Coolrite Under 19 Football Championship Semi-Final
Seneschalstown 1-09 St. Colmcille’s 0-11
It was tense, it was close and it was absolutely baltic in Piltown but at the end of this Coolrite Under 19 Football Championship Semi-Final, it was Seneschalstown who were celebrating as they edged out hosts St. Colmcille’s by the narrowest of margins on Thursday evening. Facing into the teeth of a strong, bitterly cold wind in the second half by the east coast, Seneschalstown produced arguably their best 30 minute display of this competition thus far to dig in when it looked like their chances were fading having played with the advantage of the elements in the opening half and only headed for the warmth of the dressing room all square at 0-05 apiece.
It turned out to be one of those games where the team playing into the elements found it easier to adjust and Seneschalstown proved this, edging the second half to come away with victory by the narrowest of margins.
After a couple of scoreless early phases of possession from both teams, Seneschalstown were first to trouble the scoreboard in the fifth minute when Séimí Byrne linked up with Robbie Finnegan for the latter to point off his left foot from close range.
St. Colmcille’s equalised almost immediately into the wind but the visitors to Piltown restored their lead when Finnegan was on target with a long range free from 45 metres including the angle.
Two in a row for the hosts in the tenth and twelfth minutes left them one to the good as Seneschalstown struggled to build sustained attacks in the Cilles’ half. However that changed around the twenty minute mark, and Cian Hosie would be pivotal.
Firstly he did extremely well to take a ball low to the ground before evading the shackles of his marker to kick over on the turn. Two minutes later he superbly claimed a mark over his head and he did the rest, edging his side one to the good bang on the twenty minute mark. The hosts levelled matters up again after 21 minutes but Jamie Norris was about to announce his arrival into the game five minutes before the break.
Sean Davis pinged a superb diagonal ball in the direction of the full-forward line and Norris was out in front of his man to claim it at full stretch. He made no mistake when Andrew Lenehan blew the whistle for his unopposed shot. However in keeping with the nature of the half the home side ensured they went in with parity restored as the last score of the opening half went the Cilles’ way and it looked like Seneschalstown faced an uphill task as they faced into the wind.
However when Seneschalstown came out after the restart, there certainly appeared to be a spring in their step and this feeling was evidenced when after the ball was recycled around across the goal from the scoreboard corner, it was picked up by Sam Kirwan who clipped over a tidy point to give Seneschalstown a platform to build on, and despite St. Colmcille’s equalising in the 36th minute Seneschalstown’s promising start to the second half got even better in the 39th minute.
When Seneschalstown were awarded a free in the St. Colmcille’s D, some quick thinking from Cian Hosie and Séimí Byrne saw them take the free short and catch the St. Colmcille’s rearguard out of position. Jamie Norris, now operating further out the field, had snuck in around the back the get the final pass and when left one on one with the keeper, he smashed the ball low towards goal and it cannoned off the left hand post. The ball rolled across the goal line and looked to have gone wide. However, the ball had actually crossed the line and knocked the spare ball away from outside the net which took everyone in attendance a second to realise, and Seneschalstown had a big score for themselves.
Two minutes later, Norris doubled down on this when he lined up a shot from 30 metres out over on the right hand side. On a normal still night, the ball would have went the proverbial mile wide. However, given the nature of the wind the ball started to curl and just had enough to creep inside the upright before it came back around over the end line as Norris brought his tally to 1-02.
The home side replied with points either side of the three quarter mark as it looked like they were going to pile on the pressure.
This is where Seneschalstown’s leaders stood up. Darren O’Brien was delivering a power packed second half and was a safe pair of hands for Luke Healy to send kick outs on top of, while Danny Waters produced some key moments as he carried ball out of the full back line bouncing off a number of tackles to ensure Seneschalstown were able to play well away from their own goals.
When others saw this, they followed suit. Seneschalstown sensed an opportunity to turn over possession high up the pitch and a number of players forced a St. Colmcille’s defender to over carry the ball in the centre of their own arc. Robbie Finnegan stepped up and into the teeth of the gale he expertly curled the ball between the stick to put Seneschalstown ahead by the goal again.
St. Colmcille’s looked like they were timing their run to perfection again with another brace of points on the trot by the 55th minute and it appeared like there was only going to be only one winner when the Seasiders tied it up for the last time in the 59th minute.
The character of the Seneschalstown youngsters was now being tested and to be fair, they stood up when it mattered most. Another patient attack where the ball was minded carefully ended up with a Seneschalstown free in the scoreboard corner. After a slight delay to allow the physio come on, Cian Hosie took control of the ball. He took his time and gave the ball a fair thump and it landed perfectly between the posts and over the bar to give Seneschalstown the lead once more with the clock in the red. St. Colmcille’s did have another chance to equalise but they could not get a shot off and when Seneschalstown won possession back the full time whistle was blown which sparked scenes of celebrations for the team in yellow!
It was certainly a second half full of grit and determination combined with some moments of class which edged Seneschalstown over the line and into a first final at the grade since the Under 20 ‘A’ Final in 2021, and a first final in the top division since the mid naughties. In that final, they will be reacquainted with St. Patrick’s, who topped Seneschalstown’s group as a result of their Round 3 victory over the Yellow Furze side. However, Seneschalstown will have the chance to atone for that defeat and end the year with some silverware in the trophy cabinet. Fixture details are yet to be confirmed.
Seneschalstown: Luke Healy, Jack McDonnell, Danny Waters, Oran Lawlor, Sam Kirwan (0-01), Aran Carey, Charles McCarthy, Darren O’Brien, Séimí Byrne, Seán Davis, Robbie Finnegan (0-03, 2fs), Charlie Finnegan, Éamon Finnegan, Jamie Norris (1-02), Cian Hosie (0-03, 1f, 1m).
Subs Used: Colin Scanlon, Seán Reilly, Eoghan McGauran, Alex Finnegan.
