"To go two in a row is unbelievable" says Derry Minor captain James Sargent

​Derry are the All-Ireland Minor champions for the second season in a row after they beat Armagh in a wet, but glorious day in Healy Park as far as the Oak Leaf fans were concerned.

They became only the second Ulster county to win back-to-back titles. The other team was Tyrone in 1946 and 1947.

The weather did its best to spoil the match, but it was gripping as the game began to open up and the reigning victors started to flex their muscles at a time when Armagh threatened to spoil the party.

On the day ten of this Derry panel including five regular starters from last year picked up their second medal as the Tom Markhan Cup now resides in the county for a seventh time.

This was Derry’s fourth tight game in a row and their third meeting with Armagh this season. This was a three point win, the Ulster final was a two point win, the quarter final against Dublin and the semi final against Kerry were both won by the minimum.

On each occasion the Derry players showed maturity deeper than their 17 years. They refused to panic when the well organised Armagh looked capable of taking their first All Ireland title since 2009. Some of the Armagh players like Conall Wilson, Diarmuid Wilson, and Keelan McEntee were sons of former Armagh senior stars. Considering that Derry beat this Armagh team by seventeen points in the group stages it certainly was some turnaround by Aidan O’Rourke’s side. Pre match interviews suggested that Armagh fancied their chances and until the last ten minutes it was easy to see why,

In the end Armagh’s defensive tactics rebounded. Their constant tracing back to blunt Derry attacks sapped their energy and in the last ten minutes players were cramping up while Derry methodically stuck to the script. Armagh’s victories over Leinster champions Longford and Connacht champions Mayo were built on strong second half performances.

This certainly wasn’t an easy Derry win, however, but the converted penalty from brilliant captain James Sargent late in the first half was crucial in shaking them into life, and they finally started playing the game that they were capable of.

To score a penalty in the All-Ireland final and then climb the steps to collect the Tom Markham Cup ironically from the GAA president and Armagh native Jarlath Burns, may sound like fairytale stuff, but for Sargant, it’s very much reality.

“It’s unbelievable, to go two in a row is unbelievable. To captain this team is something special and for Jarlath Burns to present me the cup and mention my family, it was such a nice touch,” said the proud Lavey clubman.

“We expected the rain. We checked the weather, it said it was going to rain, and it probably made the game that bit scrappier, but we managed to pick ourselves up in the second half especially, and we got there I in the end.

“When it came to taking the penalty, it was just like taking one in your backyard, you don’t think of the occasion, it’s just you and the keeper. Really all that was going through my head was ‘don’t slip, just get the ball on target and give yourself a chance’.”

Amazingly, this is the third time that the Oakleafers played Armagh in the Championship this season, with Derry winning on all three occasions. They say familiarity breeds contempt but the 17-year-old didn’t care who stood in their way in making history.

“You would take anyone in an All-Ireland Final. If you had told me at the start of the year that we had to play Armagh three times to make this Final, and we did it, well I would take that every day of the week,” added Sargent. “We would have played them ten times out of ten if we needed to.”

The final whistle didn’t just signal the end of the match but also the end of Sargent and many other players’ minor careers as they will move up to the Under-20s next year, with the aim to play senior football in the future. Two years and two All-Ireland medals in the back pocket isn’t a bad way to sign off, though.

“I have only lost one game in my two years of playing minors for Derry, so it isn’t too bad, but it was just unbelievable to get here again, and win another one,” grinned the skipper. Going back to he start of last season Derry minors played 28 games and lost only one. That as to Donegal in the 2023 league final through a late goal in muddy conditions.

The game finished 2-7 to 0-10, so the goals were absolutely crucial for Damien McErlain’s men to get over the line. The manager summed it up in a few words. “these are a serious bunch of footballers”

The second goal came from the fist of debutant Cody Rocks, who spent the whole match fighting for a bit of space in that full forward line, desperate to make an impact, and when his opportunity finally came, he jumped at the chance “I saw my brother Dylan running up the wing, he took his man on and I thought he was going to fist it over the bar, but I just lingered around the six-yard box and managed to fist it into the net.

“It was unreal, it was probably the best feeling of my life so far, it was just unbelievable. “It’s amazing to win an All-Ireland, we have worked since October last year and all of the hard work has paid off .

“When we went out for the warm-up and I saw the weather, I thought it was going to be a good day, and we kicked on while the sun was out, but Armagh came back when the rain came on. “It was a bad enough day in terms of the weather, but a good day in the end.”

