No two-in-a-row despite all the goals
27 November 2010
Seneschalstown just fell short in their attempt to become the seventh club to lift the Keegan Cup in successive years when losing out to Skryne by the narrowest margin in a memorable Meath SFC final on the last Sunday of September.
In 2002 Dunshaughlin became the sixth double victors, following in the footsteps of Navan O’Mahonys, Kilbride, Summerhill, Walterstown and Skryne. The Yellow Furze side appeared to be well on the way to a fifth senior success and a first successful defence when netting three times in the first half and leading by five points at the break.
Remarkably Seneschalstown’s impressive total of 4-8 was not enough on the day as their opponents totted up 0-21 in a highly-entertaining game which gave the attendance fine value for the admission charge.
As in 2007 and 2009 when gaining outright honours, Seneschalstown stumbled through the group phase when losing two games. After victories over Wolfe Tones and Rathkenny, the holders went into the final as favourites but it was not to be their day this time.
Damien Sheridan was again at the helm and had Mickey Dillon and Shane Finnegan as his assistants. Before a ball was kicked or caught in the 2009 Meath SFC, sponsored by Meath Farm Machinery, Seneschalstown were installed as 11/4 joint favourites with 2008 winners Navan O’Mahonys.
Damien Sheridan suggested that while Seneschalstown were in a better position to defend the title than in 2008 that being in a group in which they would be expected to win every game could be a problem
The defending champions began the new campaign with a 3-12 to 0-13 win over St Ultan’s in a Saturday evening clash at Pairc Tailteann with Andrew Collins, Paul Carey, Ciaran Macken and Robert Ruddy all missing from the previous November’s final winning side.
Three points from Shane Clarke boosted Seneschalstown to a 0-7 to 0-3 interval advantage and goals from Stephen Finnegan and Joe Sheridan, who was the 2010 team captain, left the scores 2-7 to 0-5 eight minutes after the restart.
Although the lead was subsequently reduced to three points with nine minutes left, the holders did not panic and extra gloss was put on the victory when Shane Clarke punched in the third goal near the final whistle.
Seneschalstown had a much tighter contest in the second round when gaining a minimum margin 0-11 to 1-7 win over Dunshaughlin at Ratoath, a point from Shane Clarke in the second minute of added time at the end giving them the spoils.
Seneschalstown led by 0-6 to 0-3 at the break and increased the advantage before Dunshaughlin responded with 1-2 in four minutes to edge into the lead.
Seneschalstown weren’t helped by the departure of Brian Sheridan with a knee injury and shortly before that in the 48th minute Joe Cowley was sent off on receipt of a second yellow card. When Martin Reilly had the sides level for the fifth time from a free, a draw looked likely but then Shane Clarke collected a free by Joe Sheridan to shoot the winner.
That one-point win was followed by a minimum margin defeat to surprise packets, Rathkenny, in a round three clash at Pairc Tailteann which the men in red and black won by 0-9 to 0-8.
Again Seneschalstown finished the game with 14 players, Cormac Duffy picking up a second yellow card at the end of the third quarter. After leading by 0-6 to 0-5 at the break, they only managed to add two points after the switching of ends.
At the time of Duffy’s departure, his side was two points to the good, Robert Ruddy having punched after the bar for the holders’ seventh score. After three Rathkenny white flag efforts, Shane Clarke had the teams level for the fifth time before John Donegan put over the winner.
A 2-8 to 1-9 victory over Blackhall Gaels in Ashbourne ensured that Seneschalstown qualified for the quarter-finals. For the third SFC game in succession, they had a player sent off, this time it was goalkeeper David Lyons who was shown a straight red card in the closing seconds.
Referee Joe Synnott of the host club appeared to award a penalty to Blackhall but instead blew the final after dismissing the ‘keeper. Two goals from Bryan Clarke in the first half proved crucial for Seneschalstown, who also led by two points (2-3 to 0-7) at the break.
Seneschalstown finished in third place in Group A following the 0-7 to 0-15 defeat to neighbours Walterstown in a Pairc Tailteann which lacked championship intensity with both sides already qualified.
A draw looked on the cards when it was 0-6 each at the break but after the teams reappeared the Blacks outscored their opponents by nine points to one. Remarkably Seneschalstown, who had Alan Geraghty in goals, again finished with 14 men as Joe Cowley suffered his second dismissal of the championship, again for two yellow cards.
That result meant that Wolfe Tones would be Seneschalstown’s quarter-final opponents in a repeat of last year’s title decider. It took two games to separate the sides in 2009 but last August Damien Sheridan’s side strolled to a 2-12 to 2-7 success.
David Lyons was back between the posts and with Andrew Collins still sidelined, Paul Carey was settling in at full-back after David Matthews had a few games there. Cormac Quinn, the 2007 winning captain, was back at midfield alongside Robert Ruddy and the odds of the holders had been cut drastically to 4/5 from 2/1.
