St Patricks Drumcondra 3-11

Wicklow 2-9

Venue: Éire Óg Greystones

Wicklow’s first outing of 2012 ended in defeat in Greystones this afternoon in terrible conditions as St. Patricks of Drumcondra accounted for a second Inter-County team in a week. Having seen off Louth last weekend the students continued their good form with a goal late in the first half giving them a cushion that they never let up.

The rain lashed from start to finish and the scores went tit for tat for most of the first half with the teams tied at 0-7 apiece approaching the interval. However with time ticking away the visitors struck for a vital goal to give them a cushion heading into the interval.

With recently retired Wicklow legend Don Hyland looking on from the sideline Wicklow battled gamely as Casey O’Bring rang the changes. However there was to be no comeback at the death and in the end the St. Pats had four points to spare over the Garden County.

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Wexford 1-15

Wicklow 0-17

After extra time.

St. Patricks Park, Enniscorthy.

Referee: John Hickey (Carlow)

Despite a narrow extra time defeat Wicklow will now look forward to the league in confident mood after a terrific performance fell just short against a strong Wexford side on Enniscorthy today writes Alan O’Brien.

St Patricks Park in Enniscorthy was the venue for today’s O’Byrne Shield meeting between Wexford and Wicklow with Harry Murphy continuing to experiment with his line up with the League now just a couple of weeks away. Niall Gaffney was given an opportunity at full back, Cathal Rossiter came back in at corner back and Barry Murphy lined out at half back. From an attacking point of view there were chances for Joey Kelly, Peadar Burke and Frank Clune to impress as they got the nod to start. For their part Wexford lined out with Ben Brosnan in the half forward line and the impressive Shane Roche at the edge of the square.

The pitch was very exposed to the elements and a strong wind assisted Wicklow in the first half as they attacked the score board end. Without a stand the crowds lined the pitch ‘Old School’ creating a wonderful atmosphere for the contest.

A high ball into Peadar Burke was fielded by the Baltinglass man within the first minute and he shot narrowly wide with Anthony Masterson in the Wexford goal well beaten. Seanie Furlong opened the Wicklow account with a white flag but our new look back line was busy at the other end and Wexford responded with 0-2 to push themselves ahead.

Peadar Burke was having a great game on the edge of the square and gave established Wexford full back Graeme Molloy a torrid afternoon from the start. Austin O’Malley benefitted from good work by Burke and his point levelled the match for the second time in the opening exchanges.

Again Wexford responded but Wicklow grew into the game from there and excellent dead ball skills from Frank Clune pushed Wicklow into the lead and Seanie Furlong then added a top class point to extend the advantage. Midway through the first half it was hard not to be impressed with Wicklow’s work rate and disciplined defence. Each man had a job and they were carrying out their instructions to the frustration of the home side who were being forced into errors and finding scoring opportunities hard to come by.

The impressive Frank Clune scored again to put double scores on the board with the Garden County notching 0-6 to Wexford’s 0-3. Wexford manager Jason Ryan was cutting a frustrated figure on the side line but his side almost found themselves in front in a two minute spell that seen a point reduce the deficit before Wicklow goalkeeper John Flynn was forced into a brilliant one on one save to stop a certain goal.

Back down the other end Peadar Burke again fielded brilliantly and won a free that Seanie Furlong converted. Adam Merriman was substituted for Dean Healy as the match ticked towards half time with the referee eventually calling for the ball with a wind aided Wicklow leading 0-7 to 0-4.

Wicklow opened the scoring in the second half with Frank Clunes accuracy again benefitting Harry Murphy’s team.  With Wicklow playing well all over the park and leading by 0-4 the mind dared to check the diary for next Sunday afternoon and a possible O’Byrne Shield Final but old failings crept in as a Wicklow free was given as a foul for the ball failing to travel the required 14 yards. Wexford punished the error with a point to begin a comeback roared on by the home support.

