Sean Coakley stars as Douglas defeat Nemo Rangers to lift U21 A football title

The Douglas team celebrate after winning the PharmaCare City U21 A football championship final after beating Nemo Rangers. Pic: David Creedon.

Douglas 0-17 Nemo Rangers 0-11

Sean Coakley kicked ten points as Douglas defeated Nemo Rangers in the Pharmacare U21 A Football Championship final in Ballinlough.

The two clubs were level three times early-on and the eventual winners ploughed ahead in the second half, with six different players putting the ball over the bar.

That was ultimately the difference as Douglas thwarted a Nemo side managed by Colin Corkery, who had Cork U20 star Bryan Hayes playing at right corner forward.

Coakley stole the show, starting with a white flag raised in the seventh minute after a nervous opening.

Douglas player David Buckley takes the ball down the wing. Picture: David Creedon

Douglas then got going and went into the break leading 0-7 to 0-5, and Coakley extended this after the restart.

Dara O’Sullivan got two two-pointer frees late-on that made it 0-14 to 0-9, but there was no late comeback as the bragging rights went over the bridge towards Galway’s Lane.

Scorers for Douglas: S Coakley 0-10 (1 2pt, 1f); J Cunningham 0-3 (1f), E O’Flynn, H Quilligan, D Reddington, C O’Keeffe all 0-1.

Scorers for Nemo Rangers: D O’Sullivan 0-5 (2 2pts from frees, 1f); F Twohig 0-2, C Cusack, C Molloy, T O’Brien, and B Hayes all 0-1.

Douglas: J O’Flaherty; O Barry, J O’Callaghan Maher, D O’Callaghan, L Fogarty, J Burke, C McPhaidin, D Buckley, D Reddington, A Young, N O’Leary, R Hanley, S O’Leary, S Coakley, J Cunningham.

Subs: H Quilligan for McPhaidin (2); E O’Flynn for Hanley (43), C O’Keeffe for S O’Leary (43), C Reddington for Young (56), E Collins for N O’Leary (56).

Nemo Rangers: J Lyons; N O’Se, D Quinn, C O’Neill, O White, C Molloy, T O’Brien, B O’Neill, E Kelly, C Yelland, R Hogan, F Twohig, B Hayes, C Cusack, D O’Sullivan.

Subs: C Power for Kelly (41); L Healy for Hayes (45), P O’Dwyer for Yelland (60).

Referee: C O’Murchu (Brian Dillons).