St Michael’s have the underage talent to challenge at the top after overdue breakthrough

A decade of heartache was washed away for St Michael’s in Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday as they finally got to savour the sweet taste of success after beating Knocknagree in the final of the Bons Secours SAFC.

After failing to free his homeland of Scotland from the clutches of the English on six occasions, Robert the Bruce famously drew inspiration for his seventh and successful attempt while watching a spider trying the spin a web while in isolation in a cave.

The arachnid taught the Bruce a lesson in perseverance and that lesson has been well absorbed by the footballers of Blackrock over the past 10 years.

Losing one final is tough, losing two is tougher, but coming back for more after losing six in 10 years is a sign of unwavering resilience that was finally rewarded, and deservedly so.

They’ve often played better than they did here, and they probably won’t want to look back on their statistics in front of goal.

They kicked nine wides across the hour, hit the post twice, and dropped three efforts short into Patrick Doyle’s hands.

They’ve often even performed better in finals than they did here. But this time they reached the promised land of Premier Senior football and in the final analysis, that is all that mattered.

Michael’s had been brilliant in getting to the decider, and played scintillating football in dismissing the challenge of O’Donovan Rossa in the semi-final four weeks ago.

But there was no space for such expression here, partly because of the occasion, but mainly due to the fact that Knocknagree were excellently organised as Gary O’Connor succeeded in nullifying the significant threat of Robbie Cotter.

KILLER PASSES

Michael Mahoney was detailed to try to do the same to Eric Hegarty, and while Mahoney played well, Man of the Match Hegarty twice got away from him, and on both occasions he gave the killer passes to Adam Hennessey, who twice billowed the Knocknagree net.

Ultimately it was those contributions that meant that the Kevin McTiernan Cup made the short trip over to Mahon as the sun disappeared behind the City End.

While Hegarty was the man with the keys to unlock Knocknagree, he also led with his relentless appetite for work. 

He set the tone from the start as he never stopped moving, never stopped trying, and never stopped believing.

His attitude was infectious, particularly as his side’s start was far from ideal. They kicked four wides inside the opening 10 minutes and trailed by 0-3 to 0-1, and those of a pessimistic disposition might have got that dreaded feeling that history was repeating itself.

Knocknagree looked assured at that stage, with Daniel O’Mahony excellent at the centre of the Knocknagree defence, while Eoghan McSweeney was on the ball often, constantly probing at the St Michael’s defence. Michael McSweeney was also a handful at midfield, while Danny Cooper swept well in front of the St Michael’s full-forward line.

With scores at a premium, this was the day for St Michael’s defence to step forward, and so they did, conceding a miserly six points in 69 minutes of action, only four of which came from play.

Alan O’Callaghan was colossal at centre-back before being withdrawn in added time due to injury. 

Alongside him Tom Lenihan was ultra-cool, while Peter Cunningham popped up with a crucial point in the second half.

Sean Keating and Dylan Corkery both saw their men replaced, and Daniel Meaney was imperious in the middle of the field.

St Michael’s have had to learn their lessons the hard way since 2012, and once Hennessey’s second goal put them in the box seat with 10 minutes to go, they were never going to give it up.

They finished the game professionally, and completely nullified their opponents. As the clock ticked towards 60, that winning feeling began to seep through the team, panel, and mentors. It’s a feeling that will be savoured over the next few weeks.

At Michael’s aren’t finished either. Anyone with an interest in Cork football can’t have helped but to notice the number of St Michael’s players that have donned the red and white colours of Cork over the past few years at underage level.

On the steps of the South Stand, joint captains Seán Keating and Tom Lenihan said that they were only getting started. This was no end, but a new beginning, and they will look forward to 2023 with relish.