Naas leave it late to hold onto their crown as Cowzer denies Maynooth

Manguard Plus Minor A Football Championship Final

NAAS 1-16 

MAYNOOTH 3-9 

Holders Naas survived a dramatic finish to edge out Maynooth in retaining their Manguard Plus Minor A Football Championship at Cedral St Conleth’s Park on Sunday.

Having come from eight points behind at half-time Maynooth had a late goal disallowed before looking to have won it when substitute Jamie Flood netted three minutes into injury time to put them a point ahead.

But the drama wasn’t over as Naas earned a free which full-forward Euan Cowzer converted to bring the game level, with Maynooth’s Tom Power black-carded in the process, and with extra-time looking certain, the holders launched one more attack.

Substitute Jack Mullins, only just on the field, was taken down and with time virtually up, Cowzer lined up a penalty. Word after the game was that he went for goal, but his shot cleared the crossbar to put his side a point ahead. A kick out over the sideline brought the game to a close and Naas had held on to their title.

Underfoot conditions were difficult following heavy rain, but Naas were sure-footed in attack and solid in defence as they asserted their authority in a dominant opening half that offered few clues as to the late drama that was to unfold.

Wing back Liam Kenny, later named man-of-the-match, gave them the lead inside four minutes before Cowzer added a two-pointer a minute later and further points from Cian McKevitt and Robbie Millham saw the county town side go five points to nil ahead inside the opening twelve minutes.

Maynooth struggled to find the posts playing into a slight breeze, but Ciaran Dunne finally got them off the mark with a two-pointer on fifteen minutes. That didn’t signal a change of momentum however and Naas added two points from Nathan Dunne, sandwiching a Cowzer free to go 0-8 to 0-2 ahead.

Centre-back Power, one of three starters from Maynooth’s senior hurling team the week before, landed a point for the Crom Abu’s but it was a temporary respite with Naas adding a Kenny free and a marvellous two-pointer from Millham before the half-time whistle to go in with a commanding eight-point advantage (0-11 to 0-3).

It could have been a bigger gap had Power not swept away the danger after Millham’s shot was saved by Maynooth ‘keeper Diarmuid Flynn while Flynn was called on again on the stroke of half-time to deal with an ambitious goal attempt from the silken Cowzer.

Maynooth needed a bright start to the second half, and they got it. Brian Caffrey, who had a fine game, pointed, and they were boosted further when Aaron Larkin was put through by Paddy Ryan to finish to the net to reduce the arrears to four points.

Ryan then forced a fine save from Mark Halligan, but Naas seemed to reassert themselves with a goal of their own. Liam Kenny set up Aidan McGrane, his effort was saved by Flynn, but Dunne was on hand to finish to the net. Cowzer might have put Naas out of sight but shot wide when through on goal moments later.

Maynooth didn’t lie down, though, and Caffrey set up Ryan for a fine finish to the net on 40 minutes. Two Caffrey frees, the second for a three-back breach by Naas, before Cowzer and Caffrey exchanged points to leave just two between them (1-12 to 2-7) as the game headed into the last ten minutes.

Points from Dunne and Kenny seemed to settle Naas again but Caffrey’s fifth point left just a green flag between them heading into injury time. Power blazed over when a goal was on his mind to narrow the gap to two points, but they came back again, and Liam McDonald finished Cillian Madden’s pass to the net at the back post. But it was correctly disallowed as there was a momentary catch before he palmed it to the net.

Flood thought he had won it four minutes into injury time, but the drama wasn’t over with Cowzer landing those two late points to clinch the title.

NAAS: Mark Halligan; Tom Kilmartin, Matthew O’Connor, Oisin O’Neill; Mark Travers, Cillian Long, Liam Kenny 0-3 (1f); Cian McKevitt 0-1, Finlay Reilly; Nathan Dunne 1-3, Evan Lenihan, Niall McAndrew; Aidan McGrane, Euan Cowzer 0-6 (0-2tp, 0-1pen, 0-1f), Robbie Millham 0-3 (1tp). 

Subs: Giles Healy for Travers 43, Aaron Martin for McGrane 58, Jack Mullins for Kenny 60+3.

MAYNOOTH: Diarmuid Flynn; Conall Knox, Harry Egan, Ciaran Ward; Brian Caffrey 0-5 (4fs), Tom Power 0-2, Aaron Larkin 1-0; Oran Byrne, Liam McDonald; Hugh Reilly, Paddy Ryan 1-0, Ciaran Dunne 0-2 (tp); Cillian Price, Cillian Madden, Finn Geraghty. 

Subs: Jamie Flood 1-0 for Price h-t, Jerry Molloy for Reilly temp 40-43, Molloy for Geraghty 5, Fiachra Martin for Madden 60+6.

REFEREE: Paul Donnelly