The Abbey Vocational School Team that will contest the Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Paddy Drummond Cup Final on Saturday.
By John Harrington
Everyone associated with Abbey Vocational School footballers keenly appreciate that opportunities like Saturday’s Masita GAA Post Primary Schools All-Ireland 'B' Football Final against Ashbourne Community School don’t come around very often.
Donegal schools don’t have a very prolific record in schools’ football, so the path Abbey VS have taken is one less trodden.
That’s perhaps why there’s such a buzz about the game not just in the school itself ahead of Saturday, but in the wider Donegal town community itself.
“That's what we were chatting about to the boys coming up in the car,” said Abbey VS team manager, Stuart McFadden in Croke Park today.
“We're only the fourth Donegal school to reach an All-Ireland Final. There was De La Salle, Ballyshannon, who aren't in existence anymore, then St. Eunan's College, and PCC Falcarragh.
“For Donegal football it's good that we're at this level and competing. It's good to push that on within the other schools in Donegal as well.
“The buzz in the school has been fantastic because everybody is very proud. The bunting and flags are all up and everything has been going well and training has been going well too.
“I was lucky enough to have this bunch from U-14 and to see them grow and progress and become super footballers has been great. There's definitely lads there who will play inter-countyfor Donegal but all of them should play senior football with their clubs as well.
“It's just nice to see that progression from when they came into the school at 13/14 to now when they're 18/19 year olds and they're just a pleasure to have. They're dedicated and committed and you can't ask for anymore than that in schools football.”
Usually when a school reaches an All-Ireland Final you can be sure of one thing – that they have a vibrant link with the clubs in their areas – and that’s certainly the case with Abbey VS.
“We've a spread of three clubs,” says McFadden. “The majority would be Four Masters from Donegal town and then we have Naomh Naille and Naomh Brid coming in there as well.
“The majority are coming in from Four Masters who have a very good underage structure that has been working very well for the past couple of years.
“A good few of the lads on our team would have won the Ulster tournament in St. Paul's. And they're helped along by the other lads coming in from the other clubs who add to it.
“The clubs are doing great work at underage and we're able to feed off that. When they come in to us it makes our job easy when they have all the work done in terms of the technical stuff and we can just go out and coach and work on game-plans and all the rest.
“They're a super group of lads to get out to training. They listen, they take everything on board, and they do everything you ask them to do. We can't ask for any more than that.”
In attendance at the Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Captains Call at Croke Park in Dublin are, from left, Callum McCrea and Senan Kerr and Evan O'Kane Ashbourne CS, Meath. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.
There’s a lot to admire about how Abbey VS go about their business and it’s a style of football that’s classically Donegal.
They keep things tight at the back and when they turn the ball over can cut you to ribbons on the counter-attack thanks to a combination of raw speed, slick handling skills, and clever support play.
“We do our defensive work well, but we also want to attack,” says McFadden. “We will never win a game if we don't score, so there's no point having that tight, compact defensive unit if we don't then have the scoring forwards. We mix it up, both together.
Their forwards tend to be clinical with the opportunities that come their way, which surely has something to do with the fact that Donegal star, Jamie Brennan, coaches the team alongside McFadden.
“It's unbelievable to have,” says McFadden of Brennan’s influence on the group.
“He takes them onto the coaching field to run through things with them. And for boys to get that experience and to be able to listen to someone who's coming from inter-county football, of course they're going to take it on board and it's great to have him there because he helps me out a lot.”
Abbey VS have been seriously impressive on the way to Saturday’s Final.
A dominant Ulster campaign was wrapped up with a 2-10 to 0-8 win over Our Lady & St. Patrick’s College, Knock, and they followed that up with another classy performance when beating Connacht champions Dunmore CS by 2-17 to 1-13 in the All-Ireland semi-final.
A physically powerful Ashbourne Community School will be a formidable obstacle in the Final, and McFadden is also aware the occasion itself will be a challenge that must be overcome.
“That's it, everyone deals with it differently,” he says. “We haven't changed anything during the year. When we got to the Ulster Final we didn't change anything and now we're in the All-Ireland Final it's easy to say again we won't change anything but there is an occasion there.
“There's a bit of hype around the town, there's a hype around the school, just trying to keep the boys focused and with their feet on the ground.
“There's going to be nerves. You'd be worried if there weren't. But, at the same time, we'll go with our game-plan and hopefully on the day it'll be enough to win us that title.
“It's all about just enjoying it. That's one of the main messages we'll give them on Saturday when they run out. Just enjoy the game, don't think too much about the occasion, just go out and play your football.”
Saturday, March 9
Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Paddy Drummond Cup Final
Ashbourne Community School v Abbey Vocational School, St Tiernach’s Park, Clones, 2pm.
