Season Up & Running with Intermediate Championship Win over Hunterstown Rovers
04 Jul 2010
With all the hype in the county about the upcoming Leinster final the Joes and Hunterstown met in Grove this evening to play their first round intermediate championship match of 2010. With neither team having any players on the county panel the fixture was able to go ahead and with the new championship structure getting off to a winning start is crucial.
It is fair to say that from the start, this was a game low on scoring and quality. The first quarter only produced three points, David Reilly getting the opening score of the match for the Joes after just a minute. This was followed up by a David Fedigan point from play and when Alan Landy was fouled close in he landed the free himself, to put the Hunterstown men into the lead for the only time in the game.
This lead was shorted lived, as within a few minutes Conal O Hanlon had the ball in the net for the Joes, to end a move where Derek Mulligans shot on goal had thundered back off the crossbar. It was David Reilly who was very much the man who was to the fore for the Joes in the last ten minutes of the half. Scoring his and the Joes second point of the match, before he got through on goal to have his shot very well saved. It was in injury time that John Murtagh played a ball into Conal O Hanlon, who showed his quick hands to lay it off to Skid, who with the last kick of the half got another point.
Half Time Score: St Josephs 1-3, Hunterstown Rovers 0-2
Hunterstown did start brightly in the opening minutes of first half, but saw no return for their efforts, the closest that they came being David Fedigan penalty claim, but referee Tommy Mc Enteggart correctly gave the free out for charging, as the Joes full back line stood strong. It was the Joes who struck first again in the half and again it was David Reilly, a move started by Peter Brennan in the middle and involved Cian Smyth and Derek Mulligan was finished off when Reillys shot for goal came off the top of the crossbar and over.
This was the first score in a tit for tat scoring period over the next 15 minutes. Alan Landy was back on the score sheet for Hunterstown with a point from play, before Derek Mulligan landed a placed ball, after Conal O Hanlon had been fouled. Wing back Patrick Matthews raided forward for Hunterstown to bring their tally to four points. Derek Mulligan then set up Conal O Hanlon for his first point of the match, before Landy got his third and Hunterstowns final score of the game with 20 minutes played.
The Joes scored the last three points of the match. The first of these saw Peter Brennan play an interchange with Conal O Hanlon before taking a fine point. Next up was captain Derek Mulligan who flicked the ball up and over from the right corner. It was again Mulligan on target for the last score, when a long ball in from John Murtagh found Alan Lynch, Lynch laid it off to Mulligan who was in on goal and fisted over to keep the score board ticking over in the final minute of normal time.
Full Time Score: St Josephs 1-9, Hunterstown Rovers 0-5
This was not a good game, but nonetheless it was a crucial win for the Joes and it is the result that counts. Next up in the championship will be Dundalk Young Irelands, which will no doubt not be fixed until after Louths involvement in the championship is over. Next game up is the Sean O Mahonys in the senior league, the game is on Thursday night in Cluskey Park at 8pm.
Team: Paul Dromgoole, Philip Kinahan. Kevin Woods, Anthony Keenan, David O Donoghue, Ollie Mc Donnell, Andrew Cluskey, Bernard Mulligan, Peter Brennan (0-1), Cian Smyth, Conal O Hanlon (1-1), Peter Mulligan, Derek Mulligan (0-3), John Murtagh, David Reilly (0-4).
Substitutions: Alan Lynch for Cian Smyth (45 mins), Liam Mernagh for Andrew Cluskey (inj) (63 mins)
Hunterstown Scorers: Alan Landy 0-3, David Fedigan and Patrick Matthews 0-1 each.
Referee: Tommy Mc Enteggart
