Danske Bank Sharkey Cup final: St Catherine’s Armagh 3-8 Sperrin Integrated 2-8 (AET)
Three late frees from Thomas McAlinden and a super point from sub Aodhán Neeson sealed a first ever Danske Bank Ulster schools’ football title for St Catherine’s, Armagh when they edged out Sperrin Integrated after extra-time and a terrific game of end to end football in Meadowbank yesterday afternoon.
Ciarán Farrell got his foot to a loose ball in the Sperrin area for the first goal in the 8th minute and six minutes later Daithí Carville crashed a great shot off the underside of the crossbar for goal No 2 as Armagh took a 2-1 to 0-2 lead.
However Daniel Maguire at midfield pulled Sperrin back into contention and Corey McMullan and Leo Purvis (penalty) both found the net to level the game for half-time at 2-2 each.
Sperrin scored and missed a penalty during that first half and St Catherine’s also fired one wide at the start of the second half.
However Thomas McAlinden’s brilliant individual goal five minutes from the end squared the argument once more at 3-3 to 2-6.
It was still more end to end football in extra-time with two points from sub Lewis York putting Sperrin into a 2-8 to 3-4 lead at the midway point.
Thomas McAlinden levelled the game with four minutes remaining and sub Aodhán Neeson came off the bench to give St Catherine’s the lead point before McAlinden landed two frees in added time to secure the win for the Armagh school
St Catherine’s: T McAlinden 1-3, D Carvill and C Farrell 1-0 each, C Liggett and J Withers 0-2 each, A Neeson 0-1.
Sperrin: C McMullan and L Purvis 1-0 each, D Maguire 0-3, L Yorke 0-2, A Smadrijc, C Muldoon and J Henry 0-1 each.