St Patrick’s Banbridge retain the Danny Flynn Cup

Danske Bank Danny Flynn Cup final
Tuesday 11am in Rossa Park, Magherafelt
St Patrick’s Banbridge 5-12 Sperrin Integrated Magherafelt 1-5
ST PATRICK’s Banbridge retained the Danske Bank Danny Flynn Cup in Rossa Park Magherafelt yesterday pulling away from the local Sperrin Integrated side in the final quarter of a highly entertaining game of football.
However just after half-time when Quinn Leech buried a goal for Sperrin a different result looked very possible.
Sperrin had defended well in that opening half with Ballinderry’s Colin Thornton and Tony Sheridan putting themselves on the line again and again and Magherafelt turned over to take wind advantage with just five points between the sides, 1-5 to 0-3.
With Leech’s goal they got a huge lift, but the game was won and lost over the course of the next ten minutes when Banbridge pulled Tyler Gorman back as an extra midfielder to assist Eoin Campbell and Denis Kerr.
Ciaran McNeill won a series of break ball during that period to relieve pressure on Banbridge, while Sperrin’s wayward shooting kept two points between the teams until Ryan Meara broke in the 46th minute to grab a goal for the Down boys.
That lifted the siege and Banbridge pressed home their advantage with further goals for Tyler Gorman, a scrambled effort from Shea Malone and then a second on the break for Meara to leave a convincing gap at the end.
But how St Patrick’s needed that opening goal in the 24th minute from Eoin Campbell as a cushion after playing with the wind behind them! Sperrin came close to an upset, but didn’t get, or were not allowed to create, the breaks during the third quarter when just one or two scores were needed from their constant pressure.
St Patrick’s : C Higgins, A McAtamney, A Moan, S McClure, C McNeill, C Lemon, F Keenan, D Kerr capt. (0-4, 0-3 frees), K Bradford (0-2), D McNulty (0-1), R Meara (2-2, 0-1 free), C Cull (0-1), A McGivern (0-1), E Campbell (1-0), T Gorman (1-1).
Subs : S Malone (1-0) for T Gorman, R McAvoy for A McAtamney, O McAvoy for C Cull, D McGrath for D McNulty.
Sperrin : N Ferguson, L Cunningham, C Thornton, C O’Neill, C McCrystal, T Sheridan, T O’Hara, D Rocks capt. (0-3, 0-2 frees), S Donnelly, T Scullion, L McMenamy (0-1), Q Leech (1-0), D Darby (0-1), J Thornton, R Purvis.
Subs : C English for T Sheridan, C Connolly for J Thornton.
Referee : Peadar Lagan (Glen)