Seniors Battle Hard for Welcome League Win
08 Jul 2010
The season is official back on track after a hard earned win in Cluskey Park this evening over the Sean O Mahonys. These were two teams with very different league form coming into the match and a win would put O Mahonys top of the pile.
The Joes, as has been customary this season got the first score of the game, a point from the versatile Paul Dromgoole. This was followed up minutes later by a well worked goal and when John Murtagh was found in space he drove the ball in off the underside of the crossbar. Then when Derek Mulligan was fouled, the resultant free from Peter Brennan gave the home side a commanding early advantage. The visitors got off the mark in the 8th minute with a David Crawley free. This was followed however by Joes points for Cian Smyth and Paul Dromgoole. It was Smyth who was again on target next after being set up by Peter Brennan in an unorthodox fashion!
The Quay men then had their best period of the half and got scores from play for Barry Mackin and Paul Savage. But David Reilly showed his experience and settled things down again for the Joes with a well taken point. This was followed by two rapid fire points from Derek Mulligan, the first a free and from the resultant short kickout he stole in and took the ball and popped it over.
Cian Smyth, who was showing some of his best form, launched over the next to give the Joes a nine point lead. Frees from Brendan O Nordone and Barry Mackin pulled the O Mahonys deficit back somewhat before Liam Mernagh ran through from the right wing and pointed to leave the score at 1-10 to 0-5 nearing the end of the half. But it was the quay men who showed strongest at the end of the half and could have had a goal, but had to settle for a close in free that David Crawley pointed. Barry Mackin put one more over for them before the break to leave a six point differential at the break.
Half Time Score: St Josephs 1-10, Sean O Mahonys 0-7
The O Mahonys started where they had left off before the break, with David Crawley winning the throw in and playing the ball into Barry Mackin who pointed. Crawley followed this up with a pointed free himself, before Paul Savage scored one from play in the ninth minute to leave just the goal between the sides. Over the next six minutes Crawley would have four opportunities to shoot for the posts from a dead ball position. One of these was plucked from over the bar by Robert Samson, but with him kicking the other three, he had completed a run of eight unanswered points for the Quay men and the game was level with 16 minutes played in the half. But the parity would last less than a minute.
This is where the Joes hit the decisive blow in the game, scoring three points in as many minutes. Straight from the kickout the ball was played upfield where the move was finished by David Reilly. The Joes won the kickout in the middle and when the ball landed on Derek Mulligans doorstep he duly pointed also. The Joes managed to maintain all the possession and territory in this spell and when Mulligan was again fouled inside he took the resultant free himself to give a three point lead with nine minutes of normal time to play.
The majority of the closing minutes were played in the Joes half, with men funnelled back and the O Mahonys desperately trying to get something out of the game. But the Joes stood firm and even though there was over three minutes of additional time played, the two frees from David Crawley were not enough to deny this gutsy Joes team all of the spoils!
Full Time Score: St Josephs 1-13, Sean O Mahonys 0-15
Team: Robert Samson, Philip Kinahan, Kevin Woods, Anthony Keenan, David O Donoghue, Ollie Mc Donnell, Andrew Cluskey, Bernard Mulligan, Peter Brennan (0-1), Liam Mernagh (0-1), Paul Dromgoole (0-2), Cian Smyth (0-3), David Reilly (0-2), John Murtagh (1-0), Derek Mulligan (0-4).
Substitutions: Mark Dromgoole for Ollie Mc Donnell (inj), Mark Gorham for Paul Dromgoole, Aaron Smyth for Liam Mernagh
Sean O Mahonys: Liam Byrne, Barry O Brien, Alan Craven, Alan Watters, Conor Finnegan, Ronan Byrne, Tiernan Woods, David Dowling, David Crawley (0-8 All Frees), Conor Martin, Gary Mulligan, Liam Dullaghan, Paul Savage (0-2), Brendan O Nordone (0-1), Barry Mackin (0-4).
Substitutions: Niall Mc Loughlin for Alan Craven, Conor Crawley for David Dowling
Referee: Malachy Craven (Na Piarsaigh)
