Meath A League Division 1 Round 11
Dunshaughlin 0-14 Seneschalstown 2-07
Having battled back from being seven points to one behind after fifteen minutes Seneschalstown found themselves desperately unlucky to leave Dunshaughlin empty handed on Tuesday evening. From looking like they night be overrun early on by the table toppers the Yellow Furze men battled hard and inspired by two goals in ninety seconds they increased the tempo of their play and hunting in packs began to snuff out much of the Dunshaughlin threat.
Meath A League Division 1 Round 11
Dunshaughlin 0-14 Seneschalstown 2-07
Having battled back from being seven points to one behind after fifteen minutes Seneschalstown found themselves desperately unlucky to leave Dunshaughlin empty handed on Tuesday evening. From looking like they night be overrun early on by the table toppers the Yellow Furze men battled hard and inspired by two goals in ninety seconds they increased the tempo of their play and hunting in packs began to snuff out much of the Dunshaughlin threat.
However they were in the end to rue a plethora of missed chances as over the hour a combination of shots which either dropped short or went wide came back to cost them. Some of the efforts missed were tricky opportunities while others were of the variety that the attackers would normally put over but on this occasion were unable to.
The match started off at lightning pace and with only twenty one seconds on the clock, after a foul had been committed in the middle of the field at the throw in Dunshaughlin raised the white flag after a quickly taken free. Seneschalstown almost hit back immediately when captain Brian Sheridan saw his point effort from distance come back off the post and Joe Sheridan was unable to get to the rebound as it ran away from him. Dunshaughlin extended their lead to two before Bryan Clarke opened his sides account on four minutes after good play from Meath Minor Adam Carey and Brian Sheridan. This score seemed to spur the home side into action as they suddenly moved up the gears, hitting five points in a row and indeed the second of these could have been a goal were it not for David Lyons pulling off a smart stop before the rebound was pointed.
The signs didn’t look good for the away side at this point but in a flash the game was to be turned on its head when they hit a quick-fire two goals. Firstly Brendan Lynch, now operating at corner forward after switching with Bryan Clarke, rolled the ball past the Dunshaughlin goalkeeper after he had expertly swivelled away from his marker when getting on the end of a well worked move culminating in a pass from Adam Carey. Damien Sheridan and Tean Cummins being two others involved in the move. Then only ninety seconds later Joe Sheridan was to raise another green flag when finding the back of the net following good play from Clarke. These scores gave the Seneschalstown men a great boost and they hit the front two minutes later when after being set up by Brian Sheridan following a delightful crossfield pass from his brother Joe, Bryan Clarke hoisted the ball over the black spot from thirty five metres out.
A thirteen minute spell without a score ended with twenty eight on the clock for Dunshaughlin when after another good Lyons save a forward in black and amber reacted quickest to the breaking ball before pointing and they were to hit the front once more on the stroke of half time when notching another point from play to leave the scoreboard reading at the interval, Dunshaughlin 0-09 Seneschalstown 2-02.
Having only required twenty one seconds to score in the first half it took Dunshaughlin all of thirty six to register in the second as this time it was from a free that the white flag was raised. Brian Sheridan hit back five minutes later when his free from out on the right just crept over the crossbar after Brendan Lynch was fouled after Bryan Clarke had done well to win possession when reacting quickest to a loose ball. Wing back Niall Groome, on his return to action following a knee injury showed his attacking prowess when after latching on to a through ball from Damien Sheridan he sent his shot sailing between the posts for a flag. This was the highlight of the night for Groome but fourteen minutes later his evening was to end abruptly when he received his marching orders for picking up two bookings.
Seneschalstown hit the front just a minute later when Bryan Clarke, after Joe Sheridan who was on his backside on the ground somehow managed to get his pass away, pointed. This though was to be the last time his side was in front over the hour. In an eleven minute spell between the fortieth and fifty first minutes Dunshaughlin showed why they are unbeaten in this year’s League as they hit four points on the trot to forge ahead by three, two apiece from play and placed balls.
Jonathan Gilsenan, into the fray for Brendan Lynch managed to reduce the deficit to two with eight minutes of the hour remaining when getting on the end of a layoff from Brian Sheridan who had been picked out by a long ball from a free by Joe who had switched with his younger brother. Seneschalstown continued to see scoring opportunities being missed and didn’t manage another point until stoppage time when Brian Sheridan popped over a free after Joe Sheridan had been hauled down as he made a marauding run through the centre of the defence. A black card was handed out for the foul but the defender will feel rewarded as instead of a possible winning goal all Seneschalstown got was a point to reduce the margin to the minimum. Time was very much now against the visitors and seconds after the resultant kickout the final whistle was sounded to leave Seneschalstown still anxiously looking over their shoulder as only two teams remain below them at present.
Seneschalstown: David Lyons, Conor Cowley, Cormac Noonan, John Smith, Mark Fox, David Matthews, Niall Groome (0-01), Tean Cummins, Damien Sheridan, Brendan Lynch (1-00), Brian Sheridan (0-02), Adam Carey, Bryan Clarke (0-03), Joe Sheridan (1-00), Mark Carey.
Seneschalstown Substitutions: Jonathan Gilsenan (0-01) for B. Lynch, Ross Howard for A. Carey, Stephen Finnegan for B. Clarke.
