Gowna finish year on a high with U20 title

U20 Division 1 Football Championship final

Gowna 3-12

Ramor United 1-12

Paul Fitzpatrick at Kingspan Breffni

A power surge either side of half-time made the difference as Gowna annexed the U20 Division 1 Championship title with this six-point win over Ramor United.

Gowna came into this game following a semi-final win over Cuchulainns while Ramor accounted for Knockbride at the penultimate stage. The match was the third of a double-header, preceded by the U20 Division 2 semi-finals, and the day had got progressively colder, with the result that by the time this final threw in, the temperature was around freezing point.

And the chilly conditions were matched by disappointing play in the opening 25 minutes. There were more wides (nine) than scores (eight) in this period as the teams cancelled each other out.

Gowna were just about the better side but spurned some good chances – notably a goal opportunity which was spectacularly saved by Oisin Rourke – but the game belatedly came to life in the run-in to half-time as Ramor pulled two clear with a couple of quality points only for Gowna to bag 1-1 in response.

Although Anthony Monaghan kicked a good point just before the interval, Gowna still went in 1-5 to 0-7 ahead which was probably a fair reflection; with Daire Madden dropping deep, they won the kick-out battle and had plenty of possession. It wasn’t until Ryan Brady moved inside, though, that they made it count on the scoreboard and their undoubted quality came to the fore just before and after the half-time break as they strung together some sublime passages of play and tacked on some terrific scores.

Ramor did come roaring back into the contest and cut the gap from seven to just one in the second half but a mistake on a kick-out cost them a goal and they didn’t recover, denying the neutrals what was shaping up to be an exciting conclusion to the match.

Gowna, who started without two eligible players from their Senior Championship-winning starting team in Cormac Brady and Darragh McConnon, dominated possession for the first three minutes only to leak the opening score when Nathan Levy-Valensi curled in after three minutes.

A lovely left-footed point from Madden opened Gowna’s account before full-forward Oliver McCrystal curled in Ramor’s second (Gowna’s appeals that it was wide appeared to have more than a little justification) but the missed chances were beginning to mount at both ends.

An excellent free from the right sideline by Aaron Tynan extended the Virginia lads’ advantage on 12 minutes but Gowna drew level when Seanie Hartin shovelled out for Conor Casey, off his shoulder, to score and after a goalmouth scramble which saw a Gowna shot cleared off the line, Ciaran McConnon sent over a free.

Gowna almost got through for another goal shortly afterwards but Mark Brady was denied by a super one-handed Oisin Rourke save.

Again, Ramor edged in front when Matthew Smith picked out Ben O’Hara with an inch-perfect pass and O’Hara laid off for McCrystal to split the posts but, again, Gowna drew level quickly, this time Shane Donohoe converting a free to tie matters at 0-4 apiece with 22 minutes played.

An O’Hara free, after a foul on Smith, gave Ramor the lead again three minutes before the break. They doubled their advantage with one of their best scores of the game. Anthony Monaghan did well at midfield and McCrystal switched possession to O’Hara, who scored off the right to make it 0-6 to 0-4, but the goal Gowna were threatening then arrived and turned the game on its head.

Ryan Brady, now closer to goal, fired off a shot which dropped short and Mark Brady rose with Rourke and got his fist to the ball, turning it into the net.

And when Ryan Brady curled in a terrific effort 30 seconds later, Gowna were 1-5 to 0-6 in front as half-time beckoned.

The Virginia side, under the management of John Brady, Ogie Farrelly and Eoin Somerville, had the final say of the half with a high-quality point from Monaghan as the teams went in with Gowna leading by the minimum, 1-5 to 0-7.

But the would-be winners showed their quality and kicked for home early in the second half. Upping the ante, they hit the net after 15 seconds when what looked like an unthreatening ball wasn’t deal with and Conor Casey, as he did in the semi-final, turned sharply and rattled the net.

Sensing they were in the ascendancy, Gowna – whose mentors were Laurence Brady, Sean Pierson and Michael Kane – turned the screw. A well-struck point from Ryan Brady made it 2-6 to 0-7 and after good work from half-time sub Cormac Brady (the county player didn’t start due to a knock and was forced off again before the end), Mark Brady thumped over a lovely score.

Suddenly, it was one-way traffic. Gowna drove through the middle and Shane Donohoe scored to make it a seven-point game just three minutes into the second half, a seismic turnaround considering they had trailed by two on 27 minutes.

Ramor stopped the bleeding with an O’Hara free and after Gowna kicked a wide, the Virginia boys enjoyed their own purple patch. Nathan Levy-Valensi broke two tackles to kick an inspirational point – McCrystal saw an effort strike the upright and go wide but after good work from Monaghan, Tomás Lynch raced through and hit the top corner of the net for a great goal on 39 minutes.

Ramor were back in it at 2-8 to 1-9 and had momentum, with an entertaining finale seemingly in store. When Tynan was fouled, O’Hara knocked over a free to leave a point in it with 20 minutes remaining - and then Gowna woke up again.

Eoghan Hartin tore through the centre and went for goal, only to see his shot fizz by the butt of the post.

From the kick-out, though, they hit the jackpot. The restart went straight into the grateful arms of Mark Brady, 30 metres out, and his shot was perfectly-placed over the head of the retreating Rourke and into the roof of the net.

Now, with 16 minutes remaining, Gowna had weathered the storm and restored a four-point lead. A great point from McCrystal, sniped in a maze of bodies, gave Ramor some hope but the third goal had been a body blow and a classy Gowna side managed the game well from there to the finish.

Donohoe nudged them four in front again with a free and then curled over a sweetly-struck attacking mark from 35 metres to ease them ahead by five.

Gowna then won the resulting kick-out and set off in a gang of three through the centre; a goal looked certain but Rourke pushed Seanie Hartin’s shot over the bar.

O’Hara replied with a free but the game was beyond Ramor at this stage and Eoghan Hartin rounded off a great day – and year – for the Gowna men with a lovely curled point late on.

Gowna finished off with two wides but it mattered little at that stage as they wrapped up a well deserved victory. Despite small numbers, there is huge quality in the Gowna panel and they showcased it again here to add the U20 Division 1 crown to their recently-retained Senior Championship title.

Gowna: Dylan McKeever, Cillian Brady, Cian Halton, Devin Morris, Fionn Hartin, Seanie Hartin (0-1), Ryan Brady (0-2), Eoghan Hartin (0-1), Mark Brady (2-1), Conor Casey (1-1), Ciaran McConnon, Daire Madden (0-1), Shane Donohoe ((0-5, 3f, 1m)

Subs: Cormac Brady for D Morris (ht), DJ Madden for C Brady (inj, 50)

Ramor United: Oisin Rourke, Martin Comey, Jensen Tynan, Pauric Morgan, Tomás Lynch (1-0), James O’Hara, Ben O’Hara (0-3, 2f), Nathan Levy-Valensi (0-2), Karl Farrelly, Matthew Smith, Aaron Tynan (--2f), Anthony Monaghan (0-1), Oliver McCrystal (0-3)

Subs: Shane Keenan for K Farrelly (34), Donal Maguire for A Monaghan (60), Nathan Fallon for T Lynch (60)

Ref: Margaret Farrelly.