Wexford hit four of the next five points to level the match with Joey Kelly notching Wicklow’s score. The Garden County showed huge hunger and regained the lead through O’Malley only for Wexford to respond again. Leighton Glynn was sprung from the bench as Harry Murphy looked to seal the deal.

Nicky Mernagh was one of the outstanding players on the field showing brilliant attacking, defending, and willingness to sacrifice himself for the team by covering every blade of grass on the pitch. Mernagh’s good work set up club team mate James Stafford to once again push Wicklow into the lead. As before the home side to their credit rallied and levelled the scores once again.

With the clock ticked down and the man in the middle playing added time Wicklow pushed forward in search of the win. Wexford showed great hunger and belief with a couple of crucial blocks to deny their visitors. Wicklow won a ’45 and Tony Hannon on as a second half substitute pushed his effort from the dead ball left of the goal. However the effort held up in the wind and a fisted effort from the edge of the square was somehow blocked allowing Wexford to clear as the referee called for the ball sending the game into extra time.

Extra time followed the pattern that went before with the teams going tit for tat. O’Malley, Seanie and Nicky Mernagh fired over in response to Wexford’s scores before referee John Murphy (gloves and all) sent of Nicky Mernagh on a second yellow card.

Despite playing with a man less Leighton Glynn fired over a great score into the wind from a tight angle to put Wicklow to the front once again.

Wexford levelled before the match was turned on its head when two successive errors from Wicklow allowed Wexford to score a sloppy goal. Tony Hannon had possession and space in front of him but a poor, high handpass was intercepted gifting the home side possession. Wexford themselves made a mess of that possession by kicking the ball out of play. However Wicklow’s Barry Murphy who was so impressive till that point put Paddy Dalton under pressure with an ill advised pass from the sideline and Wexford broke to score a goal and put 0-3 between the teams with only minutes remaining.

Niall Murphy seen red for Wexford as Wicklow pressure told on the corner back. Wicklow scored two frees to reduce the arrears to just one but the home side held possession and ran down the clock to book a final date with Laois next weekend.

A narrow defeat but an excellent performance from Harry Murphy’s team and while that might be two defeats from three the level of commitment and performance seems to get better and better. Wicklow have given opportunities to many fringe players and Murphy has used the O’Byrne Cup & Shield to introduce his substitute’s bench which was not a familiar sight in previous years.

Roll on the National League. The Harry bus is running and you better get on quick because I have a feeling it will be going through the gears quickly over the next few months!!

WW Team:

J Flynn, C Hyland, N Gaffney, C Rossiter, B Murphy, R Finn, A Byrne, J Stafford, A Merriman, J Kelly, A O’Malley, N Mernagh, S Furlong, P Burke, F Clune.

Substitutes used: D Healy, L Glynn, T Hannon, P Dalton, T Kelly, P Cronin.

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Davitts had the wind to their backs in the first half and made the most of it as they launched long balls into space to make the most of an impressive Michael Conroy. The physical advantage that the Mayo man had was causing a problem for Eire Og and combined with the ref’s willingness to give a free for the slightest touch, the impressive Conroy scored two quick frees before a fantastic Fergal McGrath point gave them a 0-03 to 0-00 lead early on.

Eire Og got their first score quickly afterwards, some good work from Hayden set Horan up for the score. For the rest of the half, though, it was all Davitts though, with McGrath and Conroy matching each other for points.

The Greysotones side almost conceded a goal only for the quick thinking of Traynor as he charged out quickly to smother a shot from McGrath, but Davitts pointed the replay.

The goal did eventually come for the Mayo men though, as Eire Og were caught napping at the back and McGrath slipped inside to latch onto a through ball and hit it low into the far left corner.

Darren Hayden grabbed another score for the Wicklow men but at half time, they faced into a 0-02 to 1-08 deficit.

Eire Og came out brightly in the second half, as they looked to make the most of the wind. They notched up a point on their first attack and for the first five minutes, they looked twice the side they were in the first half.

But sometimes, destiny dictates that today is not your day, and when Davitts went up the other end and notched up another goal and a point on the next attack, the vocal and impressive support Greystones brought must have realized that Croke Park might be one step too far.

