St Johns - Under-15
Footballers win Ulster Og Sport Shield
The under-15s secured a massive achievement
when they competed with the likes of
Kilcoo, Castlewellan and Rostrevor in
the Down Og 7-a-side competition. They
beat Clann na Banna comprehensively
in the final by a score of 6-02 to 1-00.
On Saturday 4th September 2004 this
young squad went a stage further when
they travelled to Magherafelt, Co. Derry,
and came home with the ULSTER OG SPORT
SHIELD!
This is the second Ulster title that
this team have won having won the Ulster
Feile in Tyrone last year at under-14
level.
They defeated Monaghan champions Castleblaney
in the semi-final before taking on the
challenge of Antrim champions Aldergrove
in the final.
The final was a nail-biting affair
as the Antrim lads got off to a flying
start with two unanswered points. Ryan
Flanagan then got a couple of scores
in reply – happily for the boys
in red and yellow these both found the
back of the net. Gerard McAnulty netted
again to stretch the lead but Aldergrove
got a couple of goals themselves to
leave the half-time score at 3-00 to
2-02. Only 1 point in it and all to
play for.
In the second period the teams traded
points as Aldergrove drew level at 3-02
to 2-05. The referee failed to award
St John’s a point in the dying
minutes when Gerard McAnulty stepped
up to send the ball over the bar to
the cheers of the St John’s followers
– they had also picked up a sizeable
number of neutral admirers during the
day. But the cheers turned to groans
as the referee order the free to be
retaken as an Aldergrove defender had
encroached on the free taker. So anxious
moments again for Gerard McAnulty as
he prepared to retake the kick –
Gerard stepped forward again, swung
the right leg – and … the
rest is history!!!
Everyone in the squad played well when
called upon, and best of all, they played
well as a team. There were particularly
good performances from the twins, Conor
and Ryan Flanagan, with Ryan really
playing a captain’s role.
St John’s Squad Heroes: Joe Savage,
Michael Walsh, Ryan Russell, Ryan Gibney,
John McMullan, Stephen Trainor, Luke
McMullan, Conor Braniff, Conor Flanagan,
Ryan Flanagan, David Milling, Gerard
McAnulty.
Scorers in final: Ryan Flanagan 2-01,
Gerard McAnulty 2-03.
