Red High take 2nd McGreevy Cup in 3 seasons

November 21, 2018

Danske Bank McGreevy Cup final
St Patrick’s Downpatrick 2-2 St Patrick’s Keady 0-6
ST PATRICK’S Downpatrick are the Danske Bank McGreevy Cup winners for the second time in three seasons because they adopted better to the near artic conditions at Clonduff Park Hilltown yesterday.
It was bitterly cold with at times hail belting down on the players, but Downaptrick got stuck in and forced the match winning goals midway through the second half. They then defended with great determination to see out a narrow victory.
For most of the game Keady looked to be in control with some neat hurling from Sean Burke, Finn Fox and Rory Grimes but there was strong resistance from Leigh Morgan, Sean McCarthy and Dara Coulter in the Downpatrick defence and some brilliant stops from Cian Clarke in goals.
That is why the scoreline was just two points to Rory Grimes for Keady and a Luke McCabe point for Downpatrick at the break.
After half time Keady stretched their lead to 0-4 to 0-1 with a point each for Charlie McArdle and James Mallon, but over the next ten minutes, McCabe grabbed two goals and Noah Rodgers added a point to put Downpatrick four up.
Keady pressed strongly over the last 10 minutes but the Downpatrick defence only yielded points each for Charlie McArdle and James Mallon and that was enough to see the East Down school home.
Downpatrick : C Clarke, N Murray, S Murphy, G Doran, E McKinney, S McCarthy, L Morgan, D Coulter, N Rodgers (0-1), DJ Farrell, M Rodgers, R McMullan, R Byres, L McCabe (2-1), Fintan Magee
Keady: C O’Hagan, C Hughes, J Crilly, R Taylor, F Fox, S Burke, J Loughran, J Mallon (0-2), C McArdle (0-2), R Grimes (0-2), D Harvey J McNally, S og McNaughton, P Mc Keever, T Fox.
Subs: D Feeney for S og McNaughton
Referee : Paddy Branagan (Clonduff Shamrocks)