Congratulations to the St Bride’s Primary School team who have made it through to the final of the Aontroim Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Raffo Cup Football Championship.
The panel of boys, the majority of which play their Gaelic football with St Brigid’s, won their semi-final against Bunscol Phobail Féirste after extra time in a fantastic game of football at Woodlands on Thursday afternoon.
After a fairly even start the St Bride’s boys went into the half time break 5-1 down, after the Bunscol boys turned up the pressure in the last minutes, scoring four unanswered points.
The half time team talk from Henry Duffin and Sinead O’Prey really did the job as the boys in blue, came charging out of the blocks, and started to claw back the gap. Indeed so dominant were St Bride’s in the early part of the second half that they went into the lead by two scores.
With the clock ticking down the Bunscol boys went for broke and threw men forward, and despite some valiant defending from St Bride’s managed to score with the last kick of the game.
After some slight confusion regarding the scores, it emerged that the game was called a draw by the referee. To the surprise of both teams, extra time was called for.
Bunscol won the throw in and proceeded to advance on St Bride’s goal. After some neat interplay between their forwards a goal was scored and St Bride’s were now three points down.
However, this St Bride’s team would not give up easily, and they promptly played the ball from the keeper through the team and delivered a goal at the other end of the pitch.
They then made sure that the ball was to stay in the Bunscol half and added two more points before the extra time break. As the game entered the second half of extra time every boy on the pitch dug in deep to try and win it for their team.
Chasing the game, and needing a goal to win it, the Bunscol boys threw their team forward and laid siege to the St Bride’s goalmouth.
With virtually the last kick of the game, a shot was released goalward, heading into the bottom corner. However, a St Bride’s toe somehow managed to get to it and was pushed around the post.
The referee blew for full time and the St Bride’s boys had reached the final, but were pushed all the way by an excellent Bunscol Phobail Féirste team. Congratulations to all the boys and their teachers who contributed to making the game the great spectacle that it was.
The Raffo Cup is the most prestigious competition in Boys Football competitions.