Darren Hayden would get another point before an impressive break from substitute Daniel Webb brought Eire Og’s score to 0-06 for the day. Soon afterwards though, the Wicklow side suffered another blow, when County Dual Star Stephen Kelly saw red after a scuffle with Aidan McTigue.

In the end, McGrath and Moran’s socring exploits would see them raise the Mayo’s side score to 2-12 and take the a 12 point victory back to the West in what will no doubt be a big night in their village tonight.

Eire Og Greystones may have lost out today, but they should let nothing stop them holding their heads high. They have made the County proud in what they have achieved and their victory over Confey will live in the memory of many a fan. As the saying goes: it just wasn’t meant to be.

Credit has to go to Davitts. Physically they were much stronger. They were sharper with their play and deserved victors in the end.

Whoever they face in Croke Park, they will be hard pushed to beat them.

Eire Og Greystones: Traynor, Tanner, J. Kelly, McHugh, Smullen, S. Kelly, Horan, Gbelovevia, Leonard, Woods, Hayden, Smith, Fuisciardi, Cuddihy, Manahan. Subs: Norman, D. Keane, Webb, Daly, Naughton, Monahan, P. Keane, Doherty, Bollard.

Davitts: Diskin, C. Roche, A. Roche, Gallagher, Clarke, Boyle, Cummins, McNamara, Carey, Prendergast, McDonagh, Coyne, McTigue, McGrath, Conroy (C). Subs: Mitchell, S. Roche, Waldron, Kearns, J. Ronayne, M. Ronayne, O’Gara, Cosgrove, Glynn.

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Harry Murphy spurs on his Wicklow side as Extra Time awaits.

Wicklow put in a strong performance in extra time today to gain their first win of 2012 and Harry Murphy’s first win as Wicklow manager.

A good crowd gathered in Baltinglass on what was a viciously cold afternoon, hoping to see the Garden County build on a good performcace the previous Sunday against DCU.

Harry Murphy once again took the pre season match as an opportunity to take a look at some of the fringe players, as well as giving the established lads a run out mixing experience with in endeavour.

It was Athlone IT who started off the brightest though, taking an early lead with a good effort from Adam Caul. Wicklow levelled on the next attack, with St. Patrick’s man Darragh O’Sullivan tapping over.

The home side struggled at the back initially and Athlone IT should have raised a green flag when Frank Burke found himself in acres of space in front of the posts, only to scuff the ball wide of John Flynn’s goal.

Both sides exchange points, with Mernagh getting his first of the day before Wicklow’s defence were again found wanting as Athlone IT again finding space to shoot for goal. Flynn could only look on as the ball went to his right and against the post.

It was to be third time lucky for the Westmeath College as a quick free sent McGovern down the right and he shot across goal to give the visitors a two point lead.

Wicklow were forced in to an early substitution, when International Rules Star Leighton Glynn had to come off injured, with last weekend’s goal scorer Joey Kelly replacing him.

It was pretty much point for point from here on in for the rest of the half, with neither side willing to grab the match by the scruff of the match leaving the ref to blow up at Wicklow 0-05 Athlone IT 1-04.

Wicklow raced out of the blocks in the second half. An impressive Paddy Dalton fisting over, before Nicky Mernagh launched in a great point from a tight angle. Substitute Joey Kelly gave the Garden County a 1 point lead.

The goal scoring threat of Athlone IT hadn’t gone away though, as they squandered a chance for a second goal ten minutes in. The college side were not behind for long though as two quick points gave them the slightest of leads as the scoreboard swung one way, and then the other.

Harry Murphy brought on Tony Hannon and Peader Burke for O’Sullivan and Marc Doyle respectively. O’Sullivan was carrying a slight limp and Doyle had run his heart out up front.

The rest of the half was tight as Wicklow continued to push forward with Conor McGraynor coming off the bench and grabbing a point before Mernagh added another two to his tally. Athlone IT were given a very questionable point which had  appeared to have gone wide and a generous amount of injury time saw them draw level and force extra time.

