Only some players would have seen it, only the best would have pulled it off.
Aaron Mulligan saw it alright. He saw the gap, saw the goalie creeping forward, he saw Ballybay Community College to the Ulster title.
Ballybay Community College were in the O’Doherty Cup final against St Aidan’s Comprehensive of Cavan on Wednesday and coming into the game, the Monaghan school knew that the performance of young Mulligan would be telling.
The school’s captain was two years a Monaghan minor and last year his standout displays in the blue and white earned him an Electric Ireland minor star award.
He’s a cut above, he’s different gravy and he’s their key man who has the potential to go to town at this level. And on Wednesday afternoon he did laps of Clones.
St Tiernach’s Park on a balmy afternoon and the young Latton O’Rahilly’s hotshot delivered. He hit 2-7 for Ballybay Community College and all the way through the game he was operating on a different level to the students he was sharing the pitch with.
His second goal was the pick of the lot, with the rising star throwing a delightful dummy before catching the goalkeeper unawares. With the netminder drawn off his line, Mulligan spotted it within milliseconds and side-footed the most perfect curling effort off the undersides of the cross-bar and into the net.
It was poetry in its most flowing motion.
Monaghan's @BallybayCC won the Ulster Schools final yesterday and young talent Aaron Mulligan was the main man.
He ended his day with 2-7 to his name, but one of his goals was something ridiculous 🔥🔥
He definitely meant it @LattonGAA 👌 pic.twitter.com/aldpZELVIj
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) February 27, 2019
Ballybay went onto win comfortably on a scoreline of 3-16 to 2-9, with the captain fantastic leading the Bally boys back to Ballybay with the fourth division Cup. Afterwards, Kieron Byrne of Ballybay Community College confirmed to us that Mulligan claimed meant it, having spotted the gap with a quick scan of the goals.
Look who popped in to #BCC for a visit today! Our former Principal Paul Flynn called to congratulate the U-19 victory, pictured with team captain Aaron Mulligan and the O'Doherty Cup #Community #Team@ulsterschools @monaghangaa pic.twitter.com/1nXEnrwuw0
— Ballybay Community College (@BallybayCC) February 27, 2019
We never doubted him for a second.
