All County Football A League Division 1 Round 11
Dunshaughlin 1-13 Seneschalstown 2-09
The recent run of positive results for Seneschalstown’s Senior side came to a halt on Saturday evening in Fr. Tully Park when a late fade out in the last ten minutes cost them two valuable League points. Leading by four points after forty nine minutes they failed to trouble the scoreboard for the remainder of the match as Dunshaughlin reeled off five points to claim victory following a very good match played in ideal conditions.
All County Football A League Division 1 Round 11
Dunshaughlin 1-13 Seneschalstown 2-09
The recent run of positive results for Seneschalstown’s Senior side came to a halt on Saturday evening in Fr. Tully Park when a late fade out in the last ten minutes cost them two valuable League points. Leading by four points after forty nine minutes they failed to trouble the scoreboard for the remainder of the match as Dunshaughlin reeled off five points to claim victory following a very good match played in ideal conditions.
The men from the South Meath town drew first blood when finding the back of the net before two minutes had elapsed at the beginning of the match. When a free appeared to be dropping right and wide one of the visitors forwards managed to get a fist to the ball to knock it back into the square before it was diverted into the Seneschalstown goal past David Lyons. Seneschalstown hit back on six minutes though when Joe Sheridan fired a rasping drive into the net off the underside of the crossbar at the end of a move which saw the ball funnelled through the hands of Niall Groome and Gary Conlon before a fine diagonal ball into the full forward line from the returning Robert Ruddy. In spite of being marked by two men Sheridan managed to get his paws on the ball before giving the goalkeeper no chance with the shot.
Dunshaughlin then had a purple spell where they kicked three points in four minutes with two of these coming from play including one fine effort from out on the right as the home sides rear-guard struggled to keep tabs on their opposition.
They were to endure a barren seventeen minute period thereafter though as the home side took charge and reeled off four points on the bounce go one ahead. Firstly Sheridan kicked his opening point of the evening when pointing after a pass from Conlon who had been the recipient of a fine crossfield ball from Ruddy which switched the direction of the play. Bryan Clarke then pointed from play after capitalising on a mistake in the Dunshaughlin defence following an initial interception on an Andrew Collins pass. Joe Sheridan then made a nuisance of himself in the square when rising highest to fist a dropping ball over the bar before Clarke kicked a trademark forty five. During this spell Seneschalstown temporarily lost full back David Matthews to a blood injury, Matthews being replaced by Sean Noonan which necessitated a positional switch for Collins back to his more familiar surrounds of full back.
Dunshaughlin steadied themselves with a point from a free, awarded after an initial mistake from the now returned to the fray Matthews. They then kicked another free on the stroke of half time to go in at the interval with a one point advantage and the assistance of the breeze yet to come.
The sound of referee Patrick Neilis’ whistle had barely dissipated when after only eighteen seconds of the second half Dunshaughlin stretched that interval advantage to two points when a shot from the right wing floated over the bar with the aid of the breeze.
This two point advantage didn’t last too long though and again it was Joe Sheridan who did the damage. After claiming the ball he managed to sidestep the goalie before shrugging off a challenge and scoring his second goal of the evening to put his side back in front by one. Sheridan followed this major up with another point when scoring almost instantaneously before Andrew Collins fisted over a point following a clever one two with Bryan Clarke.
Two points for Dunshaughlin in a minute kept the game very tight but Seneschalstown got the next score after what was their best passage of football of the match. Brian Sheridan rose highest to pluck the ball from the air in his own goalmouth before being fouled as he looked to burst out. Taking the free quickly he spotted wing back Mark Carey in space. Carey then delivered the ball into Joe Sheridan who had dropped out the field at this stage before laying the ball off to James Byrne. Byrne’s path towards goal got blocked by the Dunshaughlin defence but he recycled the ball back out to Joe before he split the posts for an excellent left footed effort and bring his tally for the day to two goals and four points.
Corner back Niall Groome surged forward before clipping the ball over the bar from out on the left before Bryan Clarke converted a free after an infringement on Brian Sheridan as he attempted a point to leave the home outfit four points to the good with ten minutes left on the clock.
However Dunshaughlin were to take charge from here to the finish and showing the form which has seen them into second place in the league they rattled off five points without reply to snatch victory and gain a measure of atonement for their Championship defeat to the Seneschalstown men.
On an evening where Seneschalstown failed to fine the late, late scores to win the match as they have done in their previous two matches they will have cause to regret kicking eleven wides but will be content with creating twenty two scoring opportunities. If their sharpness in front of goal can be fine-tuned for their next match there is no reason to suggest they aren’t capable of emerging from Enfield next Sunday with the two points.
Seneschalstown Scorers: Joe Sheridan 2-04, Bryan Clarke 0-03 (0-01 Free, 0-01 ’45), Andrew Collins 0-01, Niall Groome 0-01
Seneschalstown: David Lyons, Niall Groome, David Matthews, Sean McCabe, Mark Carey, Andrew Collins, James Byrne, Brian Sheridan, Damien Sheridan, Jonathan Gilsenan, Ciaran Macken, Gary Conlon, James Meade, Joe Sheridan, Bryan Clarke.
Seneschalstown Substitutions: Sean Noonan for D. Matthews (Temporary Sub), Sean Noonan for R. Ruddy, James Conlon for R. Howard.
