UCC 0-19 Limerick IT 1-11Limerick IT manager Davy Fitzgerald lashed out at referee Pat Horan after his side's Fitzgibbon Cup ambitions were ended by UCC in a gripping battle at Athlone IT grounds yesterday.
"UCC were the better team overall but I thought the referee was an absolute disgrace. Mossy O'Brien was given a crack in the second half and another one of our fellas was hit off the ball and no action was taken. I was appalled at the refereeing of Pat Horan today," said Fitzgerald.
Limerick lost out despite the superb striking of Tipperary star Eoin Kelly, who finished with a tally of 1-8. But within that statistic lies the key to their downfall. Only one other starting LIT player, Andrew Quinn, got on the scoresheet, while a more balanced UCC outfit could boast seven scorers.
And if Kelly was accurate at one end, James "Cha" Fitzpatrick was no less deadly at the other end, with the Kilkenny attacker bagging 0-9.
UCC had an edge in the first half but LIT, boosted by Kelly's opportunist goal in the 15th minute, went in at half-time only a point behind, 0-9 to 1-5.
The Cork side were not helped by some wayward shooting in the first half as they recorded eight wides to Limerick's three.
UCC made a bright start to the second half and, try as they might, LIT never managed to draw level. With Cork intercounty star Tom Kenny majestic and Tipperary's Mark O'Leary excellent throughout, UCC had just a little too much for their committed Limerick opponents.
UCC: R O'Neill; J Tennyson, C Hickey, M Phelan; T Kenny (0-1), K Hartnett, E Hanley; T Walsh, M O'Connor (0-1, 65); M O'Leary (0-4), E Conway (0-1), S O'Sullivan; J Fitzpatrick (0-9, six frees, 65), E Collins (0-1), N Maloney (0-2). Subs: D O'Sullivan for O'Connor (49 mins), R O'Brien for Maloney (57), J Crowley for Conway (59).
LIMERICK IT: S Hawes; M Cahill, J Coen, R O'Reilly; M O'Brien, D Reale, B O'Connell; S Tierney, I Tannion; A Quinn (0-2), C Plunkett, S McGrath; E Kelly (1-8, five frees, 65, sideline cut), N Healy, C Earley. Subs: M Farrell (0-1) for O'Brien (50 mins), A Callanan for Earley (54), N Callanan for McGrath (60).
Referee: P Horan (Offaly).
St Patrick's Classical School will be bidding for a third title in five years when they take on Knockbeg College in the Leinster Colleges senior football final in Tullamore today.
St Mel's College and Dundalk Schools may have had St Pat's number in the last two finals but the Navan school have become a superpower over the last 13 years, winning five provincial titles. The presence of former Meath star Colm O'Rourke as coach has surely helped.
Knockbeg may be Carlow-based but they have three of last year's All-Ireland winning Laois minors in Donie Brennan, captain Colm Begley and Colm Munnelly.
