Hoganstand.com Meath Senior Football Championship Group A Round 3
Seneschalstown 0-15 Gaeil Colmcille 0-13
Hoganstand.com Meath Senior Football Championship Group A Round 3
Seneschalstown 0-15 Gaeil Colmcille 0-13
Another step towards qualification for the quarter finals of the 2016 Hoganstand.com Meath SFC was taken by Seneschalstown on Sunday lunchtime when in the immaculately presented Syddan grounds they eked out a two point victory in a game which was tight throughout. Central to the victory for David Hosie’s charges was their first half performance as despite playing into a very strong wind they kept the Kells men within touching distance throughout and by the time David Gough blew the half time whistle they had the gap down to two points courtesy of a brace of Brian Sheridan scores as the half drew to a close.
Indeed, Sheridan was the star performer on display as he landed ten points over the hour, three in the first half and seven in the second as he turned in one of those virtuoso performances that he is so capable of. A real handful throughout, he oozed class as he tormented the Gaeil Colmcille rear-guard and punished every indiscretion that they made.
Both sides took to the field missing some stalwarts for differing reasons but in the early stages Gaeil Colmcille didn’t appear to miss their absentees too much as with the wind at their backs they opened up a four point lead with just eight minutes on the clock through efforts from Cormac Keegan who opened the scoring and three points from corner forward Barry Farrelly, two of which came from frees.
Seneschalstown could have had a goal during this spell but Niall Groome saw his flicked effort drift right and wide as he lunged to get on the end of a Brian Sheridan ball in from the right. Eventually it was Groome who opened the Seneschalstown account when on ten minutes he broke through from the left to fist over. The hardworking Adam Carey quickly added a second before Joe Sheridan brought the deficit back to the minimum.
Barry Farrelly then kick-started another mini burst of Kells scores when he sent over from play before Seamus Mattimoe, operating at wing forward clipped over a point. Cormac Keegan landed a forty-five and then Farrelly sent over a free on nineteen minutes but crucially this was to be Gaeil Colmcille’s last score of the half as Seneschalstown managed to erect the defensive barriers to great effect.
On twenty-one minutes Brian Sheridan knocked over a free following a foul on Adam Gleeson. A nine minute spell without a score followed but was broken in the end by another free from the youngest of the Sheridan brothers when he drove over another free from out on the right after Adam Gleeson was tripped. Sheridan then brought the scoring for the half to a close when he sent over from play after excellent work from both Joe Sheridan and Adam Carey.
At the interval Gaeil Colmcille brought Stevie McManus on in place of Fionn Reilly and it was they who got off to the brighter start when after a succession of Seneschalstown misses Seamus Mattimoe stretched his sides lead to three points. Brian Sheridan who was now becoming more and more influential sent over a beauty of a point from the left of the uprights after working very hard to engineer an opening. Indeed, this was the first of four points in a row from the centre forward. His next score was a forty-eight metre free which he hung up in the air and let the wind do the rest after the initial free had been brought forward due to a spot of verbal’s towards the free taker. His next score came from play after he sold his marker a beautiful dummy and he then completed the set when landing a line ball.
This score left the wind assisted Seneschalstown one point to the good and seemingly on their way to victory but Gaeil Colmcille had other ideas and pulled level when Martin Barrett sent over a free. Sheridan hit back with a free from out on the left after receiving a kick to the leg but this was cancelled out by a superb long range Kells free into the teeth of the wind. The men from the heritage town then went back in front when Barry Farrelly pointed a free.
Left corner forward Adam Gleeson opened his account with ten minutes of the regulation sixty remaining when he reacted smartly to gather a rebound off the post from a Sheridan effort to point before Niall Groome sent Seneschalstown back into the lead. Brian Sheridan then kicked two frees to open up a three point gap with time almost up but there was still time remaining for one last twist in the tale as David Gough signalled there would be three minutes of injury time to be played. Gaeil Colmcille threw everything at Seneschalstown in this spell but in the end could only muster a solitary point from a Martin Barrett free as the Devenish Nutrition sponsored Seneschalstown clung on.
Best for the winners were Brian Sheridan, John Smith and Paul Carey.
Seneschalstown: David Lyons, Paul Carey, Cormac Noonan, Sean McCabe, Teean Cummins, John Smith, David Matthews, Joe Sheridan (0-01), Damien Sheridan, Adam Carey (0-01), Brian Sheridan (0-10, 0-06 Frees, 0-01 Sideline), Niall Hickey, Jonathan Gilsenan, Niall Groome (0-02), Adam Gleeson (0-01).
Seneschalstown Substitutions: Stephen Finnegan for J. Gilsenan, Conor Cowley for S. McCabe (BC).
Gaeil Colmcille: Justin Carry-Lynch, Cormac Ferguson, Barry Smith, Liam Ferguson, Paul Tormay, Christopher Riordan, James Reilly, Cormac Keegan, Mickey Foley, Seamus Mattimoe, Seanie Curran, Fionn Reilly, Oisín Reilly, Martin Barrett, Barry Farrelly.
Stevie McManus for Fionn Reilly and Gary Arkins for B. Farrelly.
