MAXOL DIRECT FINAL

St. MALACHY’S COLLEGE SQUAD DETAILS

COLM HEANEY (GOALKEEPER): A confident keeper who commands his box well. His good shot stopping ability has been proven by only conceding three goals in the previous rounds.

BEN GIBSON (DEFENDER): Ben has shown his attacking ability down the right hand side where he rarely wastes a pass. He is also a tenacious tackler who understands the need to offer cover.

DARRAGH LOUGHLIN (DEFENDER): Offers natural balance to the defense. He scored the first goal from a set play to settle the nerves in the semi-final.

MATTHEW DEIGHAN (CAPTAIN & DEFENDER): A school boy international and natural leader of the team. His ability to read the game is exceptional for a young player. Matt will commence a professional career with Glasgow Celtic following his GCSEs.

CIARAN VERNON (DEFENDER): Ciaran is a tough tackling no-nonsense style central defender who will do anything not to concede a goal. He has formed a formidable partnership in the centre of defense.

CONAL CAMPBELL (MIDFIELDER): A winger who is comfortable playing on either flank. Provides plenty of dangerous crosses and has managed to add a few goals to his game this season.

MICHAEL PLANT (MIDFIELDER): Michael’s commitment and intelligence to implement advice are what makes him a crucial player to have in the heat of a match. Loves the game so much he is willing to play anywhere.

NEIL CUMMINGS (MIDFIELDER): A holding midfielder who reads the game so well that he breaks up many attacks before the defenders have to worry. Provides the balance needed in the central midfield area.

NIALL QUINN (VICE-CAPTAIN & MIDFIELDER): A very talented player with a big future in the game. Niall is a creative midfielder with a sweet left foot that provides a serious goal threat.

PETER KELLY (FORWARD): A tall and very strong forward. His ability with his back to goal make him a crucial link between midfield and attack. Peter is a tireless worker when we don’t have the ball.

CHRIS MCSTEEN (FORWARD): The other half of the “big man/wee man” partnership up front. His pace and movement allows him to find space in the crucial areas of an oppositions half.

TIARNAN MCNICHOLL (FORWARD): One of the younger players. Tiarnan is a skilful and tricky forward with an eye for goal. He has not looked out of place playing a year above himself.

THOMAS PLANT (DEFENDER): The other younger player and brother of Michael. Thomas can play anywhere across the back four due to his tough tackling and man to man marking ability.

GERARD CAMPBELL (FORWARD): Gerard scored the crucial second goal in the semi-final. A strong player he will always unsettle opposition defenders with his constant pressure on them.

DARREN O’NEILL (MIDFIELDER): Darren provides natural width to our forward play. His enthusiasm and dedication for the game is always evident, especially in the way he plays.

NATHAN TORBITT (FORWARD): Nathan has shown great patience and commitment throughout the season and has never wasted his opportunities to make an impact in matches when called upon. 

AMAL ROY (DEFENDER): Amal will always show wholeheartedness when called upon. He will tackle strongly and without fear. He has improved significantly from the start of the season. 

ROAD TO THE FINAL

ROUND 1 v GROSVENOR (AWAY)

A tough opening fixture played in horrendous conditions with a very heavy pitch. We opened the scoring just before half time which should have spurred us on in the second half. However, a number of wasted clear cut openings meant that we never put the game to bed. Duly, in stoppage time Grosvenor made us pay by scoring an equalizer. Extra time saw us galvanized and determined to make amends for the disappointing second half. We started with all guns blazing and scored the two decisive goals in the opening five minutes of extra time.

Final Score: 3 – 1

Goalscorers: Chris McSteen; Nathan Torbitt; Peter Kelly

 ROUND 2 v FORTHILL (AWAY)

A match against the defending champions on their patch was always going to be easy to motivate the team for, considering four of the boys were part of our losing final squad last year. From the outset we dominated possession but found their strong defence hard to break down. A goal in each half gave us a well deserved victory but more importantly a belief that we could go far in the competition and perform well against quality opposition. The first goal, scored by Conal Campbell, was probably our best during the competition when he cut in from the left and curled a right footed shot into the top corner.

Final Score: 2 – 0

Goalscorers: Conal Campbell; Chris McSteen

QUARTER-FINAL v MONKSTOWN (AWAY)

Undoubtedly the best game we played all season. Two themes were ever present in our cup run up to and including this fixture – away ties and terrible weather conditions. This was a bruising match with two fully committed teams. In the first half we played into a gale force wind which Monkstown used to put us under enormous pressure. However, our tight defence and support from midfield meant that we saw through the “storm” to get to half time level at nil all. The start of the second half saw us play with confidence and fluency knowing that we had seen through the best our opposition had to offer. Our early goal was quickly cancelled out by a lack of concentration having taken the lead. Composure and keeping to our game plan meant that we eventually began to dominate the midfield battle. This led to another three goals each executed in clinical fashion.

Final Score 4 – 1

Goalscorers: Tiarnan McNicholl (2); Peter Kelly; Niall Quinn

SEMI-FINAL v MODEL (@ ULIDIA)

A very competitive match not only due to the fact it was a semi but also as a local derby. We commenced this game without two of our regular starters which meant a slight reshuffle of personnel. The opening twenty minutes proved to be very tight with both sides effectively cancelling each other out. After twenty-five minutes we made the crucial breakthrough with a corner routine. A shallow ball into the near post by Chris McSteen was flicked into the net by the long leg of Darragh Loughlin. This settled or nerves and we began to press forward looking to cement our lead. However, a couple of opportunities went amiss and we had to settle for a single goal advantage at the break.

The second half proved to be a more open game with both sides creating chances. The Model were proving dangerous down our left hand side and a substitution with positional changes were needed to shore up this defensive area. A flowing move involving a knock-down from Peter Kelly to Chris McSteen who swept the ball out to Niall Quinn saw him deliver an accurate cross to the sub Gerard Campbell who slid in front of the defender to knock the ball into the corner. Sustained pressure from the Model saw them going close with a number of long range efforts. On the break we looked dangerous and missed a great chance through Niall Quinn. Peter Kelly also hit the cross bar with a long range effort. With almost the final kick of the ball the Model managed to grab a consolation goal through a well directed header at a corner kick. The re-start saw the final whistle and celebrations for a well deserved victory and final appearance.

This is the first time in St. Malachy’s history that the school has reached back to back Maxol Direct finals. We look forward to going one step further than last year’s final disappointment.

Final Score: 2 – 1

Goalscorers: Darragh Loughlin & Gerard Campbell