U16 | Mee Two! Joe’s double wins the Eamon Mulvenna Cup for the Quay
U16 Eamon Mulvenna Cup Final | Quay Celtic 2–0 Rock Celtic
The U16 Eamon Mulvenna Cup will sit alongside the U13 Dundalk FC Cup at Clancy Park for the next 12 months after Joe Mee’s double helped Quay Celtic to a 2–0 win Rock Celtic in the last of this year’s finals in Bellew Park on Sunday evening.
Both of these clubs had teams in the U14 final earlier in the day when Rock Celtic ran out 2–0 winners but it was the Point Road side who lifted the U16 trophy thanks a couple of late strikes from Mee.
A quiet first half ended with both goalkeepers relatively untested. Rock were able to call on the services of the fit again Conor Soraghan and he headed a Tom Jackson free-kick over the crossbar in the eighth minute.
Soraghan then picked out Aaron McQuillan with a good pass but the winger’s effort didn’t pose any threat to Cillian Rice’s goal.
The Quay Celtic goalkeeper looked a bit more concerned in the 26th minute when Jackson took possession of a poor clearance and let fly but his effort went agonisingly wide of the target.
Quay Celtic lacked a punch in the first-half but they improved after the break with substitute Graham Stevens providing some thrust on the left-flank.
It was the Seasiders, however, who looked the most likely and substitute Denis Otabor looked as though he was ready to convert a McQuillan cross in the 11th minute of the half but Rice’s touch was enough to divert the ball from his path.
Quay started to pose a threat and Paul O’Grady was forced into a good save by Thomas Daly with Mee’s acrobatic follow-up drifting wide of the upright.
Both sides had further chances to win it in regulation time but McQuillan couldn’t keep a Josh Connolly cross on target while at the other end Micheal Begley pulled a shot wide of the mark after a decent shooting opportunity had presented itself.
Stephen Savage’s Quay side wrestled control of the game in extra-time and Keith Dollard left the frame of the goal shaking with a cracking volley that had O’Grady beaten all ends up in the first period.
The woodwork came to Rock’s rescue again in the second when Thomas Daly’s cross from the right evaded O’Grady only to kiss the top of the crossbar and drop behind the goal.
It looked like penalties would decide the outcome but with the light fading, and the rain starting to fall, Quay Celtic struck the all important breakthrough with seven minutes to play.
Play switched from one end of the pitch to the other after a Rock Celtic free-kick came to nothing and Mee pounced on a wayward pass by Jackson to motor clear and squeeze a left-footed effort inside O’Grady’s post.
There was still time for Rock Celtic to salvage something from the game but Mee put the result beyond doubt when he applied the finishing touch to some great approach play by Stevens to secure the cup for Quay Celtic.
QUAY CELTIC: Cillian Rice, Lee Byrne, Josh Reilly, Kian McEvoy, Ciaran Peelo, Micheal Begley, Keith Dollard, Isaac McGahon, Joe Mee, Terence Kelly, Thomas Daly. Subs: Graham Stevens, Dean Carroll, Peter Woulfe, Arnus Jurnkonis.
ROCK CELTIC: Paul O’Grady, Luke Hoban, James Kieran, Brian Soraghan, Conor Soraghan, Kevin Campbell, Tom Jackson, Josh Todd, Ciaran Quinn, Josh Connolly, Aaron McQuillan. Ope Stephens, Edward Otesanya, Ben Collier, Azeez Opebi, Morgan Evans, Denis Otabor.
REFEREE: Stephen Donnan.
ASSISTANTS: Eoin Quigley, Niall Minto.
