JMB Sportsfield Services Feis Cup Quarter Final
Seneschalstown 1-11 St. Patrick’s 3-11
In a repeat of the 2014 encounter at the same stage Seneschalstown and St. Patrick’s met in the quarter final of the Feis Cup on Wednesday evening in Slane. Following the torrential rainfall over the weekend there had been some concerns that playing conditions could be difficult but to the credit of the Slane club their pitch was in excellent condition.
JMB Sportsfield Services Feis Cup Quarter Final
Seneschalstown 1-11 St. Patrick’s 3-11
In a repeat of the 2014 encounter at the same stage Seneschalstown and St. Patrick’s met in the quarter final of the Feis Cup on Wednesday evening in Slane. Following the torrential rainfall over the weekend there had been some concerns that playing conditions could be difficult but to the credit of the Slane club their pitch was in excellent condition.
Prior to the throw in there was a minutes silence in memory of Michael Reilly and Oliver Lynch from the Seneschalstown club. When the game did get going it was to follow a very similar path to last year’s game, only this time with the roles reversed as St. Patrick’s on this occasion surged into a sizeable lead by the interval before extending it, then seeing their advantage almost wiped out before eventually steadying themselves to pull clear once more at the death.
St. Pats got off to a flying start, going a goal and a point to the good after just two minutes. They opened up with a point after Wesley McDonagh in the Seneschalstown goal recovered from slipping when taking his kickout to parry a goal attempt over. McDonagh though was unable to do anything a couple of moments later when after a high ball into the full forward line was broken out the Seneschalstown defence was slow to react and he had no chance in the goal when a Stamullen forward rifled past him into the corner of the net.
Seneschalstown began to gain a foothold in the game soon after and in the sixth minute could have had a goal when being denied on two separate occasions. Firstly after being placed for a goal attempt by Joe Sheridan, Niall Groome saw his shot diverted out for a forty five and from the resultant play Sheridan saw his flicked effort rebound off the crossbar. St. Pats replied to this let off with a point from play before from a long ball in from Brendan Lynch, Joe Sheridan fisted over the bar. A fourteen metre free after nine minutes cancelled out this score before the Seneschalstown full forward curled over a fine score off his left foot from way out on the left hand side.
St. Pats, playing a very effective direct style of football added two frees to push into a six point lead before Seneschalstown found their groove to pick off three points in so many minutes. First Brian Sheridan embarked on a surging run as he bore down on goal coming in from the left before arrowing his shot inside the left hand upright. He then spotted Brendan Lynch in space from a quick free kick and despite being quickly closed down Lynch managed to squeeze his shot away get his point. Joe Sheridan then picked off his second when getting on the end of a move involving Cormac Noonan, Brian Sheridan and Brendan Lynch to get the deficit back to three.
St. Pat’s response though was superb as foreshadowing what was to happen at the end of the second half they closed out the first with a succession of scores. In the space of two minutes they rattled off three points from play, with the second of those in particular being very well worked. These scores left them six to the good when Colm McManus sounded the half time whistle, 1-08 to 0-05 and Seneschalstown facing a steep hill to climb in the second period.
That hill suddenly resembled something more akin to a mountain when with only forty seven seconds elapsed in the second half the men from the banks of the Boyne were rocked by the concession of a very sloppy goal. After gathering a ball which had dropped short, a Seneschalstown defender was dispossessed as he looked to carry it out and as quick as a flash the ball was nestling in the back of the net.
A ten minute spell without a score ensued following this major but when it ended it was Seneschalstown who got a point and this effort kicked off a run of six scores in a row which breathed life into a game which had appeared in serious danger of slipping away from them. After some intense tackling from their forwards Brian Sheridan sent a first time shot between the uprights.
Left half back James Byrne then raised forward to pick off a point before Brian Sheridan, who was now becoming a more central figure to the games story, intercepted a stray ball in the St. Pats rear-guard and rifled over. The games momentum was by now beginning to shift in the Devenish Nutrition sponsored outfits favour and this sense only increased when Brendan Lynch got on the end of a Brian Sheridan hand pass and gave the goalkeeper no chance with a clinical finish. Lynch’s goal coming at the end of a move which had started when Conor Cowley had mopped up a ball in his defence and fed it out to Joe Sheridan who then picked out Brian.
Niall Lyons was next to score when his goal effort was tipped over for a point as Seneschalstown camped out in the Stamullen half before Brian Sheridan kicked a thirty five metre free after being fouled himself, a score which now left the bare minimum between the sides. The game was by now well and truly in the balance with the overwhelming feeling being that the next score would be of critical importance. If Seneschalstown got it they would be level and would have massive momentum behind them but if the side in white go it they would have stopped the rot and regained a foothold in proceedings with time running out. And indeed St. Pats managed to relieve the stranglehold which Seneschalstown had on possession to venture forward two minutes later and point to push their advantage back out to two points.
With the game now getting quite tense both sides struggled to carve out a clear shooting opportunity until in the sixtieth minute St. Pats had a glorious opportunity to extend their lead but when they went for goal Seneschalstown goalkeeper Wesley McDonagh was up to the challenge and pushed the shot around the post for a forty five, which was subsequently sent sailing between the uprights. Then, just a minute later came the hammer blow to Seneschalstown’s chances of retaining their Feis Cup title when from a line ball they conceded a third goal. Brendan Lynch did manage to bring his tally to a goal and two points when he saw his shot flash over the bar after Brian Sheridan had rose highest in a thicket of bodies to claim possession and offload to the corner forward who was in support. St. Pats though cancelled this point out with a sixty fourth minute free to secure their six point victory.
Seneschalstown will rue this defeat as it was certainly a game which they were capable of winning but when it was in the melting pot with five minutes to go they just failed to keep their momentum up and will look back with some regret at their slow start to the first half and the concession of some sloppy goals. Focus will now turn to picking up more points in the League and getting their Championship campaign back on track.
Seneschalstown Scorers: Brendan Lynch 1-02, Brian Sheridan 0-04 (0-01 Free), Joe Sheridan 0-03, James Byrne 0-01, Niall Lyons 0-01.
Seneschalstown: Wesley McDonagh, Conor Cowley, Joe Cowley, John Smith, Mark Fox, Paul Carey, James Byrne, Tean Cummins, Cormac Noonan, Niall Lyons, Brian Sheridan, Niall Groome, Mark Carey, Joe Sheridan, Peter Waters.
Seneschalstown Substitutions: Brendan Lynch for P. Waters, Robert Ruddy for J. Cowley, Ross Howard for N. Groome
