Impressive Barna men romp home in a one-sided decider

Barna   0-18

St Michael’s    1-3

Tomás Keating at Pearse Stadium

AFTER his side’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup final on March 1, 2015, the then Chelsea manager José Mourinho conducted his live post-match interview on the Wembley turf with a Sky Sports reporter and surmised the tie by saying: “finals are not to be played, they are to win.”

That premise certainly applied last Friday evening at Pearse Stadium as Barna completely outclassed St. Michael’s in the Junior A West Board final from 2020.

It wasn’t a game to remember as St. Michael’s never got into the match at all, but Barna won’t care as they march onto a county final against Tuam Stars in what promises to be a much stiffer test.

Barna were in complete dominance right from throw-in, so-much-so that it took 27 minutes for St. Michael’s to register their first score of the day and, by that time, Barna had nine points on the scoreboard at the other end.

The winners were stronger in every facet on the game, as their fitness as a unit was hugely impressive with players like skipper Cathal Folan, Cillian Cleary and Marcus McDermott covering a huge amount of ground up and down the pitch. A significant percentage of their scores came from forced turnovers in defence, and a quick transition to attack, which highlighted their excellent work rate.

In contrast, it was a forgettable day at the office for St. Michael’s as they just couldn’t seem to generate any scores on a frequent basis. In the first half, they funnelled all their men back into their own half, and left a two-man full-forward line of Gavin Summerville and Paddy McTigue.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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