Inconsistency in front of goal for Wicklow may have been a problem in normal time, but Wicklow’s sharpness and fitness saw them take full control of the game in the first half of extra time.

This was helped in some measure with Athlone IT being put down to 14 men when Danny McGovern picked up his second yellow. Wicklow went on to produce wave after  wave of attack, and soon Tony Hannon found himself through on Westmeath Keeper Connaughton only to be tripped and sent to the floor. The ref signalled a penalty and Hannon put it away calmly.

Wicklow got another goal on their next attack. Some sharp play by Mernagh set Paul Cronin free and he duly obliged shooting low across the goal and all of a sudden Harry Murphy’s men found themselves with a comfortable 6 point lead.

Wicklow saw out the game from here. The second half saw further scores from Hannon and Cronin with Finn and Seanie Furlong adding another couple.

Athlone IT would raise the white flag one final time, but all it would mean was the deficit dropped to single figures.

It was a strange game to be fair, because Wicklow played some really good football throughout but the finishing wasn’t as clinical as I’m sure it will be once the league gets into full flow.

Given the gap between the Kilkenny game and when the league resumes in March, extra time wasn’t a bad thing, especially in what was a very competitive game. Those in Baltinglass today couldn’t help but notice how fit the Wicklow team were and once again building on the performance against DCU as they chased down everything.

One of the shining lights and building on a good performance last week, was Rathnew man Nicky Mernagh, He seemed to be at the centre of everything Wicklow done going forward, and grabbed himself a few points into the bargain. Stephen Mann was solid and James Stafford was as commanding as always. Paddy Dalton looked sharp and it was good to see Kelly and McGraynor get a few points.

Scoring 2-04 in extra time against any side is nothing to be shunned at and there is a lot to be encouraged about after two games in 2012.

Wicklow now go on to face neighbours Wexford, and while they will need to hit the ground running from throw in, it promises to be a cracker.

WICKLOW: Flynn, Hyland, Finn, Higgins, Murphy, Gaffney Mann, Stafford, Merriman, Mernagh, Dalton, O’Sullivan, Cronin, Doyle, Glynn

SCORERS – Wicklow : P Cronin 1-2, T Hannon 1-1, N Mernagh 0-4, R Finn 0-3, J Stafford, P Dalton, C McGraynor, S Furlong, D O’Sullivan, J Kelly 0-1 each.

Athlone IT: D McGovern 1-1; E Clarke 0-3, frees; T Rahill, L Murphy 0-2 each; F Burke, A Sullivan 0-1 each.

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Photo Credit: Alan O'Brien

It’s January, it’s cold, and that can only mean one thing – it’s O’Byrne Cup time. And with the O’Byrne cup, comes the college teams. When Harry Murphy’s Wicklow drew the 2010 O’Byrne Cup Champions DCU, you could be understandably worried about the prospect of facing a college team with Dublin’s McMahon, McCarthy and Paul Flynn. With Donegal’s powerhouse Michael Murphy and the likes of David Kelly of Sligo and Colm Begley of Laois.

The expectation of a tough start to his tenure as Wicklow manager awaited, and a tough match it was. But those in Baltinglass today would have been encouraged by the spirit and fight that Murphy’s experimental side showed in pushing DCU to within a point.

Wicklow began with only eight of the starting line up that faced Armagh in Micko’s last game for the Garden County and were facing into a strong wind in the first half. That strong wind combined with DCU racing out of the blocks with some quick short passing left the Garden County 0-05 to no score after twelve minutes.

As with all first round O’Byrne cup games, fluidty wasn’t high on the agenda, with a lot of kicks falling short and some not reaching their intended target, but it wasn’t long before Seanie Furlong rang in Wicklow’s first competitive score of 2012.

