St Patrick's keep sights on goal to claim first Hogan Cup

ALL-IRELAND COLLEGES SFC A FINAL: St Patrick's  1-9 St Brendan's 1-7:ST PATRICK'S ACADEMY picked up their first Hogan cup after a battling performance against St Brendan's, Killarney in Portlaoise on Saturday.

The Dungannon school looked in trouble when their Kerry opponents struck a goal through Chris O'Leary on 33 minutes to take a five-point lead. But the Northerners hit back seven minutes later, Patrick Doherty slamming to the net. St Patrick's piled on the pressure and hit four points to St Brendan's one in the final 20 minutes to ensure the cup travelled back to Dungannon.

After an end-to-end first 15 minutes the sides had garnered three points apiece. The play was tight and nervy early on, but still St Brendan's needed to make more of the stiff breeze at their backs. Eventually they did, as the interval approached.

Points from James O'Donoghue and Cian Tobin opened up the first two-point gap of the day. They continued to apply the pressure to the break but failed to add to the scoreboard.

With St Brendan's facing the wind for the second period, it was advantage St Patrick's. But three minutes after the restart the Kerry students forged further ahead, O'Leary linking with Tobin before firing to the top-corner. Five points down and in trouble, Doherty's riposte could not have come at a better time for the Ulster men with the half-forward jinking inside his man before blasting to the net.

Seven minutes later, the Tyrone side took the lead thanks to points from David Lavery and Doherty. St Brendan's levelled with their first score in 16 minutes moments later through a James O'Donoghue free.

But St Patrick's were not to be denied, Dermot Thornton tacked on two more points to give them a 1-9 to 1-7 advantage.

St Brendan's threw everybody forward but to no avail. It was the Dungannon school's second Hogan final, an amazing statistic considering the school was only founded in 2003.

ST PATRICK'S ACADEMY:Morgan; B Kelly, L O'Neill, J O'Loughlin; R Pickering, G Teague, D Toner; N McKenna, D Lavery (0-1); S Murphy (0-1), T O'Hagan (0-2), P Doherty (1-1); M McLernan, S McKillion (0-4, three frees), C Gervin. Subs: O MacIomhair for Doherty, M Slane for Kelly.

ST BRENDAN'S COLLEGE:B Kelly; F Fitzgerald, J Lyne, J O'Mahony; D Sullivan, P O'Connor, B Russell; J O'Sullivan, J Coffey; A Courtney, J O'Donoghue (0-4, one free), P O'Connor; S O'Neill (0-1), C Tobin (0-1, free), C O'Leary (1-1). Subs: E O'Mahony for Sullivan, K Regan for O'Connor, A O'Sullivan for J O'Sullivan, D Murphy for O'Neill.

Referee:G McCormack (Dublin).