The Yellow Furze outfit gave Tones a two-goal start, a handling error by Lyons gifting the Oristown side the first goal, from a Cian Ward free, and then Stephen Sheppard netted the second after an attempted clearance by Ruddy was blocked.
Seneschalstown could afford the luxury of a missed penalty, driven wide by Joe Sheridan, who made amends with a 20th minute goal as parity (1-5 to 2-2) was gained at the break. Stephen Finnegan netted the holders’ second goal to leave the board reading 2-8 to 2-3 on 38 minutes and the margin was the same at the end.
Although, having lost to them in the group phase, Seneschalstown went into the semi-final against Rathkenny as red hot 1/4 favourites. Anyone taking such short odds were made sweat during another tight contest before the favourites advanced on a 0-10 to 0-8 scoreline.
Seneschalstown were without attacking wing-back Mark Carey, who was forced to retire during the outing against Wolfe Tones and would also miss the final. They were three points in arrears in the early stages before Joe Sheridan got them on the board with a fisted effort.
That was the first of three points from the county forward in the first half which ended with the sides level on 0-4 each. Another final place looked to be slipping away from the holders when they trailed by three points nine minutes into the second period.
However, Rathkenny did not score again and three points in a four minute spell had Seneschalstown back on equal terms. Bryan Clarke hit the first of them from a 45 and that was followed by white flag efforts from play by Clarke and Brian Sheridan.
Brian Sheridan put Seneschalstown ahead for the first time on 48 minutes and substitute James Conlon doubled the advantage five minutes later. Although Rathkenny strived hard in their effort to save the day, the holders held out.
Before the final (the first against Skryne since 1994 when the Yellow Furze side of the time reversed a result of two years earlier) Damien Sheridan’s impressive record in county finals as a player and manager was highlighted, as he has a 100 per cent record in 10 previous deciders in three counties.
Although losing the final, Seneschalstown could take some consolation for the part played in what was arguably the best of all the Keegan Cup deciders since the trophy was first presented in 1953. Also their total of 4-8 was the highest by a losing team in the final.
With 3-5 of that being registered in the first half, Seneschalstown appeared to well on the way to becoming the seventh two-in-a-row winners. Brian Sheridan netted the first goal after nine minutes and brother Joe found the net at the end of the first and second quarters.
The pair were causing a lot of headaches for the challengers who, however, were able to respond to the goals with points. Probably Seneschalstown’s best goal chance came early in the second half but Cormac Quinn blazed wide from outside the small ‘square.’
Seneschalstown were outscored by 0-12 to 1-3 in the second half but they looked set for another day out when Stephen Finnegan grabbed their fourth goal on the hour mark. However, when a draw looked likely, they conceded a 45 which Paddy O’Rourke’s sent sailing between the uprights.
Damien Sheridan senior pointed to Skryne’s strong start to the second half during which they put over three points in as many minutes as being crucial in the comeback. The manager said that Andrew Collins (who came on with 10 minutes to go) and Mark Carey could have made a difference but did not wish to take anything from the Tara club’s success.
The losers’ boss also praised the commitment of the Yellow Furze side’s supporters. “It’s very tough to lose by a point. There are over 300 supporters who have booked a meal in an hotel in the town and that says a lot about the supporters who follow Seneschalstown,” he said.
The Seneschalstown team in the 2010 SFC final : David Lyons; James Byrne, Paul Carey, Gerry Sheridan; Gary Conlon, Joe Cowley, Stephen Sheridan; Robert Ruddy, Cormac Quinn; Damien Sheridan, Ciaran Macken, Stephen Finnegan; Bryan Clarke, Brian Sheridan, Joe Sheridan. Subs: Adam Gleeson for S Sheridan, Aidan Finnegan for Macken, Andrew Collins for Byrne, David Byrne for Cowley, Shane Clarke for Quinn.
Eight days earlier Seneschalstown’s women football also went down to defeat in the county senior championship final in Ashbourne with St Ultan’s scoring a surprise 4-13 to 1-14 victory. The ladies from the Yellow Furze were also hot favourites, having won the title in nine of the previous 10 years.
After trailing by 0-7 to 1-8 at the break, the holders fell further in arrears in the second half. A goal from substitute Grace Deane reduced the deficit to six points but Ultan’s hit back for another goal and late consolation points from Grainne Nulty and Mary Sheridan were only of consolation value.
The Seneschalstown team in the women’s SFC final: A McCluskey; E Byrne, M Sheridan. A McAdam; D Dillon, L McKeever, A Carolan; P Sheridan, F Mahon; E McGrane, O Sheridan, S Byrne; R Nulty, G Nulty, S Coffey. Subs: A Sheridan for E Byrne, G Deane for Coffey.
But it was not all doom and gloom for the Seneschalstown women as Mary Sheridan claimed first place in the MBNA Ladies Kick Fada competition for the third time in Bray and the team emerged as winners of the national seven-a-side tournament in Dublin.
