A League Division 1 Round 5
Seneschalstown 2-15 Summerhill 1-09
It may have taken until Round 5 of the League but Seneschalstown finally played their first home game in the Division 1 League on Tuesday evening and following their most complete performance of the season to date they emerged victorious on what was a very cold evening in Fr. Tully Park where there was a strong breeze blowing straight down the pitch towards the railway end goals.
A League Division 1 Round 5
Seneschalstown 2-15 Summerhill 1-09
It may have taken until Round 5 of the League but Seneschalstown finally played their first home game in the Division 1 League on Tuesday evening and following their most complete performance of the season to date they emerged victorious on what was a very cold evening in Fr. Tully Park where there was a strong breeze blowing straight down the pitch towards the railway end goals.
Over the hour there can be no doubt that Seneschalstown deserved the two points as they put in a performance full of honest endeavour while playing some passages of excellent attacking football. Showing six alterations in personnel from their Round 4 defeat to Simonstown Gaels and with a number of other positional switches this was a much improved showing from that encounter.
Seneschalstown may have done the damage on the scoreboard in the second half as they clocked up a goal and ten points but the most impressive aspect of the performance was how they held a strong Summerhill attack to just seven points in the opening half when the away side were playing with the wind at their backs and indeed the home side managed to go in at the interval with a one point lead.
Two minutes into the game it was Summerhill who got off the mark first when after referee Patrick Coyle had spotted an off the ball foul he awarded them a twenty-one metre free in front of the posts which Mícheál Byrne gratefully tapped over. In response to this opening score though Seneschalstown conjured up a wonderful team goal. After gathering the ball deep in his own defence James Byrne sprayed it out to the left wing where Niall Groome flicked it outside to the supporting Adam Carey. Carey looked up and angled his kick pass infield to Bryan Clarke who spotted Brian Sheridan running off his shoulder from deep and offloaded to the centre forward. Sheridan galloped forward strongly before fisting across the square to Jonathan Gilsenan who flicked the ball past Cathal Byrne for a classic team goal.
Summerhill bounced back from conceding the goal to hit four of the five points scored between the ninth and sixteenth minutes with David Larkin, centre back Richie Hatton and the lively Sean Dalton who got two all registering while the Seneschalstown score in the midst of these came from midfielder Joe Sheridan who saw his drop kicked effort into the teeth of the breeze sail over.
On seventeen minutes Bryan Clarke got his radar working when after two earlier missed efforts he sent a free over via the left hand upright following a foul on Damien Sheridan. Sean Dalton hit back immediately with a point before his comrade in the full forward line, Paul Rispin nudged Summerhill into a two-point lead after nineteen minutes. This though proved to be their last score of the half as Seneschalstown battened down the hatches in defence. As well as tightening up their defence, the home side also managed to gain an offensive return from this closing ten-minute spell as they landed three points in a row. Firstly, Brian Sheridan sent over before coaches of the club’s Minor side, Jonathan Gilsenan and Niall Groome both pointed to send Seneschalstown in with a one-point lead at the break in play, Seneschalstown 1-05 Summerhill 0-07.
Niall Groome, back from injury which saw him miss the opening round of the Championship, was enjoying an excellent game at full forward and he had a direct role in the first two scores of the second half as he was fouled twice in the space of a minute to present Bryan Clarke with two opportunities from frees and with his eye now in Bryan made no mistake, with the pick of the two efforts being a forty-six metre effort from the second free. Clarke then got another free after he was himself fouled as he went down to gather the ball to the left of the uprights.
On forty minutes Summerhill got a lifeline when Mícheál Byrne snaffled a slightly fortuitous looking goal but despite this piece of good fortune they were unable to kick on as Seneschalstown dominated the closing twenty minutes. A minute after Byrne’s goal, Joe Sheridan forced a turnover fifty metres from his own goal and after spotting Niall Groome in space he played the ball downfield to the full forward who advanced towards the Summerhill goal and with the defenders backing off he nonchalantly pointed.
As the clock moved into the final quarter Brian Sheridan fired over a point but this was cancelled out by a Brian Ennis free who saw his effort squeeze inside the post. The youngest of the Sheridan bothers soon rose highest to win a kickout and upon landing he hand passed out to Damien Sheridan on his right who curled over a trademark point.
Summerhill replied with a pointed free before Seneschalstown hit two points in the fifty fourth minute through Bryan Clarke and a magnificent line ball with the outside of his right boot from thirty-five metres out by Brian Sheridan. Wing back Teean Cummins then got in on the scoring act when pointing after being placed for the opportunity by Damien Sheridan. Further daylight was put between the sides when after winning a kickout Niall Hickey exchanged passes with Adam Carey and then literally burst the net with his goal effort. By now the sands of time were running out on the match but there were still enough grains remaining in the timer for Niall Groome to arc over his third point of the evening.
On a night when Seneschalstown had impressive performances all over the field they were particularly well served by Niall Groome and the Sheridan brothers at midfield, Damien and Joe. Next up for David Hosie’s side is an away game against Dunshaughlin on Saturday evening at 19:00.
Seneschalstown: David Lyons, John Smith, Cormac Noonan, Paul Carey, Teean Cummins (0-01), James Byrne, David Matthews, Damien Sheridan (0-01), Joe Sheridan (0-01), Niall Hickey (1-00), Brian Sheridan (0-03, 0-01 Lineball), Adam Carey, Jonathan Gilsenan (1-01), Niall Groome (0-03), Bryan Clarke (0-05, 0-04 Frees).
Seneschalstown Substitutions: Conor Cowley for C. Noonan and Sean McCabe for J. Smith.
Summerhill: Cathal Byrne, Willie Ryan, Caolan Young, John Lavelle, Iarla Hughes, Richie Hatton (0-01), Pádraig Geraghty, Mícheál Byrne (1-02, 0-02 frees), Ross Ryan, Ronan Ryan, Bobby Lyons, David Larkin (0-01), Paul Rispin (0-1), Sean Dalton (0-03, 0-01 free), David Dalton.
Summerhill Substitutions: Brian Ennis (0-01 Free) for I. Hughes and Conor Lyons for R. Ryan