DCU, led at the front by and impressive Jack Brady and Michael Murphy, notched up another score before Tony Hannon pulled it back to 4 from a free. Wicklow struggled to get into the game initially as the college team stretched out their lead further and at 0-09 to 0-03 the worry of a whitewash was an undoubted niggle at the crowd sheltering from the haze of rain that fell in the west country.

However, from here on in, Wicklow started to pull themselves together and show a spirit that I have no doubt will strengthen under the stewardship of Harry Murphy. In the space of ten minutes, the Garden County turned the score on its head with a dogged and powerful Seanie Furlong winning a high ball and raising a white flag. Wicklow started to string together some good moves and after a scramble in front of the DCU posts, Joey Kelly found himself scooping up the ball and blasting it into the net from 5 yards. Hannon and Furlong followed with two more points to see Wicklow notch up a return of 7 unanswered points.

All of a sudden, there was a game on, and sandwich between two DCU points, the college half forward Tony MacPadden saw a straight red for an altercation with Paddy Byrne. Even with 14 men, they managed to close out the half with a three point lead.

Both sides exchanged points twice over early in the second half, with substitute Billy Cullen notching up one of them. The second half struggled to get into any real flow however, with some bizarre decisions by the Kildare Ref Fergal Barry, including changing a Wicklow line ball for a throw up after the DCU bench started encroaching on the line.

John Flynn was then called upon with Flynn through on him for a certain goal. A lapse in concentration by the Wicklow backs forced Flynn to make himself big and smother the shot to the delight of the crowd.

DCU started to extend their gap, but not before they had another man sent to the line. Wicklow sensed they could take the spoils and points from Seanie Furlong, Austin O’Malley and one from Nicky Mernagh saw the score at 1-14 to 0-18 with seconds left.

The last few minutes got the adrenaline going for everyone in the ground, but with only a point the difference and the wind behind them, Wicklow just couldn’t find that score to level the game.

Nobody likes to lose a game, but the result today was no disgrace. Wicklow faced a strong DCU side while at the same time giving a lot of lads a run out.  It was a tough game, which is what you want, but the fight that the Garden County showed to pull themselves back into it, when they could have fallen apart, was an encouraging sign for everyone there.

The real focus will of course be on the league, and with more games under their belt and more time under the new management, that spirit and fight could be just what we need to cross the line we have fallen agonisingly short of the past few years.

Next week, Wicklow face Athlone IT in the O’Byrne Shield. Details to be confirmed early in the week.

WICKLOW: J Flynn; A Byrne, J Bolger, C Rossiter; P Byrne, R Finn, N Gaffney; J Stafford, A Merriman (0-1); N Mernagh (0-2), A O’Malley (0-1), D O’Sullivan, J Kelly (1-2, 0-1 free), S Furlong (0-5, 0-3 frees), T Hannon (0-2). Subs: D Healy for P Byrne, P Burke for O’Sullivan, B Cullen (0-1) for A Byrne, H Mangan for Hannon, P Cronin for Kelly.

DCU: R Hennelly, L Bree, P McMahon, E Culligan, C Begley, J McCarthy, J Cooper (0-3), F O’Shea, M McElhinney, G Sweeney (0-1), D Rock (0-9, 0-6 frees), A McFadden, J Brady (0-3), E O’Gara (0-1), D Kelly (0-1). Subs: M Boyle for R Hennelly, N Collins for P McMahon, J McEnaney for F O’Shea.

Referee: F Barry (Kildare).

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Éire Óg Greystones (Wicklow) 2-11

St Bridgets (Offaly) 0-12

Aughrim 20/11/2011

Éire Óg Greystones produced one of the finest displays of football Aughrim has seen in recent times to win an epic semi final against St Bridgets of Offaly writes Alan O’Brien.

