A BRACE from Padraic Hegarty and one goal from Brian Horgan was the difference as MICC Dunmanway defeated St Joseph’s Secondary School, Tulla 3-0 in the Munster U17 Junior Schools Soccer Trophy final in Charleville.

This is the school’s second success and the competition as it follows their victory in 2019, but there’s a different feel around the result as they had to battle strong winds and rain alongside a spirited opponent from the Banner.

MICC Dumanway didn’t let this faze them and they started the game by forcing a number of chances. Horgan went very close to scoring with just eight minutes gone and he headed a ball from Euan Lehane off the crossbar. Keith McCarthy took a free-kick for his school and this went narrowly over the intended target. 

The west Cork school were dominating, they just needed a goal to show it.

Then Padraic Hegarty had a shot saved by the St Joseph’s goalkeeper and Horgan swooped in to knock in the rebound.

MICC Dummanway doubled their lead with some link-up play involving Euan Lehane, McCarthy and Hegarty, who finished off this move with a neat finish.

There was no relent from the west Cork school and they started the second half with a shot from Hegarty getting taken off the line. This followed a flurry of St Joseph’s players in the Dummanway half after the break but they were unable to create anything meaningful.

This didn’t matter too much to his confidence, as his next attempt turned in a cross from Lehane on the volley and MICC Dummanway went 3-0 up.

They kept going and two shots from Caolan O'Donovan went slightly over. Dummanway’s Eoin Hurley managed to get into space and his attempt was tipped over and put out for a corner by the Tulla goalkeeper.

St Joseph’s Glen McNamara hit the crossbar in injury time and that was the final piece of action.

Winning manager Adrian Hurley was bursting with pride after. 

“I am delighted for them as they are a terrific bunch of players who represented the school with pride, trained hard all year and got their reward ."

MICC: Shane O’Sullivan, Conor Horgan,  Caolan O’Driscoll, Adam Lordan, Jamie Dullea, Caolan O’Donovan,  Euan Lehane, Brian Horgan, Eoin Hurley, Keith McCarthy,  Padraic Hegarty, Ryan Daly, Luke McCarthy,  Patrick Collins, Ben Coughlan, Ryan O’Leary, Matt Hurley, Kenny Kingston, Callum Murray, Niall Owens.

St JOSEPH'S: Owen McGann, Sean Cunningham, Glen McNamara, Conor Walsh, Ben Kelly-Greene, Ben Maxwell, Callum Casey, Adam Kilker, Cormac Hale, Darragh Baker, Mark Davoren, Emmet Mulcahy, Conor McFadden, Harry Mulqueen, Alan Glowski, Cathal Culloo, Frankie O’ Sullivan, Jack Lovett.

Referee: John McNamara.