Fortunate Moate not made to pay the penalty

An heroic Moate Community School team survived an acid test of their character and resolve when seeing off the challenge of St Peter"s College, Wexford, in the Leinster Colleges SF 'A' Quarter-Final played in McCann Park.This was a victory hewn from the rock of seeming adversity.The Westmeath side overcame the morale-sapping experience of missing two penalties, one in either half, but, to their great credit, they refused to let these setbacks stand in the way of their progress to a provincial semi-final appearance.They dug deep in the Mill Field on Saturday, then deeper still, in a low scoring confrontation which had the large attendance, the majority supporting the Moate lads, on the edge of their seats, especially when St. Peter"s reduced their deficit to a single point with 10 minutes remaining. It was midfielder Kieran Martin, the Maryland clubman playing a captain"s part, who sent over a priceless 58th minute point. It gave Moate a two-point lead and proved the insurance score which opened the door to that semi-final berth.Originally fixed for The Heath GAA Grounds, this quarter-final tie was switched to the Portarlington venue on the previous day. Conditions were reasonably good underfoot, but the sheer cold of the afternoon, without doubt, had a big effect on respective forward divisions, with marksmanship coming a cropper, as evidenced by the final score. Defences, for the most part, took the honours on this occasion, but Moate, although playing against the breeze in the opening half, made by far the greater inroads through the Wexford rearguard. But a tendency to go for goals, when taking their points would have likely proved a more fruitful option, cut little ice against a St. Peter"s back-line where goalie Kevin Whelan was in superb form between the posts.Playing into the Pavilion side of the ground, with the blinding sun in their eyes, Moate made light of this irritant by easing into a second minute lead. A Graham Guilfoyle free came, via Bernard Allen, to attacking wing-back Andrew Cushen, and the Clara player punched over the bar. St. Peter"s, with the wind, attacked menacingly, but, as they would do throughout the half, the Moate defence was a bastion of resistance, with Oisin Robbins, Brian Finnerty and Andrew Cushen, in particular, getting in some excellent blocks and clearing the danger.A gilt-edged opportunity presented itself to the Lake County side eight minutes in, when Bernard Allen forced a penalty but Graham Guilfoyle"s spot-kick was saved by goalie Whelan, with wing-forward Richie Dunne driving the rebound wide. A foul on St. Peter"s midfielder Dean Wright was punished in the 10th minute with an Alan Rossiter pointed free, the Slaneysiders only score of the half. It was also the only occasion during the game when they would be level with their ultimate conquerors. Moate, with corner-forward Shane Mulvihill operating as a third midfielder, and with Graham Guilfoyle and skipper Kieran Martin holding the whip hand in this sector, maintained the offensive, regaining the lead when Bernard Allen turned provider for Ballymore"s John Gilligan to point (12th minute).St. Peter"s, with Alan Rossiter (two-goal hero against Patrician College, Newbridge, in Round 2) attempting to create openings up front, were finding the going tough in the extreme against disciplined Moate defending, but they forced a good save from "keeper James Egan when wing-forward and captain Liam Óg McGovern broke through (23rd minute). In the 19th minute, Darren Scanlon lofted over a smashing Moate point from the stand side into the blinding sun, and they went on to add point No. 4, Bernard Allen again the fulcrum between Graham Guilfoyle and John Gilligan, for the latter"s second point from play.Moate ended the half with a spell of continuous attacking play, but no further score ensued, and, at referee Maurice Deegan"s short whistle, the Midlanders led by 0-4 to 0-1, but they would have rued some goal efforts with points for the taking, and that early missed penalty.It often happens that a team plays better against the adversarial elements - a few such cases have arisen recently in games covered by this reporter - and Saturday would be no exception. Moate did start the second half in positive manner. Andrew Cushen pointed the resultant free following a foul on Graham Guilfoyle (32nd minute), but they would not raise another flag for 26 minutes. A resilient St. Peter"s began their fightback when half-time substitute Stephen Gannon forced a great block by Moate full-back Kevin McGuire (Caulry), but, in the 38th minute, Michael O"Regan (free) had his side"s first score for 28 minutes.Moate custodian James Egan, was seen to advantage in effectively clearing his lines, but the South-Easterners, with impressive sub Stephen Gannon drawing the foul, soon scored another pointed free (41st minute) courtesy of Alan Rossiter. A comeback by St. Peter"s was appearing very much on the cards at this stage of play, but Moate received a major fillip six minutes later when an in-rushing Kieran Martin was upended by Wexford "keeper Kevin Whelan - and a penalty was awarded! This time, wing-back Andrew Cushen was entrusted with the spot-kick, but once again, goalkeeper Whelan proved equal to the challenge and effected another fine save.Relieved at this let-off, St. Peter"s continued their pressure, and made it a one-point game when Michael O"Regan scored only their first and only point from play of the game. This statistic, in itself, is a tribute to the work-ethic and tenacity of the Moate defence against opponents who flagged an impressive 2-10 against Newbridge last time out, but this quarter-final still teetered on a knife-edge.Both sides exchanged a brace of wides, but the 58th minute was to prove decisive in Moate"s favour when midfielder Kieran Martin sent over a brilliant point from outfield - it was only his side"s 2nd score of the half but a decisive one. In the final minutes of drama, both teams fluffed late scoring opportunities. St Peter"s centre-forward Brian Doyle was off-target from a good position, while Moate full-forward Darren Scanlon narrowly wided what was effectively the last opportunity of the match. St. Peter"s full-back James Gordon was dismissed in the final minutes for a second bookable offence.At the final whistle, Moate C/S had achieved a deserved, but hard-earned, victory over strong opposition, but their management team of Gary Flanagan, Peter Tormey and Dessie Dolan will have derived great satisfaction, despite those two missed penalty opportunities, with the wonderful spirit and determination displayed by their charges on the day.This is particularly applicable to their defensive heroics. Goalie James Egan was the essence of reliability between the posts, while corner-backs Oisin Robbins and Brian Finnerty saw their respective opponents replaced in the second half. Kevin McGuire diligently policed the dangerous Alan Rossiter at the fringe of the square, with Darren Malynn, John Ledwith and Andrew Cushen highly effective in the half-back line. Kieran Martin and Graham Guilfoyle, augmented by Shane Mulvihill, held sway at midfield, while John Gilligan and Darren Scanlon, with Bernard Allen creating many opportunities, worked hard up front.Moate CS, now with victories over St. Mary"s Academy, Carlow, St. Patrick"s, Navan, and St. Peter"s, Wexford under their belts, now look forward to the semi-finals.SCORERS - Moate CS: A Cushen (0-2, 1f), J Gilligan (0-2), D Scanlon (0-1), K Martin (0-1).St. Peter"s: Alan Rossiter (0-2, 2f), Michael O"Regan (0-2, 1f).MOATE COMMUNITY SCHOOL: James Egan, Oisin Robbins, Kevin McGuire, Brian Finnerty, Darren Malynn, John Ledwith, Andrew Cushen, Graham Guilfoyle, Kieran Martin (capt). Richie Dunne, John Gilligan, James Geoghegan, Bernard Allen, Darren Scanlon, Shane Mulvihill. Sub: Odhrán McIntyre for Geoghegan (58).ST PETER"S COLLEGE, WEXFORD: Kevin Whelan, Brian Tobin, James Gordon, Willie Devereux, Mark O"Connor, Barry O"Gorman, Brian Berney, Dean Wright, Paudie Kelly, Michael O"Regan, Brian Doyle, Liam Óg McGovern (capt), Mark Fanning, Alan Rossiter, Brendan Barron. Subs: Stephen Gannon for Barron (h/t), Simon Gubbins for Fanning (50).REFEREE: Maurice Deegan (Laois).