3th February 2023
Roscommon Community College 7-5 Carigallen Vocational School 4-5
RCC’s First Year Boys’ Football team got their defence of the Connacht Crown, won last year, off to a flying start with a brilliant victory over a very gallant Carigallen VS outfit. Carigallen started the brighter and got the first score of the game with a well taken goal from their corner forward. RCC eventually played their way into the game with Aaron Leonard opening their scoring account with a point. Soon after, Daniel Monaghan finished to the roof of the net from distance to level the game up at 1-1 apiece. Carigallen again hit the back of the net to go back in front but goals from Aaron Leonard, Luke Hayes and well taken points from Hayes and Senan Shaughnessy put RCC in the ascendancy. A point from Daniel Monaghan and another goal from Hayes left the half time score at 5-4 to 2-2.
RCC had to play into a stiff wind in the second half and it was a very tight and tense affair. With Evan Fetherstone and Jack Lally commanding the middle of the defence, and Lewis Smyth working tirelessly to track the runs of the very impressive Darragh McBrien, RCC were keeping Carigallen at arm’s length. Carigallen did hit the net soon after half time and when they added on two quick points, they reduced the gap to just 6 points and with goals being plentiful in supply, the lead felt perilous. Aaron Leonard was the first to react to a ball bouncing around the Carigallen square and finished to the net which to bring his tally to 2-1 for the day and more importantly, push out the lead again. Carigallen again responded with a goal of their own to bring it back to a 2 score game once again but in the dying seconds, RCC put the game beyond doubt with another clinical finish to leave 9 points between the teams at the finish. Despite the margin of victory in the end, this game went down to the wire and was a very entertaining affair between the sides.
RCC Squad: Coman Campbell, Oisín Connolly, Aidan Harrington, Evan Featherstone, Jack Lally, Thomas Hanley, Luke Hayes, Alan Gately, Ruairi Kerr, Jonah Finneran, Aaron Leonard, Dan Monaghan, MJ O’Connor, Sean Richardson, Tom Og Reddington, Lewis Smyth, Bernard Rudden, Senan Shaughnessy.
