Celtic Bhoys miss out on Junior glory but can hold heads high

Celtic Bhoys miss out on Junior glory but can hold heads high

23 April 2025

CELTIC Bhoys missed out on Junior Shield glory but put in a spirited performance against St Mary’s in last Wednesday night’s final.

The Hoops dominated the majority of the first half, taking the game to the holders who play in a higher division and although they found themselves trailing a Saul Boyle goal, they quickly responded through Jarlath Branagan.

While there was nothing to split the sides at the midway point, Celtic picked up where they had left off when play resumed, driving forward in attack.

However, further goals escaped them and St Mary’s took full advantage, regaining the lead thanks to Conor Kearney.

With the floodgates forced open, Kearney made it a double and Niall McDaid ensured the Shield would stay in Newtownabbey for another year.

Celtic Bhoys started in the ascendancy, but the St Mary’s defence was not affording them much space, dealing with testing long throws and searching balls with a minimum of fuss. 

The early stages presented a cagey affair and it would take 13 minutes for the clear-cut first chance to arrive.

The Saints’ Ruairai Bannon latched on to a through ball and had a clear run at goal. Shaun Megahey’s recovery resulted in a foul on the edge of the box and had Peter Turley not made it back, there would have been an early dismissal. 

Celtic used their lucky escape as a springboard to get into the match — something that nearly paid dividends right away.

Jay Gibney’s dipping, long-rage effort almost caught goalkeeper Jonah Magill napping, but he scrambled across his line to make a diving save. 

The Bhoys’ set-up was disrupted when tricky winger Conaill Kerr was forced off with injury in the 25th minute, and St Mary’s sensed an opportunity to derail their progress. 

Boyle opened the scoring just three minutes later, making an excellent run to meet Harry Griffin’s pin-point pass and power into the bottom corner from a tight angle. 

Kerr’s replacement, Sean Ferris, made the desired impact from the bench and it would not be long before he penetrated the Saints’ defence.

The substitute controlled a bouncing ball and flicked it over his head, picking out Branagan, who kept his composure to take it down on his chest and slot home for parity at half-time.

Celtic carried momentum into the second period and when Gibney tried his luck from distance once more, his powerful shot went a whisker wide.

Boyle continued to trouble the Hoops with his movement though, meeting another dangerous pass and racing through on goal, forcing ‘keeper Nathan Curran to rush out and dive on the ball.

Turley was next to have a go, rising to get on the end of Megahey’s corner and powering a header marginally wide. The defender on the line was brave in letting it sail by.

It would be hard to argue that Celtic should have done better with their chances, as they were simply unlucky not to find the net.

Nonetheless, St Mary’s punished them for not pulling ahead, restoring their lead after 67 minutes when captain Kearney headed up and over Curran.

Branagan was attempting to match his impact from the first half and although his long-range strike looked ambitious at first, it drifted just inches wide, leaving Magill rooted to the spot.

Substitute Jordan McCoubrey was also determined to leave a mark on the match, finding space on several occasions. 

Unfortunately, their efforts were left in vain, as Kearney put one had on trophy. He collected the ball on the edge of the box and sent an unstoppable pile driver into the bottom corner.

McDaid came off the bench for St Mary’s and made an immediate impact, creeping in behind the Celtic defence and keeping cool to round ‘keeper Curran. 

He looked to have taken the ball too far away from goal, but managed to squeeze it in and settle the contest.

The scoreline flattered St Mary’s and did nothing to reflect the quality of Celtic Bhoys’ performance. The Bhoys should hold their heads high as they regroup and invest the entirety of their interests in the Division 2B title race.

Celtic Bhoys: N Curran, S Megahey, E Gargan, P Turley, M Rice (captain), J Curran, C McCartan, G Collins, J Gibney, J Branagan, C Kerr.

Subs: C Groves, J McCoubrey, S Ferris, R Doran, P Casey. 

St Mary’s: J Magill, L McFadden, E O’Hare, H Griffin, M Deighan, A Watkiss, J Carey, C Kearney, R Bannon, M Murphy, S Boyle.

Subs: C Meehan, T McCaffrey, R Russell, N McDaid, J Jenkins.