Longwood 3-13
St Ultans/Cortown 0-10
Longwood U14s finished a superb season with silverware on Sunday afternoon, producing a magnificent second-half performance to defeat St Ultans/Cortown in the U14 Shield Final.
A large crowd gathered in Longwood in bright and dry conditions to cheer on both teams, and the home side could hardly have asked for a better start.
Lochlan Rowley won the throw-in, burst forward and exchanged passes with Luka Farrell before firing over the opening score. A few minutes later, Luka Farrell was the provider again, winning possession and feeding Tyler Mulligan, who struck an excellent point.
However, the following 15 minutes belonged to St Ultans/Cortown. The Longwood back line came under constant pressure as the visitors struck four unanswered points. But for some excellent defending from Erikas Petkus and Emmet Collins, the damage could have been considerably greater.
Longwood eventually broke the siege when a superb interception from Tadhg Schram created the opportunity for Bobby Barron to score from a tight angle.
St Ultans/Cortown continued to have the better of the midfield exchanges, but some wayward shooting, combined with excellent defending from William Birmingham, Lucas Hennessy and Dylan Dixon, kept Longwood in touch. A Thomas Maguire free was Longwood's only other score before the break, leaving the half-time score:
Longwood 0-04 St Ultans/Cortown 0-08
As the Longwood lads made their way off at half-time to great encouragement from the sizeable home support, everyone knew a stern challenge lay ahead.
The Longwood forwards had looked nervous, with too many rushed efforts drifting wide. Luka Farrell and Patrick Maguire had both threatened, but overall the attack had struggled to find the rhythm it had shown in previous games.
At midfield, Tadhg Schram and Lochlan Rowley were battling hard against an excellent opposing pairing with a real ability to carry the ball forward. At the back, Erikas Petkus, Dylan Dixon and William Birmingham were all having strong games, while Emmet Collins was outstanding in repelling wave after wave of St Ultans/Cortown attacks.
The second half began with another excellent St Ultans/Cortown score, stretching their advantage. Longwood needed a response, and it came.
Lochlan Rowley drove forward to win a free, which he duly converted, before Thomas Maguire added another point as Longwood continued to battle their way back into the contest.
Then came the moment that changed the game.
Captain Dylan Dixon won possession and drove forward before finding Lochlan Rowley. Lochlan executed a superb pass to Cuan Saunders, who stepped inside and drilled the ball into the corner of the net.
Longwood were level, and suddenly the match changed.
As the rain began to pour down, Longwood began to pour forward.
An excellent move saw Tyler Mulligan deliver a superb pass into Patrick Maguire, who calmly rolled the ball underneath the St Ultans/Cortown goalkeeper and into the net.
Patrick Maguire wasn't finished. Moments later he turned provider, finding Thomas Maguire for another well-taken point.
Two excellent Bobby Barron points followed, along with a score from Cuan Saunders, as a Longwood attack that had struggled in the opening half suddenly clicked into gear.
Behind them, Tadhg Shram continued to disrupt the opposition attack, while the half-back line of Lucas Hennessy, Emmet Collins and William Birmingham won ball after ball and delivered it quickly into the now sharp and dangerous Longwood forwards.
Then came Longwood's third goal.
A Lochlan Rowley shot was parried by the goalkeeper, but as the ball spun up into the air, Lochlan reacted quickest and scrambled it into the net.
A game that had looked a long way from Longwood's grasp at half time now had the home side leading 3-10 to 0-10.
St Ultans/Cortown refused to give up and pushed players forward in search of a way back into the game. Two excellent goal chances went begging, while Longwood goalkeeper Conor Baldwin dealt confidently with a number of dangerous balls sent into the Longwood square.
Longwood eventually lifted the siege. Patrick Maguire struck another excellent point before Bobby Barron produced a superb score from distance after Caiden Connor had won the ball in the corner.
Appropriately, the final score belonged to Cuan Saunders, bringing the final score to:
Longwood 3-13 St Ultans/Cortown 0-10
The final scoreline did not tell the full story of what had been a tight, fiercely contested and pulsating final.
Longwood's backs, to a man, delivered a superb performance, particularly when a real fight was required during that sustained spell of St Ultans/Cortown pressure in the first half. Erikas Petkus and William Birmingham were excellent, while Emmet Collins produced an outstanding display.
At midfield, Lochlan Rowley was a constant attacking and scoring threat, while Tadhg Schram performed a superb man-marking role in the second half on one of St Ultans/Cortown's most dangerous players.
For the Longwood forwards, it truly was a tale of two halves. After struggling for scores before the interval, they came alive after the break, with Bobby Barron, Cuan Saunders, Thomas Maguire and Patrick Maguire all making major contributions.
At the final whistle, the Longwood team left the pitch to massive cheers from the home crowd that had roared them on throughout that remarkable second-half comeback.
Captain Dylan Dixon received the u14 Shield and delivered an excellent speech on the pitch, thanking St Ultans/Cortown for a tremendous sporting contest, the referee, and the Longwood supporters who have travelled the length and breadth of Co. Meath supporting the team throughout the year.
He also thanked coaches Jacob, Jim (who was abroad) and Dean for the enormous work they have put into the team over the past year.
And as the Shield was held aloft, there was also a thought for the missing members of the panel, Aodhan Freeman and Thomas Murray, who were away on holidays, and the injured Aidan Sharkey.
Then it was time to celebrate.
The final chapter of this memorable Longwood season was written with a tour of the village, car horns blaring and black-and-white flags flying proudly.
A particularly nice moment for the lads was seeing the Longwood senior players there to applaud them, despite having suffered their own championship disappointment earlier that day.
And so the season ends with silverware and with fitting recognition of the effort, commitment and skill shown by this Longwood U14 team throughout the year.
As many of those present said to the lads afterwards, these are the days to cherish and remember. They don't come around all the time, but when they do, that's what makes them all the sweeter.
Longwood U14 Shield Champions.
Longwood Abú!
Team
Goalkeeper – Conor Baldwin
Backs –Lucas Hennessy, Erikas Petkus, Emmet Collins, Dylan Dixon, William Birmingham.
Midfield – Lochlann Rowley (1-02), Tadhg Schram
Forwards – Patrick Maguire (1-01),Luka Farrell, Thomas Maguire (0-03), Tyler Mulligan (0-01), Caiden Connor, Cuan Saunders (1-02), Bobby Barron (0-04)
Goalkeeper – Conor Baldwin
Backs –Lucas Hennessy, Erikas Petkus, Emmet Collins, Dylan Dixon, William Birmingham.
Midfield – Lochlann Rowley (1-02), Tadhg Schram
Forwards – Patrick Maguire (1-01),Luka Farrell, Thomas Maguire (0-03), Tyler Mulligan (0-01), Caiden Connor, Cuan Saunders (1-02), Bobby Barron (0-04)
Joint Players of the Match: Erikas Petkus and Emmet Collins
Match Report - Sean Farrell
