Meath U-16 Division 2 League Round 2
Seneschalstown 8-07 Donaghmore/Ashbourne 2-07
Meath U-16 Division 2 League Round 2
Seneschalstown 8-07 Donaghmore/Ashbourne 2-07
Looking to bounce back from their opening day reversal at the hands of St. Colmcilles Seneschalstown played host to Donaghmore/Ashbourne on Tuesday evening in Fr. Tully Park. With the game reduced to thirteen a side this meant there was plenty of open spaces for players to run into and with a threatening full forward line of Jason Lyons and Cathal Finnegan and an impressive looking half forward line of Jason Kearney, Dylan Keating and Alan Mulvany the home side would have fancied their chances of running up a good score over the hour. And indeed they did manage to create a large number of scoring opportunities but due to a combination of the brilliance of the South Meath sides goalkeeper who pulled off a string of brilliant saves and poor finishing they ended up with a lot fewer scores than could have been the case.
With just around a minute on the clock Donaghmore/Ashbourne were first to score when they goaled but the diminutive Cathal Finnegan soon replied with a major of his own after being placed for the score by the industrious Jason Kearney. Seneschalstown were soon to hit the front when Dylan Keating set up midfielder Brian Maguire for his sides’ second goal. The youngsters in green reduced the margin to two points in the tenth minute when raising a white flag but the home side took charge soon after.
Keating got his name on the score sheet a minute later when gaoling after getting on the end of an Alan Mulvany pass before Finnegan grabbed his second as Seneschalstown seemed to forget points could also be scored. Incredibly they were soon to register a fifth major of the opening third when Maguire reacted quickest to his penalty being saved to goal at the second time of asking. It took until the twenty fourth minute until the Boynesiders scored a point and it came from Finnegan after he shot over from the right of the posts. Donaghmore/Ashbourne broke a sixteen minute period without a score when pointing after twenty five minutes before the Bellew wizard Finnegan brought the first half scoring to a close with his second point of the game.
Similar to the opening half Donaghmore/Ashbourne got the opening score of the second, this time a point from play before Keating hit back with one of his own after a driving run and pass from Jason Kearney. The Ashbourne youngsters got a boost soon after with a goal which the Seneschalstown defence will feel they should have prevented before Kearney and Maguire steadied the ship with two points. Kearney added a goal to his account in the fortieth minute in response to another Ashbourne point and this was to prove to be his last contribution to the game as after a very hardworking shift he gave way for the introduction of Brian Boyd.
Keating chipped over a point as the game entered into the final third but this score was soon cancelled out by a point for the away side. Midfielder Maguire then proved to be a fine last line of defence to deflect a goal bound effort out for a forty five when a goal could have sparked an Ashbourne comeback. With fifty five minutes on the clock Donaghmore/Ashbourne pointed from play and while they added another two minutes later that was to be the end of their scoring for the hour as Seneschalstown rounded off proceedings with two goals and a point.
Firstly Keating raised a green flag after benefitting from good play by Boyd before from the resultant kickout Maguire broke the ball to Robert Wogan who placed Finnegan for another point. As the game entered stoppage time Wogan then applied the coup de grace as he dinked the ball over the stranded goalkeeper to bring the scoring to a close. In a game where the attacking players did a lot of damage Seneschalstown had a solid foundation laid from the back where Sean Carey and Richard McKeown stood out.
Seneschalstown Scorers: Cathal Finnegan 2-03, Dylan Keating 2-02, Brian Maguire 2-01, Jason Kearney 1-01, Robert Wogan 1-00.
Seneschalstown: Keith Waters, Christian McAuley, Sean Carey, Eoin Traynor, Richard McKeown, Fionn Hall, Robert Wogan, Brian Maguire, Alan Mulvany, Dylan Keating, Jason Kearney, Cathal Finnegan, Jason Lyons.
Seneschalstown Substitutions: Andre Norton for J. Lyons, Brian Boyd for J. Kearney, James Commons for F. Hall.
