Seamus Connolly Catering Meath Junior B Football Championship Semi-Final
Seneschalstown 1-12 Duleek Bellewstown 1-08
Seamus Connolly Catering Meath Junior B Football Championship Semi-Final
Seneschalstown 1-12 Duleek Bellewstown 1-08
Following on from their victory over neighbours Slane in the quarter final Seneschalstown encountered another neighbouring side in the semi-final played in Donore on Sunday. Having played at Junior A level until this year Duleek Bellewstown probably went into the game as slight favourites and at half time they would have been confident of success as they held a five point lead. Seneschalstown though after a profligate first period came out after the interval like a changed outfit and a blistering opening ten minutes of the second half which saw them surge into the lead laid the foundations for a comeback victory.
A strong breeze blew diagonally down the field over the course of the match and made conditions tricky for attackers throughout the match, yet it was largely down to poor shot selection in the first half that Seneschalstown had passed up on ten scoring opportunities. Indeed they went without a score from the twelfth minute until Cormac Reilly sounded his whistle to signal the end of the half as wide after wide was kicked.
The team in blue were the first to score when Stephen Finnegan kicked an excellent left footed point in the third minute. David Hosie took a quick free kick and after the ball had been worked through the hands of Adam Carey and James Conlon Finnegan got into position to curl his effort over the bar. A couple of minutes later Peter Waters kicked Seneschalstown’s second point of the day when he turned his marker to point after being picked out by Shane Clarke. Duleek Bellewstown were struggling to get their first score of the match but were almost handed a lifeline on ten minutes when a free kick from out on the sideline near the forty five nearly ended up in the Seneschalstown net after a mix up in their rear-guard. Following this goalmouth scare they extended their advantage when Hosie reacted quickest to a blocked Conlon shot to point.
From here on Duleek Bellewstown began to grow into the match though and as Seneschalstown continued to miss opportunities the men in yellow and green began to take theirs and they got off the scoreboard when a well struck free from forty five metres just about made it over the crossbar after fifteen metres. They soon got another when after indecision in the Seneschalstown midfield from a Wesley McDonagh kickout they galloped forward to point. A nine minute spell without a score ended on twenty six minutes when they tapped over a thirteen metre free before they scored another two minutes later. On twenty nine minutes their hopes of victory received a timely fillip when goaling past McDonagh although Seneschalstown players were irate that play was allowed continue in the build up to the goal as they had a player down injured on the field of play with a head injury. With all the momentum going in favour of the side formed in 2007 they extended their advantage to five when kicking their third thirteen metre free in five minutes on the stroke of half time.
Seneschalstown elected to remain out on the field at the break and whatever words were shared in their huddle worked wonders as they started the second half like men possessed. Shane Clarke kicked their first score in twenty three minutes when pointing a thirteen metre free from the right of the posts after a foul on wing forward Conlon. Conlon was beginning to exert a major influence on proceedings and following some very good work from him Waters reduced the deficit to three when splitting the posts.
Adam Gleeson then got in on the act when after receiving the ball from Tean Cummins he pointed from the right of the goal. Cummins then leapt like a salmon to pluck a fantastic fetch out of the sky and after returning to terra firma laid the ball off to Jonathan Gilsenan who then carried the ball forward and when he laid it off to Waters he crashed a thundering effort for goal off the post. When the ball broke out Seneschalstown were quickest to react and when it got recycled back out Clarke struck the ball over the bar.
Momentum was now well and truly in Seneschalstown’s favour and within a minute they struck the front. Kevin Casey made good ground up the right hand side and while most people would have assumed he would go for the seemingly easy point on offer he appeared to spot the goalkeeper off his line. Casey, took a gamble and tried to lob the ‘keeper with an audacious attempt and what followed was proof that sometimes fortune does indeed favour the brave as his effort curled into the left corner of the goal. Waters then pointed following good play from Clarke who retained possession in the left corner of the field before spotting Waters in space.
Duleek Bellewstown got their first score of the half when kicking a fine effort from way out on the right before Clarke kicked another point, Gilsenan providing the assist. Second half substitute Neil Darby then got in on the scoring act before Hosie knocked over a free. Adam Carey who had excelled since being pushed into a more advanced position during the second half then drew a foul from the goalkeeper when being tripped as he attempted to get on the end of an intelligent through ball from Hosie, thus giving Clarke the simplest of tasks in popping the resultant free over.
Seneschalstown were by now in firm control of proceedings but Duleek Bellewstown were not done yet as they kicked two points to reduce the deficit to four points but as hard as they tried they couldn’t find the required goal as Seneschalstown’s dominant second half performance ensured they strode into the final, something that appeared unlikely after they stumbled through the first half. Focus will now switch to the upcoming final against Wolfe Tones who were impressive winners of the other semi-final when accounting for St. Vincents by 3-10 to 1-09.
Seneschalstown Scorers: Shane Clarke 0-04 (0-02 Frees), Kevin Casey 1-00, Peter Waters 0-03, David Hosie 0-02, Stephen Finnegan 0-01, Neil Darby 0-01, Adam Gleeson 0-01.
Seneschalstown: Wesley McDonagh, Mark Fox, Conor Cowley, Eamon Sheridan, Kevin Casey, David Matthews, Adam Carey, Tean Cummins, Jonathan Gilsenan, James Conlon, Stephen Finnegan, Adam Gleeson, Shane Clarke, David Hosie, Peter Waters.
Seneschalstown Substitutions: Neil Darby for A. Gleeson, Gerry McKendry for T. Cummins.
