Hyland strike sees Willow Park seal historic triumph

THE prestigious Leinster Junior Cup is back in Athlone for the first time in 47 years, after Willow Park dramatically defeated St Paul's Artane at Tolka Park on Sunday afternoon. Aidan Hyland's 84th minute strike, set up after great work from midfielder Gary McHugh, sealed a historic victory for the Athlone side, and also wrapped up a memorable treble of trophies this season for Tony O'Sullivan's well-oiled unit. Earlier in proceedings, a sublime lob by Colm Hyland had given Willow a 35th minute lead, which was then cancelled out by a tap-in for impressive St Paul's striker Graham Sullivan. Willow had been by far the better side in the opening half, and Colm Hyland should really have had another goal to his name, before St Paul's gained the upper hand during the opening stages of the second half. In truth, the game could have went either way at 1-1, but ultimately it was Willow who shaded matters overall, and were full value for Hyland's late winner. It capped a fantastic season for Willow, who add the Leinster Junior Cup title to the Combined Counties League crown and Paddy Cotter Cup. Willow had excellent performances from the non-stop Colm Hyland and ultra-reliable centre-back Ronan Frawley, while the contribution of left-back Peter Sherlock was also very important. In midfield, the vastly experienced Colin Fortune also made his presence felt, and Aidan Hyland's impact upon coming on as a 55th minute substitution was very important. Hyland has been suffering with injury of late, and Tony O'Sullivan opted to leave him on the bench for this massive occasion, but his match-winning capabilities shone through in the end, as he struck a priceless winner for Willow. Willow, sporting a fluorescent pink kit, came quickly out of the blocks, with Gary McHugh causing problems down the left flank, and Mark McConnell almost gave Willow an early lead, but couldn't stretch enough to reach Colin Fortune's low cross. St Paul's were playing a very high line in defence, something Colm Hyland was aware of and capitalising upon. Hyland's quick movement and pace were a constant problem for St Paul's centre halves, and both he and Benny Magennis were unlucky not to get in on goal during the opening period. On seven minutes though, Mark Nicholson had to track back from midfield and make a last-gasp tackle to deny a shooting opportunity for Graham Sullivan, who was clearly St Paul's biggest threat from an early point. Willow quickly regained control though, and Fortune blazed over from the edge of the box after goalkeeper Nicholas Kantounias punched clear a Colm Hyland corner. McHugh then drilled a good effort straight at Kantounias, before Sherlock's excellent cross was unfortunate not to pick out Hyland. In the past, Willow have had some problems with not taking their chances against good sides, and they looked to be following this pattern when Hyland missed a golden opportunity on 21 minutes. Played through by Fortune, Hyland was one on one with Kantounias, but struck his effort at the Artane goalkeeper. The Dublin side felt they should have had a definite penalty just after the half hour, when Sherlock seemed to mistime a tackle on Sullivan. St Paul's definitely had a loud case for appeal, but referee Tony McGuinness waved play on - much to the relief of the large Willow contingent in the Shelbourne FC ground. Four minutes later, Willow were in front. McConnell's forward ball fell nicely into Hyland's path and his superb lob drifted over Kantounias and fell nicely into the top corner of the net. It was a perfect goal on a magical occasion for Willow. St Paul's right-winger Terry Walsh should have been sent off soon afterwards when he appeared to direct a headbutt at McHugh, but the referee issued only a yellow card. Walsh got involved in a number of incidents during the first half and St Paul's manager Anto Shaw ended up substituting him at half-time. Both Fortune and McConnell were booked as the game entered a fiery period before half-time, but Willow deservedly went in at the interval with a one-goal advantage. Willow were slow to get started upon the resumption, and St Paul's began to grow in confidence. Ronan Frawley was forced to make a timely interception when the very hard-working David Fitzsimons tried to slot Sullivan through on goal. An injury to Mark Nicholson, playing on the right flank for Willow, seemed to take even more steam out of the Athlone men, who were now struggling to maintain any sort of possession, and were relying solely on Hyland's pace to try penetrate St Paul's defence. A good volley by Fitzsimons was palmed away by Ian Bolger, before Ronan Frawley was again forced into a timely tackle to prevent Sullivan a clear run at goal. Fortune and Sherlock collided in a nasty clash of heads, but both players were able to continue after lengthy treatment. St Paul's then levelled matters in the 64th minute. Colm Hyland was punished for a tackle on the edge of the Willow area, but Paddy Ashmore's strike seemed like easy pickings for Bolger. However, the Willow 'keeper could only palm the ball into Sullivan's path and he tapped the ball into the unguarded net. Willow responded well, with a crunching tackle by Fortune setting up a half chance for Aidan Hyland, who replaced McConnell on 55 minutes, but his effort was comfortably saved by Kantounias. A neat through ball by Magennis then almost got Sherlock in on goal, but St Paul's managed to clear the danger. Willow had a massive let-off in the 71st minute, after Earl Gaylard miscued a clearance, leaving Garth Arkins with a clear run at goal. Arkins never looked properly settled though, and more or less passed the ball into Bolger's arms. If it had been Arkins' strike partner (Sullivan), Willow might not have been so lucky. The Athlone side also had an escape on 80 minutes when Bolger came flying out of his box, allowing Sullivan to shoot at a largely unguarded goal, but luckily for Bolger his shot was narrowly off target. McHugh sets up winner Veteran striker Brian Frawley joined the fray in the 81st minute and would play his part in Willow's winning goal. With St Paul's defender Richard Grimes lying injured just inside the Dublin side's half, Frawley raced down the right flank. His centre to McHugh was initially cut out by St Paul's other centre half, Paul Morgan, but he lost his bearings, and McHugh was alert enough to capitalise. McHugh stole possession near the endline, before getting himself into a possible shooting position. The angle was narrow though, so McHugh used his football intelligence, pulling the ball back to the unmarked Aidan Hyland for an easy tap-in. Hyland will ultimately be remembered as the goalscorer, but McHugh's impact here should be recalled, too. Willow immediately pulled Colm Hyland back into midfield, leaving Brian Frawley up front alone, and relied on good defending late on to ensure the victory. During this period of frantic St Paul's pressure, Robbie Shine made a couple of good clearances, while Frawley won header after header. St Paul's even threw their goalkeeper forward during the dying moments, and he actually got a header in at the Willow goal during injury time, but it never troubled Bolger's goal. Willow supporters flooded the Tolka Park pitch at the final whistle, marking the end of a fantastic campaign for the Athlone club. WILLOW PARK: Ian Bolger; Robbie Shine, Peter Sherlock, Earl Gaylard, Ronan Frawley, Colin Fortune, Mark Nicholson, Mark McConnell, Colm Hyland, Benny Magennis, Gary McHugh. Subs: Aidan Hyland for McConnell (55 mins), Brian Frawley for Magennis (81). ST PAUL'S ARTANE: Nicholas Kantounias; Danny Green, Doss Crosbie, Richard Grimes, Paul Morgan, Paddy Ashmore, Terry Walsh, David Fitzsimons, Graham Sullivan, Garth Arkins, Tommy Keenan. Subs: Kenny McMahon for Walsh (45 mins), David Sheridan for Grimes (85). Referee: Tony McGuinness.