By Shaun Casey

THERE aren’t too many in Patrician High School that remember the last time they won the Paddy Drummond Cup. The manager of the current crop Dylan McEnaney wasn’t even born when the Carrickmacross school last won the All-Ireland B competition.

But Patrician have the chance to end their long drought this weekend when they face off against Roscommon CBS in the decider at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, Longford on Sunday afternoon.

It’s a huge day for the Carrickmacross school, who needed a replay to overcome Dean Maguirc by the minimum of margins in the MacLarnon Cup final before defeating Cashel Community School by 11 points the last day out.

“We won it in 1997, that was the last time we won the Paddy Drummond Cup,” said Corduff clubman McEnaney. “We haven’t been in the final since 2022, we lost it then and we were well beaten by Gorey, I think there were six or seven points in it at the end of it.

“One teacher retired a few years ago Paddy Martin, he did a lot for schools football alongside Eamonn Dunne. Eamonn actually took the first ‘A’ Schools medals to the school in 2016 by winning the Rannafast Cup.

“He was part of the 1997 management team, and he unfortunately passed away this year just before Christmas. He would have met these boys when they were first years, and he was manager of that Rannafast team which would have been a year behind me when I was at the school, and he was a big part of the football heritage in the school.”

On this week’s opposition, McEnaney has tried to dig up a bit of info on the Connacht side, but insists his team are focusing on themselves. “We try to get as much as we can on them but in these kind of games, when you get out of the province you have to focus on yourself more.

“You try to get your own things right in your own camp,” McEnaney added. “Hopefully if we perform on the day, then that’ll be enough to get over the line, but you do try to do as much homework as you can on the opposite side.

“All is going well and they’re all flying fit. At the end of the day, we’re playing in an All-Ireland final and it’s a massive occasion for the school and these players, they know this is where they want to be playing football.

“If someone had have offered them this back in September when we first met, that we’d still be playing football in March, you wouldn’t believe them. This is it for the fixtures, there’s no more after this. It’ll finish on the day so we’re going to enjoy it and hopefully we do enough to get by.”