LMFM Meath Minor Championship Division 3 Round 2
Seneschalstown 1-12 Ratoath 0-10
LMFM Meath Minor Championship Division 3 Round 2
Seneschalstown 1-12 Ratoath 0-10
Progress to the semi-final stage of the Division 3 Minor Championship was secured by Seneschalstown on Saturday afternoon when they made the most of home advantage to defeat Ratoath by five points following a stirring second half performance in this Round 2 match. Level at five points apiece at the end of the first half after kicking six wides they knew an improvement was required in the final thirty minutes and improve they did as the boys in blue kicked on and outscored the Ratoath outfit by 1-07 to 0-05 in the second half.
Scores were hard to come by in the opening exchanges of the match and after Robert Wogan hit the game’s first in the second minute it took eight more for the second to arrive when Ratoath sent over their first from play. Eoin Finnegan then opened his account when getting on the end of a flowing move involving Niall Hickey, Dylan Keating and Alan Mulvany. Robert Wogan then added a free before Ratoath hit four points on the bounce, three from play and one from a free.
Seneschalstown responded to this run of scores by introducing the hard working Brian Maguire into the half forward line and this helped spark his side into life for the remainder of the half. Robert Wogan brought the Ratoath scoring run to a close when sending over the bar from play in the twenty fourth minute and then full forward Eoin Finnegan hit the equaliser three minutes later when he tapped over a free after he himself had the fabric of his jersey tested. This left the scores tied at 0-05 apiece and so it was when the half time whistle sounded.
Ratoath hit the front once more when pointing after fifty seven seconds of the second half but this lead was short-lived when Robert Wogan hit his fourth of the match, this one from a free following a foul on corner forward Cathal Finnegan. Eoin Finnegan then nudged Seneschalstown in front when popping a free over after Ryan O’Dowd was fouled before he clipped over a point from play. The decisive score in the game was next to arrive when after Ryan O’Dowd’s goal effort was parried out Alan Mulvany sent the ball back into the square where Eoin Finnegan reacted quickest to toe poke it over the line. Finnegan then pointed from play to open up a five point advantage with twenty minutes remaining.
Ratoath pulled that deficit back to four points when sending over a free but that effort was immediately cancelled out when Robert Wogan fired over a brilliant effort. Just as they had done in the first half Ratoath went on a mini scoring burst when they hit three points on the trot, all from play to whittle the Seneschalstown lead back down to two. Robert Wogan settled the home side’s nerves when sending over from play in the fifty fourth minute and this lead was extended out to four points two minutes later when Eoin Finnegan pointed a free. The Ratoath challenge was now wilting as time rapidly ran out and with time up Ryan O’Dowd hit the insurance point to finalise the scoring for the game at Seneschalstown 1-12 Ratoath 0-10.
Best for Seneschalstown in this match were Robert Wogan, Eoin Finnegan, Conor Cantwell and Niall Hickey.
Seneschalstown: David Gordon, Ruairí Keogh, Daire Finnegan, Richard McKeown, Colin Walsh, Adam Carey, Conor Cantwell, Niall Hickey, Ryan O’Dowd (0-01), Alan Mulvany, Robert Wogan (0-06, 0-03 Frees), Daire Corcoran, Cathal Finnegan, Eoin Finnegan (1-05, 0-02 Frees), Cathal Finnegan.
Seneschalstown Substitutions: Brian Maguire for D. Corcoran, Shane Mulvany for D. Keating, Adam McCabe for C. Finnegan and Sean Carey for A. Mulvany.
