DANSKE BANK Mallon Cup

Cush superb as Donaghmore win goal-fest

May 15, 2013

Danske Bank Fr Mallon Cup final :

St Joseph’s Donaghmore 12-10 De La Salle Downpatrick 4-4

The Mallon Cup decider is the second Danske Bank Ulster Colleges’ football final within a couple of months to turn into a goal fest.  This game ended withSt Joseph’s Donaghmore claiming their third ever provincial title.

They added the Mallon to the Nolan Cup won earlier this year with some incisive football from the superb Ryan Cush, son of former Tyrone star Adrian.  The Donaghmore clubman finished with a personal tally of 5-4, but his clever positional sense meant that he was able to instigate counter-attacks into the stiff breeze in the second half and then get into space in front of goal to finish those moves with scores that ate into De la Salle’s confidence.
The midfield pairing of Matthew McKenna and Ultan McKee also had superb games, while, despite the scoreline, Downpatrick’s full-back Callum Fitzsimmons, captain Andrew McCoubrey and corner-forward Daniel McMenamin and Christopher Curran showed a lot of potential.

The final got off to a lively start with Donaghmore scoring 3-2 in the opening quarter.  However De La Salle settled after that and hit back with goals for Daniel McMenamin and Jack Hazard.

However just when it seemed as if the Downpatrick boys were taking some control against the breeze, St Joseph’s hit a purple patch in the 6 minutes before the break scoring 3-3, the goals from Cush (2) and Ultan McKee.

Ahead by 7-3 to 3-0 at the interval, Donaghmore made several tactical changes to play against the breeze and these immediately paid off with an early scoring barrage that killed off the game.  The scoring cushion allowed them the freedom to open up the play with confident and assured football and they finished comfortable winners.

St Joseph’s : Eamonn Rush, James McCann, Aaron Convery, Conor Ward, Jack Donnelly, Conor Doyle capt., Dermott McAleer, Mattie Joe McKenna 0-1, Ultan McKee 1-3, Ryan Cush 5-4, Conor Donaghy 1-1, Davin Cummings, Cathal Canavan 1-2, Darragh Corrigan 1-1, Paddy McElduff 1-0
Subs : Mark Develin for J McCann, Michael Owens for D Cummings, Anthony Quinn 1-0 for D Corrigan, Diarmuid McKee for A Convery, Tiernan Rafferty for E Rush.

De La Salle : Odhran O’Connor, Conor Kearney, Callum Fitzsimons, Jordan Deegan, Curtis Ward, Andrew McCoubrey capt, Matthew Shearer, Corey Mahon, Nathan McCauley, Odhran Deegan, Ben Curran 1-0, Anton Cooper, Daniel McMenamin 1-1, Jack Hazard 1-2, Christopher Curran.

Subs : Conan George for M Shearer, Paul Saville 1-1 for B Curran, Adam McCrissican for A Cooper, Diarmuid MacNabb for O Deegan.