Dec 02,2024
Coolera-Strandhill (Sligo) 1-15 Padraig Pearses (Roscommon) 1-14
(after extra-time)
Coolera-Strandhill made history by winning the Connacht Club SFC for the first time thanks to a well-deserved extra-time defeat of favourites Padraig Pearses.
Ross Doherty's goal in the first period of extra-time was the key score for Coolera-Strandhill - the first Sligo winners of this competition since St Mary’s were provincial champions in 1983 - as Padraig Pearses, Connacht winners three years ago, were left to regret 14 wides.
Coolera-Strandhill, playing for a fifth successive game at the Sligo town venue, settled instantly and Niall Murphy pointed after two minutes.
This was the start of a tit-for-tat opening period, with never more than two points between the teams.
The first of Conor Daly’s two excellent points brought Padraig Pearses level but Coolera-Strandhill went back in front when Aaron O’Boyle pointed.
Declan Kenny’s fine point tied matters again before Coolera-Strandhill’s most productive phase brought two unanswered points.
Oran Harte pointed from a pass by his brother, goalkeeper Keelan, who roamed upfield to good effect, and then Kevin Banks landed another quality score for the first-time finalists.
Padraig Pearses, who were still not at their fluid best, pointed through Conor Ryan.
Coolera-Strandhill’s fifth point - a good score from ex-Dublin dual player Ross O’Carroll - came in the 18th minute but this was their last of the first half.
Conor Daly scored again for Padraig Pearses - the first of four points without reply from the Roscommon champions, who were 0-7 to 0-5 up at the break and beginning to look menacing.
Inside-forward Jack Tumulty was getting involved and he bagged two neat points in the closing stages of the first-half.
There was some doubt about Padraig Pearses’ fifth score - an effort that many believed was wide - but Eoin Colleran’s free was given.
Padraig Pearses had half-a-dozen first-half wides compared to Coolera-Strandhill’s zero misses.
A 36th-minute penalty from Declan Kenny, who converted after a foul on Jack Tumulty, seemed to have put Pearses in the driving seat and when Colleran pointed a free two minutes later it put five points between the teams, 1-8 to 0-6.
Prior to that 1-1 from Padraig Pearses, there was an outstanding long-range point from Coolera-Strandhill goalkeeper Keelan Harte.
Remarkably, Padraig Pearses's only subsequent second-half score came when Colleran converted a 54th-minute free.
Coolera-Strandhill dug deep. There were big scores from Sean Taylor and substitute Adam Higgins, with Kevin Banks landing a wonderful levelling point to make it 0-12 to 1-9 after 59 minutes.
Coolera-Strandhill could have won it in the last minute but Adam Higgins sent an effort narrowly wide and Padraig Pearses missed an opportunity to seize glory in time added on when substitute Emmett Kelly was off-target.
The match-turning score from a Coolera-Strandhill perspective was Ross Doherty’s flicked goal - from a Niall Murphy free that dropped into the Padraig Pearses goalmouth - in the eighth minute of the first period of extra-time.
This helped put them -Strandhill two points up, 1-14 to 1-12, with the second period of extra-time to come.
Substitute Adam Higgins, who made a huge difference, scored Coolera-Strandhill’s 15th point - and his third - in the 72nd minute but teammate Niall Murphy was unmarked for a goal shot if Higgins had opted to pass.
Padraig Pearses notched two further points to narrow the gap to a single score, 1-15 to 1-14, following points from Jack Tumulty and Declan Kenny, but Coolera-Strandhill were not to be denied a famous win.
Coolera-Strandhill: Keelan Harte (0-1), Sean Taylor (0-1), Conor McDonagh, Jonathan Cassidy, Ross O’Carroll (0-1), Oran Harte (0-1), Kevin Banks (0-2), Peter Laffey (c), Aaron O’Boyle (0-1), Mark McDaniel, Ross Doherty (1-0), Leo Doherty, Niall Murphy (0-5 4f), Barry O’Mahony
Subs used: Adam Higgins (0-3) for Aaron O’Boyle, 36; Luke Bree for Jonathan Cassidy, 68; Hugh Rooney for Leo Doherty 70; Conor Burke for Kevin Banks, 75
Padraig Pearses: Paul Whelan, Adam McGreal, Caelim Keogh (j-c), Gavin Downey, Conor Daly (0-2), Niall Carty, Ronan Daly, Conor Ryan (0-1), Niall Daly (j-c), David Murray, Conor Harley, Declan Kenny (1-3, 1-0 pen, Jack Tumulty (0-3, 1f), Paul Carey, Eoin Colleran (0-4, 3f)
Subs used: Sean Canning for Adam McGreal, 40; Conor Lohan for Gavin Downey, 50; Jack Nevin (0-1) for Jack Tumulty, 51; Emmett Kelly for Paul Carey, 59; Jack Tumulty for Emmett Kelly, 61; Mark Richardson for Sean Canning, 72; Emmett Kelly for Caelim Keogh, 73
Referee: Thomas Murphy
