U-21 Championship
Sun 21st Nov O’Mahony’s 0-11 Seneschalstown 0-10
Navan O’Mahonys hung on for victory in an exciting u-21 FC final against Seneschalstown at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday.
The action flowed from end-to-end and even erupted at the interval when both teams descended on the same entrance to the dressing rooms and the stewards intervened, belatedly.
Paddy Smyth’s point with six minutes remaining ultimately proved decisive as he flashed the ball over the bar when a goal was definitely on the cards.
U-21 Championship
Sun 21st Nov O’Mahony’s 0-11 Seneschalstown 0-10
Navan O’Mahonys hung on for victory in an exciting u-21 FC final against Seneschalstown at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday.
The action flowed from end-to-end and even erupted at the interval when both teams descended on the same entrance to the dressing rooms and the stewards intervened, belatedly.
Paddy Smyth’s point with six minutes remaining ultimately proved decisive as he flashed the ball over the bar when a goal was definitely on the cards.
That score contributed to a nail-biting conclusion for both sets of supporters as two talented and committed teams produced some vintage football on a bitterly cold day.
Edge-of-the-seat entertainment was provided every time Seneschalstown’s Joe Sheridan got possession, especially from a vocal number of female supporters, but the county player found the going tough.
Sheridan managed seven points (one from play) as Damien Moran shadowed Seneschalstown’s danger man who was also wayward with a number of opportunities.
Seneschalstown also boasted a potent set of wing backs in Colin Gleeson and David Byrne. That duo broke up some promising Navan attacks and countered swiftly down the flanks while Robert Ruddy and Gary Conlon shared the midfield exchanges.
Sunday’s reversal represented an unwanted hat-trick for Seneschalstown as they completed a series of three losing final appearances.
Contrast that to Navan O’Mahonys who can justifiably claim to be the 21st century kingpins of the u-21 grade with three titles in four years. Last year Summerhill beat them in the semi-final.
Sunday’s victory was fashioned out of a determined team performance.
Mark Ward and Kevin Reilly combined well at midfield while Barry Regan was always probing and prepared to work hard for possession.
Tight marking at the back by Shane O’Brien, Cormac Reilly, Cormac McGuinness, who popped up in attack near the end, Paul Quinn and Moran curtailed the Seneschalstown threat.
Sheridan was stopped by a variety of tactics in the opening quarter, but strict refereeing by Noel Martin meant that the O’Mahonys players had to be cautious subsequently.
O’Mahonys started well and Philip Treacy had a fisted point on the scoreboard inside 30 seconds, but Sheridan drew the sides level from a fourth minute free.
That was the first of five occasions that the sides were level in a tight first-half on the way to parity (0-7 each) at the break.
David Murtagh made the opening before Henry Finnegan’s sole contribution to the scoreboard soon after and then Reilly unleashed the first of two booming points from distance. Murtagh had a glorious goal opportunity after the bounce deceived Joe Cowley and Treacy, but he steered his effort wide of the post.
Three unanswered Seneschalstown points, two from Sheridan frees and a fine Brian Clarke effort drew a positive response from Reilly who sent over a free out of his hands from the 65-metre line.
Quinn worked tenaciously down the wing and Smyth flicked over the bar before another Sheridan free tied it up again.
Murtagh opened his account in the 25th minute and Darren O’Toole sent over impressively from close to the sideline, but the Sheridan factor sustained Seneschalstown.
The momentum never slackened after the break as the ‘heavyweights’ of this grade slugged it out with the destination of the Joey McKeown Memorial Cup in the balance until the end.
O’Mahonys were ahead by 0-9 to 0-8 at the end of the third-quarter while they were fortunate that Sheridan opted to go for a goal from a difficult angle in the final minute. The effort went wide.
Navan O’Mahonys – M. Brennan; S. O’Brien, C. Reilly, C. McGuinness (0-1); P. Quinn, D. Moran, I. Matthews; M. Ward, K. Reilly (0-2); H. Finnegan (0-1), B. Regan, D. O’Toole (0-1); P. Treacy (0-1), D. Murtagh (0-2), P. Smyth (0-2). Subs – G. O’Brien (0-1) for Matthews, Crosby for Moran, F. Harrington for O’Toole, D. Bray for Murtagh.
Seneschalstown – B. Grogan; P. Carey, J. Cowley, C. Duffy; C. Gleeson, J. Byrne, D. Byrne (0-1); R. Ruddy, G. Conlon; K. Casey, S. Dillon, S. Sheridan; R. Darby, J. Sheridan (0-7), Brian Clarke (0-1). Subs – B. Sheridan for Dillon, Barry Clarke for R. Darby, F. Sheridan (0-1) for S. Sheridan
