O'Mahonys win minor final thriller as Ratoath waste chances

The balance of power at minor football level moved back to Navan on Friday night when O'Mahonys captured the MFC title with a gutsy rearguard action against a rampant Ratoath side. This final was won by a combination of guts, determination and skill as O'Mahonys defended a one-point lead for the closing 11 minutes and held Ratoath scoreless for 18 minutes in an absorbing second-half. Ratoath contributed to their own demise. They drew a blank on the scoreboard for those 18 second-half minutes as they missed chance after chance and finished with a tally of 13 wides. Credit was accorded to both teams by u-18 vice-chairman Michael Mullally during the presentation and he also paid a tribute to the late Paddy O'Brien who was the man behind the development of so many talented Navan O'Mahonys players for about the last 50 years. O'Mahonys captain Alan Forde picked up on that point after he received the Delaney Cup from Mullally and competition sponsor Jackie Kiernan. "The last few months have been very tough on this club, but Paddy O'Brien's death brought us together as a team," he commented. "We did nothing in the league, but we have brought this cup back to Navan in memory of Paddy, he was probably looking down on us tonight when we were holding on to our one-point lead. "Ratoath gave us a great game, but I'm very proud to raise this trophy here tonight," he added. And the captain was correct in his comments about how O'Mahonys held on to a one-point lead for 11 minutes as Ratoath launched attack after attack in search of an equaliser that never arrived. Ratoath had all the pressure for most of the game, but were still only on level terms at the end of the first-quarter (0-4 to 1-1) as O'Mahonys made better use of limited opportunities. Forde claimed the O'Mahonys goal in the eighth minute when he ghosted through from 40 metres and lobbed the Ratoath netminder Andrew Smith. Prior to that Donal Callan for O'Mahonys and Bryan McMahon of Ratoath had traded points. Ratoath dominated the next 10 minutes, but had only points from Bobby O'Brien, Cian O'Brien and another McMahon effort from play to show for their efforts. Ratoath were denied a couple of goals by some excellent O'Mahonys defending which included a good save from Jack Walsh. After soaking up all that pressure, O'Mahonys countered with points from Lee Dixon and Cathal Smyth (free). Smyth's task was made easier when referee Joey Curley moved the ball forward after some dissent. Dissent was in plentiful supply out on the pitch and the Moynalty official kept a tight rein on both teams. Ratoath's Cian O'Brien claimed his first point from a free soon after as the tempo increased and after Forde and Bobby O'Brien traded points, Walsh advanced smartly off his line to make a brave save which denied Gavin Eiffe a goal. That left O'Mahonys ahead by the minimum (1-4 to 0-6) at the interval and they managed third-quarter points from Smyth (free) and Forde. Ratoath were ahead briefly during that period with points from Farrell McManus, who had an excellent game, McMahon (free) and a fisted effort from Bobby O'Brien in the 12th minute proving to be their last score. Forde's point drew the sides level at the end of an absorbing third-quarter. Ratoath owned the ball for much of the remainder, but Smyth showed great composure in the 19th minute when he pointed a free. He managed that despite a chorus of booing from a lot of the Ratoath contingent and that is something which Meath Co Committee must try to eradicate from games. Perhaps some of the Ratoath supporters were influenced too much by what passes for support on Hill 16 amongst the Dubs, or maybe they picked up from certain sections of the Louth supporters during the Leinster final against Meath, but it is an unwelcome addition to Pairc Tailteann. Maybe it's time for the stadium announcer to remind supporters that they are at a GAA game. That negative aspect apart, the closing stages of this minor final were real edge-of-the-seat entertainment. The Navan O'Mahonys players performed some heroic defending with one particularly impressive block in the final seconds. Unfortunately, the O'Mahonys numbers made the player impossible to identify. Navan O'Mahonys - Jack Walsh; Dermot Rogers, James Murphy, Shane Stafford; Gary Power, Brian Dillon, Eamonn Ferris; Conor Finnegan, Thomas Cox; Evan Murtagh, Alan Forde (1-2), Cathal Smyth (0-3 frees); Lee Dixon (0-1), Barry McEvoy, Donal Callan (0-1 free). Subs - Karl Reilly for Ferris 26 mins; Vinnie Moore for McEvoy 55m. Ratoath - Andrew Smith; Paddy Flood, Conor McGill, Brian Power; Glen Reilly, Paddy Haslam, Kevin Gorman; Farrell McManus (0-1), Cian O'Brien (0-2 one free); Bobby O'Brien (0-3), Garrett Rooney, Gavin Eiffe; Graham Jordan, Paddy Kennedy, Bryan McMahon (0-3 frees). Subs - Mark Daly for Kennedy 40 mins; Colm Nugent for Gorman 42m. Referee - Joey Curley (Moynalty)