Meath U-17 Division 2 League Semi-Final
Seneschalstown 6-16 Drumconrath/Meath Hill 1-09
A place in the U-17 Division 2 Final was secured for Seneschalstown on Monday evening in Donore following a victory which was far more comfortable than could have been envisaged prior to the throw in. These two sides have a history of close encounters and another was to be expected on Monday but in the end it was the Boynesiders who came out on top by a wide margin.
Meath U-17 Division 2 League Semi-Final
Seneschalstown 6-16 Drumconrath/Meath Hill 1-09
A place in the U-17 Division 2 Final was secured for Seneschalstown on Monday evening in Donore following a victory which was far more comfortable than could have been envisaged prior to the throw in. These two sides have a history of close encounters and another was to be expected on Monday but in the end it was the Boynesiders who came out on top by a wide margin.
The game looked like panning out in a different manner when with only two minutes on the clock Drumconrath/Meath Hill led by 1-01 to 0-00. Seneschalstown’s response though was exactly what they would have been looking for as within three minutes they had drawn level through scores from Alan Mulvany and Cillian Gormley. Mulvany who was to go on to end up with a personal haul of 4-02 was first to score when he drilled low and hard inside the near post following a Brian Maguire run down the left flank and Sean Carey assist. The hardworking Gormley then drew the sides level.
Seneschalstown hit the front on ten minutes when after a Ross Mullen goal effort was saved, the ball was recycled back outfield where Cathal Finnegan was lurking with intent and he made no mistake as he popped the ball over the bar. Finnegan then goaled a few minutes later following a great fetch at midfield and run by Brian Maguire. Drumconrath/Meath Hill were able to create scoring opportunities but when they had a great goal scoring opportunity they were denied by a wonderful point-blank stop from Keith Waters between the posts.
Buoyed by this point Seneschalstown countered at pace with the ball ending up in Dylan Keating’s hands and the centre forward made no mistake as he struck over the bar. The team in blue extended their lead on the quarter hour when Alan Mulvany goaled at the end of a great move. Eoin Traynor at wing forward was getting through a lot of work and when he found himself deep in his own defence he pulled off a great block which resulted in the ball spilling loose to Ross Mullen. Mullen pinged a pass out to Dylan Keating who in turn fed Alan Mulvany who then laid off to Cillian Gormley and Gormley made no mistake as he pointed. The North Meath side pulled back two points but sandwiched between these Dylan Keating pointed after good link up play between himself and Mulvany.
Next came a moment of class which illuminated the rapidly darkening skyline. Cillian Gormley released Jamie Kirwan down the left and looking up Kirwan spotted Cathal Finnegan in a dangerous spot near the goal. Kirwan sent an angled delivery towards Finnegan who with his left hand flicked the ball goal side of the defender and volleyed into the roof of the net. This goal sparked off a run of Seneschalstown scores on the run in towards half time with Alan Mulvany goaling twice while himself and Finnegan added on a couple of points to leave the half time score reading Seneschalstown 6-07 Drumconrath/Meath Hill 1-03.
The winners made a number of switches at the interval and it was one of the newly introduced players who opened the scoring when Sean Commons knocked over a free inside the first minute. Drumconrath/Meath Hill cancelled this out before Cathal Finnegan pointed when he got on the end of a Brian Maguire free. A second Drumconrath/Meath Hill point of the half arrived in the thirty eighth minute but Finnegan then kicked his only free of the hour immediately afterwards after Sean Commons had been fouled as he bore down on goal.
The tit for tat nature of the half continued when Drumconrath/Meath Hill knocked over their sixth point but Seneschalstown responded in style when Commons twice and Dylan Keating pointed. Three points in a row between the fifty first and fifty third minutes brought Drumconrath/Meath Hill’s scoring to a close but there was still time for Seneschalstown to pick off two further scores through Sean Commons and Eoin Traynor while Keith Waters pulled off another stop.
Seneschalstown (14 a side): Keith Waters, Daire Finnegan, Brian Boyd, Ross Mullen, Richie McKeown, Jamie Kirwan, Joseph Moore, Brian Maguire, Cillian Gormley (0-02), Dylan Keating (0-03), Eoin Traynor (0-01), Alan Mulvany (4-02), Cathal Finnegan (2-04, 0-01 Free), Sean Carey.
Seneschalstown Substitutions: Sean Commons (0-04, 0-03 Frees) for J. Moore, James Commons for A. Mulvany, Jason Lyons for B. Boyd, Fionn Hall for R. Mullen, Joseph Moore for D. Finnegan.
