Ulster Minor Football Club Championship 2011 (at Saint Pauls)

[Beo]

St Johns 1-05  Armagh Harps 1-07

Harps through to the Final.

St Johns finish with 14.

[Any craic]

See the Harps winning goal here - http://t.co/X2E9k6Bo

[bennydorano]

Well done to Harps, how we only won that game by 2 is a mystery and having said that we could very well have got sucker-punched at the end.  Thought we were by far the better team, the Johnnies running game was ill-suited to the conditions and Harps were well prepared and really nulllified their gameplan.  Our more direct style was very effective, some great performances.

Not a great advertisement for football, the conditions weren't overly bad for the time of year but the pitch was in awful shape - what is going on this year in that all games are being played on the Pauls pitch when they were previously spread around a few grounds?  the lower pitch (Rossa's??) looked in perfect condition. 

Edit: Ref was kat

[Mourne Rover]

The video clip appears to show that the final pass for the goal was as clear a throw-ball as you are liikely to see.

[Passing_Interest]

The video clip appears to show that the final pass for the goal was as clear a throw-ball as you are liikely to see.

Sorry MR I dont think it "appears" to show "as clear a throw ball as you are likely to see".
No one even hinted that they thought it may have been a throw - not the Johnnies lads, not the Empires and not the referee (who got most other things wrong I grant you...)
Having watched it at the match and afterwards in slow mo, HD and 50" flat screen it was as clear a legal pass as I ever saw.

Well done Na Clairsigh.......not bad for a team who couldnt field just 8 months ago !

[ogshead]

The video clip appears to show that the final pass for the goal was as clear a throw-ball as you are liikely to see.

Sorry MR I dont think it "appears" to show "as clear a throw ball as you are likely to see".
No one even hinted that they thought it may have been a throw - not the Johnnies lads, not the Empires and not the referee (who got most other things wrong I grant you...)
Having watched it at the match and afterwards in slow mo, HD and 50" flat screen it was as clear a legal pass as I ever saw.

Well done Na Clairsigh.......not bad for a team who couldnt field just 8 months ago !

That's right... I forgot about that!! Was it true that they considered pulling the team out of competition for low numbers? Well done anyway and good luck in the final

[Any craic]

See 4 mins of hilites from the game today - http://tinyurl.com/cdq7k7j

[drici]

Minor footballers come up short despite great showing

St Johns 1-05  Armagh Harps 1-07


So this year's journey for the Naomh Eoin minors finally came to an end two weeks earlier that would have been hoped for against a good Armagh Harps side in the Semi Final of the Ulster Football Championship.

While Armagh Harps deserved their victory having lead from start to finish the St Johns boys may wonder what might have been as they dropped the ball short into the keeper's hands on 4 occasions during first half and had the Harps side looking vulnerable in the second half. But the young Johnnies and their management teams can be proud of their efforts and the success they have brought themselves and their Club.


St Johns started the game well and had territorial advantage for most of the first 7 minutes but couldn't make this count as Harps converted a free with an impressive Ryan McShane strike to take the lead which they never surrendered. Harps were using their physical superiority well to slow St Johns down on a boggy pitch allowing the Armagh football champions to get numbers behind the ball, closing out any space in front of goals and making clear cut scoring opportunities difficult for Naomh Eoin to create.


The first half continued in this pattern as St Johns pressed but couldn't get the ball over the bar then Armagh Harps getting the scores on counter attacks. Twice during the first half they were able to add 2 quick double scores. In the 12th & 13th minute McShane scored again before Conor White, who proved a handful for the Johnnies defence throughout the game, added another. Eoin Rua kept St Johns in the game with a fine save putting Whites shot over the bar in the 19th minute before another well struck free from McShane in the 20th minute left it 0.5 nil to the Armagh Champions. St Johns responded in the 25th with a Padraig Nugent free to leave the half time score at,

St Johns 0-01 Armagh Harps 0-05

Two minutes into the 2nd Half and Armagh stretched their lead to 5 points again when half back Joseph McElroy slotted over. As the second half continued the heavy pitch was taking its toll and the game began to open up a bit which suited the Johnnies style of play. In the 13th minute of the second half Dónal Carson was introduced and this seemed to provide the catalyst the St Johns team needed and they immediately rattled off 3 points in quick succession to cut the deficit to just 2. Firstly Patrick McBride who was brilliant again for his team and exemplified the leadership qualities of a captain took a fine score on 44 minutes followed by a Ronan McCafferty score on 46 minutes and then one from Matthew Fitzpatrick a minute later. This gave a growing sense that St Johns could get something from the game.


But just as the momentum seemed to be with the Johnnies, Harps scored a well worked goal from that man again, Armagh Harps Captain, Connor White. With the score at 1-06 v 0-04 this Johnnies team again showed huge character to come right back and score a major of their own from Conor Johnston after good work by Dónal Carson and Ciaran Johnston. Paddy McBride then scored his second of the day to leave just a point in it but time was running out for St Johns.


White again went on a surging run only being stopped illegally with Harps scoring the resulting free to put 2 in it as the game went into injury time. At this point there was some concern for Ronan McCafferty as he was stretchered off having put his body on the line for the St Johns cause. In the last attack of the game St Johns were unable to find the goal they were looking for and the ref blew for fulltime and to bring to a close a long and successful year for the minors.


Our thoughts are now that both Dónal Nugent and Ronan McCafferty make returns to full health as quickly as possible.


With 10 or 12 of the starting teams in both minor hurling and football eligible again, it is hoped that this group of players can be brought through another successful minor dual campaign next year and give everyone associated more days to be proud of.

[Groucho]

Our thoughts are now that both Dónal Nugent and Ronan McCafferty make returns to full health as quickly as possible.

yes wish them both a speedy recovery.

[drici]

Semi Final:
26th December (Monday)
O Raghallaigh Gaels(Cavan) v Glen Watty Grahams(Derry)
1-30pm

Bring deck chairs and sunglasses. Another day out and another dinner in the Club for the Harps as well.

[Beo]

O Raghallaigh Gaels 0-00  Glen Watty Grahams 0-02

6 minutes.

Glen with the wind.

[Beo]

0-00  0-04

[Beo]

1-00  0-04

[Beo]

1-00  0-07

The wind helping Glen with their now famous long range points.

[Beo]

1-00  0-09

HT

Big digging match before Half Time.