Minor Football Summer League Division B Semi-Final
Seneschalstown 2-11 Blackwater Gaels 1-12
Minor Football Summer League Division B Semi-Final
Seneschalstown 2-11 Blackwater Gaels 1-12
At the end of sixty seven pulsating minutes there were just two points separating the Minor footballers of Seneschalstown and Blackwater Gaels following a riveting game. On a fine evening for football with conditions perfect save for a breeze blowing diagonally across the field both sides deserve great credit for a game which was played in a very sporting manner. Seneschalstown who were forced to line out minus a number of key players found themselves trailing as the game entered injury time but just as they did in the 2014 U-17 semi-final they conjured up an injury time goal which ultimately proved to be the winner.
On this occasion it was Meath U-15 player Dylan Keating who was the hero as he got on the end of a great team move to send the ball crashing into the Blackwater Gaels net with sixty five minutes elapsed. Most players would have tapped over the point to go one clear at that stage but when Keating gets given an inch he tends to grab a mile and so he threaded the ball through the eye of a needle to grab the decisive goal.
With the likes of David Fox, Robert Wogan, Ruairí McDonagh and Colin Walsh among those unavailable for selection and Adam Carey unable to start the strength in depth of the Seneschalstown panel got a thorough investigation and indeed they ended up with three U-15 players starting, Daire Finnegan, Alan Mulvany and Keating while another, Sean Carey was on the bench. The side was though boosted by the return to action of Daniel O’Reilly at midfield while Ryan O’Dowd was fit to partner him.
Blackwater Gaels were the first to register when they pointed after just two minutes but Seneschalstown weren’t too slow about settling into the game themselves and had responded soon after when Alan Mulvany pointed. The combination outfit (Carnaross, Drumbaragh and Kilmainham) edged back in front when pointing from play once more before Dylan Doyle saw his goal attempt well saved. Doyle had gotten on the end of a move started by full back Niall Hickey and which also involved Cathal Finnegan and Alan Mulvany. From the resultant forty five which dropped short Cathal Finnegan was quickest to react when a Ryan O’Dowd shot was parried out and Finnegan flashed the ball over the bar in an instant.
Eoin Finnegan soon emulated his brother when he sent over his opening score of the game before Alan Mulvany hit his second of the game when bisecting the posts from a narrow angle after Niall Hickey who was having an inspirational game played a one two with Eoin Finnegan as he burst upfield from his full back berth. Seneschalstown were enjoying something of a period of dominance at this point and this was further embellished when after Cathal Finnegan was adjudged to have been pulled down Ryan O’Dowd stepped up and with aplomb rifled his spot kick past the goalkeeper and into the top left hand corner.
As it happened this was to be Seneschalstown’s last score of the half as the visitors began to build up a head of steam and bit by bit narrowed the deficit. In the space of two minutes following the penalty they kicked three points from play as they began to gain the upper hand in the midfield zone and then on the stroke of the half time whistle they kicked another point to leave just the one score between the sides, Seneschalstown 1-04 Blackwater Gaels 0-06.
When the two sides took to the field following the half time break whatever words Paul Finnegan and Michael Mullen had said to their side obviously were still ringing in their ears as the home side rattled off the first three points of the half. Firstly with only thirteen seconds gone on the stopwatch Dylan Doyle sent a booming effort over from all of forty metres out after Danny O’Reilly had won the throw in. Eoin Finnegan then extended the lead to three when he pointed after good play from the half back pairing of Conor Cantwell and Richie McKeown. Dylan Doyle then hit another following more brilliant play in defence from Niall Hickey.
Blackwater Gaels managed to quell this momentum on thirty four minutes with a pointed free before they got in for a goal of their own when their corner back found himself one on one with David Gordon who was beaten by a low shot. Gordon had a fine game in the goals but there was little he could do about this effort. Ryan O’Dowd sent over a forty metre free push Seneschalstown back into a one point lead but Blackwater Gaels then hit three points in three minutes to forge into the lead as the game entered the final quarter.
Seneschalstown were by now finding scores from play hard to come by but O’Dowd was punishing any disciplinary indiscretions by the combination outfit and in the fifty second minute he fired over a forty metre free following a foul on Daniel O’Reilly. Indeed this was to prove the last act from O’Reilly in the game as the pacey Daire Corcoran was introduced in his stead. The visitors extended their lead back out to two points when scoring from play in the fifty eight minute but Ryan O’Dowd sent over another free just a minute later when following a flowing team move Brian Maguire was fouled.
This left just the one point between the sides going into stoppage time and the tension in Fr. Tully Park could have been cut with a knife. Brian Maguire was desperately unlucky to see a goal attempt just flash across the face of the goal in the second minute of the added on seven before Ryan O’Dowd who was unerringly accurate all day from dead balls popped a close range free over after he drew a foul. By now it looked like a point could win it for either side but when less than sixty seconds later Dylan Keating was placed for a scoring opportunity following brilliant work from Alan Mulvany, Niall Hickey and Cathal Finnegan, instead of taking the easy option and tapping over the bar he went for the jugular and rifled his shot into the back of the net. There was still enough time remaining on the clock for Blackwater Gaels to conjure up one last scoring opportunity but all they could muster was a point which means it is Seneschalstown who march onto the final where they will face either St. Michaels or Summerhill in what promises to be another very tough encounter.
On a night when each and every one of the Seneschalstown players performed well there were standout showings from Niall Hickey who led by example, Ryan O’Dowd and Brian Maguire who put in a very tidy performance at wing back.
Seneschalstown: David Gordon, Ruairí Keogh, Niall Hickey, Daire Finnegan, Richie McKeown, Conor Cantwell, Brian Maguire, Daniel O’Reilly, Ryan O’Dowd (1-04, 0-04 Frees), Alan Mulvany (0-02), Eoin Finnegan (0-02), Shane Mulvany, Cathal Finnegan (0-01), Dylan Doyle (0-02), Dylan Keating (1-00).
Seneschalstown Substitutions: Adam Carey for S. Mulvany, Daire Corcoran for D. O’Reilly
