Coola Post Primary School are celebrating the school’s first ever All-Ireland Schools National Cup soccer title victory following a 3-2 victory over Scoil Ruain of Killenaule (Tipperary) at the Athlone Town Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
Following a 3-1 Connacht Final victory over Seamount College (Kinvara) and an 8-3 success over Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair in the All-Ireland semi-final, Coola qualified for the showpiece of junior competition, which is competed at under seventeen level.
Following three previous All-Ireland Schools Final defeats, Kevin McCarthy’s charges took the lead on 14 minutes. Owen Elding played a quick one-two with Daire Callaghan from a corner and rifled an unstoppable shot into the far corner.
Callaghan doubled his side’s lead on half an hour latching onto a lovely through ball from centre-half Aaron Mullen.
The Tipperary school scored a goal of their own on 55 minutes. Ryan Webster was fouled in the box and captain Luke Ryan slotted home the resulting penalty.
Three minutes later it was two goals apiece. Coola failed to clear a corner and Borja Rodriguez pounced to level proceedings.
Each side huffed and puffed for an elusive third goal and it duly arrived twelve minutes from time for Coola.
Niall Kenny weighted a wonderful pass to the path of Elding, who produced a clinical finish to silence chants of “you’re not singing anymore” from the opposition supporters and clinch an All-Ireland Schools National Cup soccer title for Coola Post Primary School.
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