A good day indeed for the Derry footballers, and it’s something that they are getting used to having as their underage success continues to bring incredible occasions like this.

The senior team may have endured a disappointing end to their 2024 campaign, but the future for those wearing red and white looks very bright indeed.

Derry started brilliantly with classy points from Eamon Young, Ger Dillon and Dylan Rocks in the opening four minutes. In between Ross Marsden from out on the right got Armagh’s’ opening point. The game then settled in to an arm wrestle with scores at a minimum. Openings were at a premium as both closed down space for the other’s attackers.

Armagh probably has the better of the exchanges for the rest of the half. After a ten minute scoring drought Diarmuid O’Rourke nailed a long range free. O’Rourke later set up James McCooe only to see he attack leader miss a goal chance.

Ten minutes from the break Fionn Toale levelled the game but three minutes later Derry got the penalty. Sargent played in wing back Luke Grant and he was fouled in forbidden territory! The captain’s spot kick rocketed high into the net to make the score 1-3 to 0-3.

This Armagh team is made of stern stuff and they came right back at Derry to dominate the closing sages of the half. Full back Gavin O’Rourke one of five Dromintee players on the team landed a huge point from distance. Then a Derry defender touched the ball on the ground giving Eoin Duffy with an easy free to make the score 1-3 to 0-5. In the latter stages of the half Padraig O’Kane made a brilliant block from Shea Loughran at the expense of a ’45 which goalie Michel Finnegan converted to leave the teams level at the break.

A minute after the resumption Armagh took the lead in front of the big attendance estimated at six thousand. Again it was impressive goalkeeper Finnegan. Caoimhin Hargan blocked a goal bound shot on the line at the expense of a ’45 and Finnegan converted with ease to put the Orchard boys in front for the second time. Ger Dillon from the tightest of angles made it even again in the 35th minute.

Armagh were causing the Derry defence some anxious moments and it took good work from McCloy, Canavan and Grant to keep them at bay. An O’Rourke free nosed Armagh in front and they doubled their lead with a superb point from sub Aaron Garvey. After 42 minutes.

Suddenly Derry were back to what they do best and that was building attacks from the back. Sargent put wing back Like Grant through fir his customary point and a minute later Eamon Young beat three defenders to put Derry in front. Just prior to that Sargent had posted a fine left footed point.

With the score at 1-7 to 0-9 Derry were sensing victory but Armagh were still battling and keeper McCloy did well to catch a high dropping ball from Diarmuid Marsden. Ten minutes from the end a slick move up the left wing saw Dylan Rocks peel inside and place younger brother Codi for a palmed goal that left Armagh with too much to do.

With the sting gone from the Armagh players and Derry in control it was only a matter of playing out time and all the challengers could manage was a 55th minute Diarmuid O’Rourke free. Hundreds of delighted Derry supporters swarmed on to the pitch to salute their history making young heroes!

Scorers – Derry: James Sargent 1-1 (1penalty), Codi Rocks 1-0, Ger Dillon 0-2 (1f), Dylan Rocks 0-1, Eamon Young 0-1, Luke Grant 0-1; Armagh: Diarmuid O’Rourke 0-3 (3f), Michael Finnegan 0-2 (2f), Ross Marsden 0-1, Fionn Toale 0-1, Gavin O’Rourke 0-1, Eoin Duffy 0-1 (1f), Aaron Garvey 0-1.

Derry: James McCloy; Padraig O’Kane, Ronan Canavan, Padraig Haran; Luke Grant, Cathal Ó Mianáin, Dara McGuckin; James Sargent, C McBride; Eamon Young, Turlough McHugh, Caoimhin Hargan; Ger Dillon, Codi Rocks, Dylan Rocks. Subs Rian Collins for C Hargan(46), Ruairi Biggs for P O’Kane (56)

Armagh Michael Finnegan, Tomas Fox, Gavin O’Rourke, Conall Wilson, Fergus Toale, Sean Woods, Diarmuid O’Rourke, Jack Loughran, Daithi O’Callaghan, Ross Marsden, James McCcooe, Keelan McEntee, Fionn Toale, Eoin Duffy, Shea Loughran. Subs Aaron Garvey for R Marsden (37), Aodhan McGrane for F Toale(56), Lewis Bellew for E Duffy(57), Paidi Comkisky for D O’Rourke(57)

Referee Barry Tiernan (Dublin)