side. It’s a measure of how good Buggy was that Aaron Claffey battled well against him and had plenty of wins of his own, while Anthony King Carroll was also impressive for MCS in what was a crucial match-up against former Kildare minor Greg Kelly. Luke Tooher, Darragh Deegan and Alex Mullen Adamson were all a threat up front, while Enda Daly also had a strong showing up and down the pitch.

Scorers - Knockbeg: M Buggy 2-7 (2tp); E Harris 1-2; C McConnon 1-0; A Bergin 0-3; A Mackey (tp) and L Byrne 0-2 each; R Dooley 0-1. Moate CS: L Tooher 0-9 (2tp, 1tpf); D Deegan 0-7 (3f); B Stenson 1-0; A Mullen Adamson 0-3; E Daly 0-2; D Fox, H Hughes and S Mackey (f) 0-1 each.

Knockbeg College, Carlow: Mark Dowling; Joe Davis, Hugh Wall, John Hendricken; Fionn Lawlor, Fionnán Brennan, Ronan Dooley; Cormac McConnon, Donnacha Lawlor; Michael Brennan, Greg Kelly, Aaron Mackey; Luke Byrne, Mark Buggy, Aodhán Bergin. Subs used: Nisan Balogun for Davis (45 mins); Eoghan Harris for Brennan (53).

Moate Community School (Moate All Whites unless stated): Fionn Higgins (Castledaly); Oran Finlay, Aaron Claffey, John Paul (Caulry); Senan Gilroy, Anthony King Carroll, Dara Fox (Rosemount); Evan Daly (Ballycumber), Billy Stenson; Adam McKenna, Harry Hughes (Ballymore), Alex Mullen Adamson (Rosemount); Darragh Deegan (Rosemount), Luke Tooher, Seán Mackey.

Referee - Enda Kelly (Castledaly).