Both teams lined out in the jerseys of their respective Counties for this afternoons clash and one could have been forgiven for thinking that an Inter County match was being played out considering the quality on show. Éire Óg Greystones were the quickest out of the blocks with late inclusion to the team line up Daniel Webb splitting the posts to open the scoring. The Offaly champions were winning all the ball at midfield and were dangerous in the inside forward line. David Egan got them moving on the scoreboard before Ken Casey, Sean Casey and David Boland notched points to push the visitors into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead. Bridgets were attacking the town end goal and had the benefit of the wind. The Casey’s (Ken & Sean) were very sharp in the full forward line for Naomh Bhride  but Ken in the corner  was constantly coming back onto his right foot and Jack Tanner was able to tighten up as the half went on.  Egan fired over two more frees with Darren Hayden responding to reduce arrears to 0-4 at half time. Éire Óg Greystones would have considered themselves lucky to have only gone in 0-6 to 0-2 down at the interval with Chester Kelly responsible for two great covering blocks that could have cost the home side goals.

In hindsight the first half only served as the opening act to a classic drama which was about to enfold in the County Grounds. Hayden’s opening point of the second half was followed by a goal from Karl Manahan who sent the small Éire Óg Greystones support into a hysteria as the team pulled level despite playing second fiddle up to that point. Bridgets hit the next two points with Egan again on hand to take advantage of a placed ball. Éire Óg Greystones were growing in belief however and although they were still under par at midfield and in arrears on the scoreboard they were bursting into challenges ten foot tall and full of belief. Hayden was on fire and reduced arrears with a free before booming over a huge effort to tie up the match. Daniel Wood on as a first half sub pointed a free before Liam Fox in the Bridgets goal misjudged a bouncing ball which came back off the post. Billy Cuddihy tried to score for Éire Óg Greystones but the visitors cleared the danger. Casey levelled the match again for Bridgets but Conor Daly who had joined the party from the sub bench pushed the Wicklow team back into a slender lead with full time approaching. Thomas Gbelovevia came through a couple of challenges to get a sight of goal as the clock ticked down but instead of kicking the ball dead he opted for a dangerous hand pass that was intercepted by Alan Kennedy for Bridgets. The travelling support urged their charges forward and that support was rewarded when the Offaly champions pulled level with just minutes remaining. The game was on a knife edge for the last few seconds and Bridgets could have stolen it but in the end the scores were level when the referee called for the ball to send the tie to extra time.

The second half was as good as it has got in Aughrim this year with two teams intent on playing the game in the right spirit. Extra time was to be no different with both teams flying into challenges as the energy sapped from their legs with the heavy pitch. Bridgets took the lead in extra time just before the Darren Hayden show started. The Éire Óg Greystones centre forward levelled the match with a free before Karl Manahan struck his second goal of the game to open daylight between the teams for the first time in 40 minutes. Hayden lashed over another couple of points with the second effort from the outside of his boot worth the entrance fee alone. Bridgets full forward Sean Casey tore his hamstring which held up the game for a couple of minutes (we wish Sean a speedy recovery) and when the game resumed Billy Norman in the Éire Óg Greystones goal was called upon to make a great save to keep the home teams advantage. The stage was cleared once again for Darren Hayden to bring down the curtain with another point to seal an epic win and see Éire Óg Greystones into the AIB Leinster Intermediate Final where Confey (Kildare) will be waiting.

Man of the match: Darren Hayden – scored 0-8.

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St Mary’s 2-5

Rathnew 0-10

Referee: Ciaran Kenny (Tinahely)

St. Mary’s held off a spirited second half performance from holders Rathnew as they lifted their first Senior Football Championship in Aughrim this afternoon writes Alan O’Brien.

