Cork wait goes on as South Belfast take Kennedy Cup across border for first time

Kennedy Cup winners South Belfast

SFAI U14 Kennedy Cup Final:  Cork Schoolboys/girls League 0 South Belfast Youth FL…1 (Mackenzie Gray 38) 

Cork’s 38-year wait to reclaim the coveted SFAI Kennedy Cup goes on after they lost Sunday’s final to South Belfast by a narrowest of margins at University Limerick.

Playing their first final of the annual U14 tournament since 2007 – the birth year of this group – Cork couldn’t take advantage of the wind behind their backs in the first half.

James O’Brien’s 28th-minute header which struck the foot of the post was the nearest the Leesiders came to grabbing a breakthrough.

Captain Keelan Kavanagh had earlier almost profited from the strong breeze with a corner that beat goalkeeper Watson Kingham but cleared the crossbar by inches.

From a corner taken at the same spot three minutes into the second half, the northerners snatched the winner.

Centre-back Mackenzie Gray peeled off his marker at the back post to connect with Ciaran Boyle’s delivery and steer his header past Kian Lane.

Alex Uwuharogie, whose long throw-ins were one of Cork’s attacking weapons, almost forced extra-time late on but couldn’t generate enough power on his header to beat Kingham.

Cork had lifted the prestigious trophy on three previous occasions, the first within two years of its establishment in 1979.

Roy Keane captained the Rebels to victory in 1985 but not since current Ireland U17 boss Colin O’Brien led them to success four years later at Dalymount Park has the silverware returned to the River Lee.

It was an historic triumph for South Belfast on just their second appearance at the nationwide tournament.

Two years ago, they were invited to replace the defunct South Dublin League to preserve the event’s 32-team format, in doing so transforming the 45-year showpiece into a cross-border affair.

They reigned supreme by doing it the hard way, beating the three largest leagues under the FAI’s jurisdiction. After beating North Dublin, they eliminated holders DDSL in last week's semi-final. Cork were their last obstacle and, after surviving a few first-half scares, they ran out deserved victors.

There were other differences to this year’s Kennedy Cup.

Due to Covid-19, rather than the customary five-day blitz of games at the Limerick campus, all groups and knockout rounds were contested regionally before the weekend finals.

FAI President Gerry McAnaney presents the U13 Gaynor Plate to Clare captain Motumrayoluwa ‘Hannah’ Saidi.

It was also the first time for the Schoolboys’ FAI (SFAI) to stage the female equivalent tournaments of the Gaynor Cup. The FAI’s constitutional restructure earlier this year subsumed the women’s FAI into the SFAI.

Factoring in subsidiary competitions, 13 finals were completed over the two days. Next week sees two delayed segments of the Gaynor Cup being finished out.

Then, controversially, the next set of Kennedy Cup players – those born in 2008 – will resume the traditional format at UL next June.

“The Kennedy Cup is a brilliant tournament and we’re very proud to have won it,” said South Belfast manager John Bailey.

“It wasn’t ignorance but our players weren’t too aware of how big the leagues we were facing along the way.

“This group of players was assembled two years ago to prepare for the US Cup but it got cancelled due to Covid-19 and this was a perfect way of keeping them together.” 

Cork also lost the U13 Gaynor Bowl final; second-half goals making the difference for Longford in sealing a 2-0 victory.

Clare prevailed in the U15 Gaynor Plate decider as Áine Bonfil from Kilkee drilled home a delightful strike in extra-time to crown a 1-0 win over Limerick County. Longford beat Cavan/Monaghan in the U15 Gaynor Trophy, while Sligo Leitrim conquered Clare in the U13 Shield showdown.

Sligo Leitrim – cheered on by a pre-match message from Ireland captain Séamus Coleman – also claimed silverware in the boys’ Trophy final.

With the finale against North Tipperary scoreless entering the second half of extra-time, Conor Moriarty pounced six yards out to head in the solitary goal.

CORK: Kian Lane: Colm Harte; James O’Brien, Gallio Erhabor, James Coyne, Eoin Howell, Keelan Kavanagh; Eoin Howell, Evan Cummins; Rollie Durango, David Ebo, Aaron Murphy.

SOUTH BELFAST: Watson Kingham; Leyton Hutton, Adam Peters, Mackenzie Gray, Caden McKee; Thomas McKinney, Ciaran Boyle, Caolan Hardy, Daniel Hannan, Rudi Little; Michael Brammeld.