Seamus Connolly Catering All County Football A League Division 1 Round 5
Donaghmore Ashbourne 1-09 Seneschalstown 0-10
The Jekyll and Hyde nature of Seneschalstown’s A League form continued in Ashbourne on Friday evening as they went down to their third defeat out of five games. When the final whistle went after sixty two minutes leaving two points between the sides the scoreline only managed to tell part of the story.
Seamus Connolly Catering All County Football A League Division 1 Round 5
Donaghmore Ashbourne 1-09 Seneschalstown 0-10
The Jekyll and Hyde nature of Seneschalstown’s A League form continued in Ashbourne on Friday evening as they went down to their third defeat out of five games. When the final whistle went after sixty two minutes leaving two points between the sides the scoreline only managed to tell part of the story.
Starting with six changes in personnel from their last league game and some positional switches Seneschalstown trailed by three points at half time 1-06 to 0-06 after a half played in a good spirit but which hinged on one highly controversial incident in the seventh minute. An Ashbourne attempt for a point appeared to have gone over the bar but came back onto the field of play before being finished to the net. With the entire Seneschalstown contingent appealing that the ball had already gone over the bar, the only man whose opinion mattered decided that the goal would stand and the green flag was raised.
Bryan Clarke had opened the scoring for the visitors in the second minute when arrowing a shot over the bar following some excellent defensive work from centre back Paul Carey. Ashbourne hit back with two efforts from play, a point in the eight minute and that contentious goal before Clarke hit three points on the trot. The first of these was a point of real class from out on the right wing before two efforts from frees. In the fourteenth minute he converted following a foul on full forward Joe Sheridan before another a minute later when Robert Ruddy was fouled after a surging run through the heart of the Ashbourne defence.
From there until the interval the home side outscored Seneschalstown by five points to two, three of these coming from play while their accurate free taking accounted for a converted forty five and a pointed free.
Clarke helped himself to another just after the midway point of the half and this was probably the best score of the period for Seneschalstown. Brian Sheridan made a great fetch in the middle of the field before delivering a fine pass in to Joe who laid the ball off to Clarke who kicked the ball over the black spot.
Niall Lyons picked off the last score of the half when becoming only the second player in blue to register after he kicked a fine point on the run after carrying the ball for thirty metres.
The second half transpired to be very low scoring but this did not appear as though it would be the case after both sides had shared four points between them in the first seven minutes.
Brian Sheridan grabbed the first of these in the first minute of the half when kicking a huge score from the right hand sideline at the end of a move started by a Joe Cowley line ball and in which Ciaran Macken linked the play effectively. Clarke then kicked his latest score of the game when converting a free from in front of the posts after being dragged down himself.
These two points in quick succession gave rise to hopes that the three points deficit would be overcome but just as these thoughts were beginning to occur the men from Donaghmore Ashbourne countered with two of their own.
Clarke wrapped up the scoring from the Seneschalstown perspective with two further points from frees in the forty fourth and fifty first minutes before the insurance point for the victors dissected the posts after fifty two minutes. Over the last ten minutes there was no shortage of effort from both sides but the defences held firm to leave the full time score reading
Donaghmore Ashbourne 1-09 to 0-10. Next up in the league for Seneschalstown is a home game against Simonstown in what will be a dress rehearsal for the championship clash between the two sides.
Seneschalstown Scorers: Bryan Clarke 0-08 (0-05 F), Niall Lyons 0-01, Brian Sheridan 0-01.
Seneschalstown: David Lyons, Gerry Sheridan, Joe Cowley, David Byrne, Mark Carey, Paul Carey, James Byrne, Robert Ruddy, Brian Sheridan, Niall Lyons, Ciaran Macken, Bryan Clarke, James Conlon, Joe Sheridan, Niall Groome.
Seneschalstown Substitutions: Stephen Finnegan for J. Conlon, Cormac Noonan for R. Ruddy (inj), Niall McCabe for M. Carey, James Meade for C. Macken, Ross Howard for N. Lyons.
