Matthew Carroll goal helps Gortnor Abbey set up All-Mayo schools final

GAA - CONNACHT PPS SENIOR C CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL

Gortnor Abbey 1-16

Coláiste Éinde 0-11

In Kilmaine

It may have taken them some time to get there, but Gortnor Abbey did enough to secure an all-Mayo Connacht Schools final spot against Balla Secondary School.

Truth be told, this wasn’t a sparkling display, with wasteful shooting leaving Gortnor’s Galway opponents within four going down the home stretch.

Then, they clicked. When Kobe McDonald boomed over a two-pointer with six on the clock to widen the chasm, you could probably hear his roar back in Crossmolina.

Matthew Carroll’s goal, though, was the icing on the cake.

He’d barely crossed the white line onto the battle field, but he found himself on the end of a sumptuous breakaway involving McDonald and Jack O’Brien.

He slammed home, sparking jubilant scenes as the northern boys marched on into the decider.

The Crossmolina outfit were sitting pretty with ten to go before the half-time whistle, having secured a five-point advantage and a man to the good following Aaran Keanes black for hauling down McDonald.

The soon-to-be St Kilda Australian Rules baller was well-marshalled all throughout by Donnacha Forde, who stuck to him like glue and didn’t afford him a sniff of a point from play.

However, when he did wriggle free he caused consternation, both in sneaking in for a tenth-minute goal chance which went narrowly wide and in forcing the black card.

The numerical disadvantage only seemed to galvanise Coláiste Éinde, though.

They may have gone into the last ten minutes of the half trailing by five, but they upped the ante in the closing exchanges, and only trailed by the minimum at the changeover.

The second innings got off on the right foot, as half-back O’Brien found range, but the same failings in terms of sticking the leather between the sticks reared their head.

The Crossmolina students may have been wasteful, but they were more than adequate defensively.

With Sean Óg McGuinness at the heart of the rear-guard, they didn’t cough up a single score from open play in the second half.

While the accurate Kelly was doing his best from frees, it was a tall order to keep his side in the fight, especially after Jack Walsh was black carded as the fourth quarter beckoned.

That said, the intensity went up a notch with little to split the battalions in the final furlongs.

However, when Kobe was needed most, he stepped up. The net-shaker from Carroll sealed the deal, punching their ticket to what promises to be a thrilling decider.

A full report will be carried in Tuesday's edition of The Mayo News.

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