Keith Byrne was a late addition to the St. Marys team in place of Gary Murphy and Enan Glynn was listed ahead of Chris Healy for Rathnew just before throw in. St Marys had the benefit of a strong wind blowing into the scoreboard end that dominated the Junior match before the main event. The opening exchanges were keenly contested but nobody could make an impact on the scoreboard. Marys were first to miss and then Tommy Gill was guilty of wasting an opportunity when he fired wide from 20 yards. The darling of Wicklow football was showing his class as usual and it was Leighton Glynn who finally got the scoreboard going with the opening point for Rathnew after 12 minutes. St Marys were enjoying a lot of the ball and soon had a score of their own when Paddy Byrne fired home a goal to spark the contest into life. Jackman who was playing very well at midfield fired wide for St Mary’s as it appeared they would not get the scores to reward their dominance all over the pitch. A couple of debatable challenges followed with Enan Glynn and then Damian Power (high tackle) perhaps lucky that referee Kenny was not card happy and let both players away with the minimum sanctions. Paddy Byrne knocked over a free and then followed that with his second goal of the game as the amalgamated clubs from Coolkenno and Shillelagh pushed themselves into a 2-1 to 0-1 lead. Gill got in on goal at the other end but took a point when perhaps a goal was on. Keith Byrne took up the fight next and pushed over a huge point from an acute angle after St. Marys had countered with speed and precision. Tommy Gill (free) and Eamon Rossiter traded scores to leave the half time score St. Marys 2-3 Rathnew 0-3 with the village facing an uphill battle to regain their crown.

At half time over the cup of tea I reminded anyone that would listen to me that Rathnew wouldn’t be known for lying down and how right that would prove to be. The Champions set about the second half with a purpose that was missing in the first half. Leighton Glynn got the show on the road as the red and green attacked in waves. The pressure on St Marys was only relieved when David Cullen was on the receiving of a very strong challenge from Stephen Byrne with the St Marys corner forward requiring extensive treatment and a stretcher to remove him from the field. (We wish David well and it appeared to be an arm injury after the game so hopefully he is fine).

Rathnew continued where they left off and a Tommy Gill point was followed by 0-2 from Leighton Glynn before Gill was on hand again to slot over a free and reduce the arrears to a single point. Paddy Byrne pointed for St Mary’s only to see Mark Doyle fire over (‘45) to leave just a single point in the game again. Leighton Glynn got on the ball again and the crowd drew breath as the dynamic corner forward made a dash for goal but he missed the effort and St. Marys breathed a sigh of relief. Declan Nolan lashed over a great point for St Mary’s with time just about up to extend the cushion to 0-2 but as expected the fourth official indicated seven minutes of additional time. James Stafford and Keith Byrne both seen red for an off the ball clash and it was Rathnew to strike next with Leighton Glynn scoring a great point to set up the finale. Rathnew were camping in the St Marys half and Steven Canavan could have levelled but missed and St. Marys broke and won a free that should have settled the match. However Paddy Byrne’s nervous free dropped short and Rathnew broke again. The men from Shillelagh and Coolkenno were not to be denied however and some die hard defending finally got them to the final whistle as they won a classic by the tightest margin.

Man of the match was given to Eamon Rossiter. Congrats to Eamon. From my position I think Paddy Byrne or Don Jackman would also have been worthy winners of the accolade.

Well done St. Marys on your first Senior County Championship. Rathnew will compete for the Leinster title as St Marys are viewed as a team and not a club so good luck to Rathnew in the Leinster Championship.

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12►

St Patricks 1-9

An Tochar 0-11

Referee: John O’Brien (Newcastle)

St Patricks fought back from a 0-9 to 1-1 half time deficit to beat An Tochar by a single point in today’s Swan Cup Final in Aughrim.

Junior B champions An Tochar looked on course to upset the odds and beat St Patricks at half time this afternoon but the old cliché of “a game of two halves” came true to ensure a tight finish went the way of the Wicklow town side as they added to the Junior A crown they won against Kilmacanogue.

A late first half penalty gave St. Patricks a lifeline as they struggled with the heavy ground and strong wind but they emerged for the second half a different team. With the wind in their sails they reeled An Tochar in before taking the lead with seven minutes to go. However they took their foot off the pedal and should have paid for it deep into injury time as Robert Eyre settled himself and shot to level the match from twenty five yards. However the ball dropped wide and with the wave of the umpires arms came the final whistle.

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St. Patricks Wicklow 1-13

Glenealy 2-5

Aughrim

Referee: John Keenan

St. Patricks recovered from losing a six point half time lead to eventually win the Intermediate Championship against Glenealy today in Aughrim writes Alan O’Brien.

This year’s Intermediate Championship always looked like giving us this final but it took 15 minutes for the game to spark into life. St. Pats were leading by a couple of points when the key score of the first half came in the last minute of the thirty with County star Andy O’Brien gathering in a ball and firing past Keith Snell to give the town a 1-6 to 0-3 half time lead.

Glenealy left their opponents waiting at half time but it was the village that were quick out of the blocks when the ball was thrown in. David Nolan fired the red army back into the game with Glenealy’s first goal and Alan Conyard followed that up to push Glenealy into the lead for the first time in the match. However that was as good as it got for Glenealy as the James Quirke show clicked into gear with the Waterford native firing over 0-4 in the next few minutes from distance to push St. Patricks into the lead once again.

Wayne Farrell hit an inspirational score as the clock ticked down and yet the Wicklow town side could not shake of their opponents with only 0-3 between the teams with five minutes left. Glenealy got a free on the stand side into the town end and young Gavin Weir who was excellent for Glenealy stood over the ball to reduced arrears. However the ball went wide and was quickly followed by a second wide from an even better position as the fight left Glenealy and St Pats tagged on another couple of points to put a gloss on the win.

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Semi Final Replay

Rathnew 0-8

St. Patricks 0-7

After Extra Time

Aughrim – 22/10/2011

Referee: D Peppard

Rathnew won this war of attrition to book a Senior Football final date with St Mary’s in dreadful weather conditions this afternoon writes Alan O’Brien.

Both teams will have felt they should have won the first game six days ago but it was destination Aughrim today to decide who would book the final berth at the second time of asking. The rain belted down on a dark dreary day for football. St Patricks named Paul Earls in the side despite losing his early to an injury last week and that decision looked an unwise one when the County star was called ashore early in this tie. Like last week it was the Wicklow town side that flew from the blocks with Darragh O’Sullivan impressing at full forward. Gail Dunne’s men were rampant and led by 0-4 to no score after 15 minutes with a strong showing from the backline keeping Rathnew out.

Handling conditions were terrible with both sets of players struggling in the rain. Just staying up on their feet was a challenge and with the match going at 100mph the referee had his work cut out to adjudicate on a number of collisions. When Rathnew did finally score they followed it quickly with another white flag to half arrears. Peppard played four minutes of additional time given the number of stoppages in the first half but neither team added a score and at half time it was St. Patricks 0-4 to Rathnew’s 0-2.

The rain continued to pour from the sky which stripped this match of the quality moments both these teams can produce. St. Patricks were again guilty of barren spells without a score in this game but they did open the scoring in the second half to give them a 0-3 cushion. The rollercoaster of a game was being felt in the terraces with both sets of fans very vocal with their encouragement and opinions. Leighton Glynn started to come into the game and scored a free to reduce arrears before the Village struck again to reduce the deficit to the minimum. With time ticking away Australia bound Glynn weaved through the St. Pats defence once again and like last week levelled the game. Both teams went in search of a winner and Rathnew were incensed when they felt they should have had a late free in but the referee chose to throw the ball up. In fairness to the man in the middle I was right beside the incident and the green and red were looking for a free for the St Pats defender lying on the ball but the defender kept his body off the ball even though he was over it. A throw ball was the fairest option! The ball was cleared and the crowd settled in for extra time.

Rathnew had the wind at their backs for the first half of extra time. Veteran corner forward Tommy Gill raced onto a ball in the corner forward position and after gathering the ball in Gill moved away from goal and then shot over his shoulder with his back to the town end goal. The ball sailed high and straight over the black spot to spark jubilant scenes in the covered stand where the majority of Rathnew fans were located. Rathnew added another score to push their lead to 0-2 which given the pattern of the game was a big lead. St Patricks did outscore Rathnew 0-2 to 0-1 in the second half of extra time but that wasn’t enough and the reigning champions were back in the County Final.

The County Final will now take place on the 13^th of November to give Leighton a chance to represent Ireland in Australia.

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