Derry & District schools were winners of the District Schools Cup played recently played at the Mid Ulster Sports Arena.
The Derry & District team, winners of the District Schools Cup
The district team, which comprised of pupils from St Joseph’s Boys School, Lisneal College, Holy Cross College, Strabane Academy and St Columb’s College. went undefeated in the tournament.
Derry & District 2 East Antrim 1
In the first game the District team came up against the fancied East Antrim team, winners of the last two years.
Despite conceding an early goal the Derry team totally dominated the game.
With Sam McDermott and Matthew Kirk pulling the strings in midfield and David Parkhouse and Dylan Devine causing all sorts of problems up front, Derry were soon level when the alert David Parkhouse ran on to a through ball from Dylan Devine to slide the ball past the keeper.
Derry were now pressing at every opportunity but Ryan Doran, David Parkhouse and Dylan Devine failed to convert their chances.
The second half started as the first half ended with Derry piling on the pressure, however they could not find a break through.
With the game seemingly ending in a draw, Derry got a corner in injury time which was crossed in by Noel Doherty. The East Antrim defence failed to clear the ball and it fell to Noel Doherty who had drifted to the edge of the 18 yard box. After controlling the ball h sent an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner of the net giving the Derry team a deserved win.
Derry & District 1 Mid Ulster 0
Buoyed by their win in the first game, Derry started strong however the windy conditions made playing football difficult.
Despite having the majority of possession Derry could not break down the stubborn Mid Ulster defence.
A Sean Paul Wray shot was all Derry had to show for their dominate possession in the first half.
With the wind at their backs in the second half, Mid Ulster pressed forward which played into the hands of the Derry team.
As the Mid Ulster defence pushed forward again David Parkhouse latched on to a through ball before rounding the keeper and slotting it home.
Mid Ulster could not find a way to break down the stubborn Derry defence which was marshalled superbly by Rhys McDermott and Jordan Killen.
A goal was enough for Derry to maintain their unbeaten record.
Derry & District 2 North Down 2
Although dominating possession in the first half, Derry were very wasteful in front of goal wasting at least three clear cut opportunities.
As the second half started North Down played with a little more belief and it wasn’t long before they took the lead. With Conal Fagan unable to deal with a through ball a North Down defender ran through on goal before placing his shot into the bottom corner giving Tiernan Hargan no chance.
This seemed to wake Derry up and within two minutes they were level when David Parkhouse again ran through on goal giving the North Down goalkeeper no chance with an unstoppable shot.
However, this joy was to be shortlived as, once again, a mistake at the back let North Down to restore their lead.
This again seemed to fire up Derry who pressed for an equaliser, however despite Noel Doherty hitting the bar and the North Down keeper pulling off a number of saves,it looked like Derry were heading for defeat.
With North Down hanging on, Derry won a penalty with two minutes remaining when the impressive Dylan Devine turned the defender inside the box only to be brought down.
Sean Paul Wray coolly stepped up to slot the penalty home giving Derry a share of the spoils and victory in the competition.
Derry team: Rhys McDermott, David Parkhouse, Noel Murphy, Dylan Devine and Noel Doherty (St Joseph’s); Matthew Kirk, Conal Fagan, Tiernan Hargan, Mark Doherty and Ryan Doran (St Columb’s College); Michael Doherty and Sean Paul Wray (Strabane Academy); Tori McConnell and Conal Arnold (Holy Cross); Jordan Killen and Sam McDermott (Lisneal College).
Tags:
