Spoils shared after tough tie
ON the balance of play, St Pat’s deserved to win this match. Unfortunately for them, sport doesn’t work like that.
The elements had the biggest say of all in this match, the rain never relented and the wind blew straight down the field towards the town end, giving both teams an automatic advantage in either half.
Neither team, strangely, elected to launch long balls into their forward line with the wind as expected, instead, it tortured the goalkeepers who couldn’t get any sort of distance on their kick outs and costs their teams scores.
St Pat’s played into the wind in the first half and while four points wasn’t an exceptional scoring re- turn, it was better than Baltinglass’ solitary score in the second half.
In fact, they looked the better team in the first half with Eamonn Wolfe, in the unfamiliar surrounds of midfield, on the ball often and looking to drive at Baltinglass. He battled with Kevin Murphy all evening who matched him for influence and both will relish the chance to meet each other later in the year.
There wasn’t any fluency to the Baltinglass attack, it stuttered and spluttered its way to a half-time lead without really causing the St Pat’s defence much trouble. The goals came late in the half and they were rather fortuitous. The St Pat’s attack, on the other hand, was that little bit smoother.
Adam McHugh opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a free following a foul on Christopher Heaslip. However St Pat’s responded with two points to take the lead by the tenth minute. First Jonathan Delahunt launched a bullet from distance after Wolfe did well and then Stephen Duffy swung over a free.
McHugh, from 45 metres out near the sideline, and Duffy traded frees in the next few minutes before Henry Synnott converted one of his own to level the match. 22 minutes in and St Pat’s could be fairly happy with proceedings.
However, Ian Murphy’s kickout hung in the air to allow Baltinglass attack the ball and gather possession. A shot dropped short into Peter Dowling’s grateful hands and he slipped the ball past the advancing Murphy for the opening goal of the game.
Duffy replied with a free from 14 meters when Simon Bouchier was fouled by Jason Kennedy but just on the stroke of half time Baltinglass got their second goal. An Adam McHugh free dropped on the edge of the square and Synnott got a fist to the ball to hit the back
of the net. It was 2-03 to 4 at half time and Baltinglass led without playing all too well.
Baltinglass opened the second half with a couple of chances they couldn’t convert into the wind whereas Duffy didn’t have that problem at the other end. Tommy Kelly opened his account moments later when a ball was played into Paul O’Brien and Kelly was in support to curl over his side’s sixth point.
Baltinglass worked themselves into a few more good attacking positions but again couldn’t convert, blazing their shots wide.
Kelly was fouled and pointed the free to bring St Pat’s within two with fifteen minutes to go and that deficit was obliterated by the 52nd minute, first Duffy hit a monster free from 55 metres and then when the kick out hung in the air St Pat’s won possession and Duffy split the posts.
St Pat’s took the lead with six minutes to go. Padraig Higgins won the ball in defence and it was moved up the field. Much to Dean Healy’s annoyance on the side line the ball wasn’t pumped into Kelly on the edge of the square but the slower build up paid off as Paul O’Brien kicked his only point of the game.
That spurned Baltinglass into action and Adam McHugh finally got his side a second half point to equalise. Both teams had late chances to win, Kelly went wide with a free while Jason Kennedy dropped a shot short. Referee Eugene O’Brien brought an end to proceedings at that, though both management teams thought it was a little too early though nobody complained about getting away from the wind and rain.
Scorers – St Pat’s: Stephen Duffy (5f) 0-06; Tommy Kelly (1f) 0-02; Jonathan Delahunt, Paul O’Brien 0-01 each.
Baltinglass: Henry Synnott (1f)
1-01; Peter Dowling 1-00; Adam McHugh (2f) 0-03.
St Pat’s: Ian Murphy; Wayne Doyle, Padraig Higgins, Ciaran Doyle; Simon Bouchier, Shane Murley, Christopher Kavanagh; Shane Doyle, Eamonn Wolfe; Richard Murphy, Patrick McWalter, Jonathan Delahunt; Stephen Duffy, Paul O’Brien, Tommy Kelly. Sub: Conor O’Brien for Simon Bouchier (47 mins).
Baltinglass: William Hanlon; Cian Lee, Tom Murphy, Aaron Barrett; Pat Burke, Billy Cullen, Tom Burke; Kevin Murphy, Jason Kennedy; Conor Keogh, Adam McHugh, Stephen Heaslip; Christopher Heaslip, Peter Dowling, Henry Synnott. Subs: John Murray for William Hanlon (5 mins, inj.), Declan Jones for Conor Keogh, Michael Dowling for Stephen Heaslip (both 47 mins); Sean O’Brien for Henry Synnott (48 mins); Michael English for Declan Jones (52 mins).
Referee: Eugene O’Brien