Martin’s in control
Vols lose decider by eight points
ST. MARTIN’S 1-14 VOLUNTEERS 0-9
ST. MARTIN’S had too much for Volunteers in the Division 4 final of the All-County Football League in Tagoat on Friday.
Leading by 0-9 to 0-4 at the break, they pushed on after the re-start and, with the help of Jack Roche’s goal, they became convincing winners of the title.
The Piercestown-based side laid the foundations for their hardfought win in the first-half. Darren Jordan scored two early points and, with the help of Richard Devereux and Diarmuid Byrne singles, they took an early 4-1 lead.
Volunteers reacted quickly to this early deficit and had levelled it up momentarily by the 17th minute, with David Shannon, Eoin McCarthy and Neil Furlong all on target for the town team.
Yet, from there the final five scores of the half were all from St. Martin’s. Jordan scored three more dead-balls and both Conor Coleman and Seán Stafford contributed to quickly open up the five-point gap.
Volunteers made three changes at half-time in the hope of inspiring a turnaround but, while they stayed in sight in the second period, they never really threatening to turn the victors over.
Luke Dowdall and Cian Brennan scored soon after the re-start but St. Martin’s took a major step towards victory when Roche fired in off the underside of the crossbar in the 37th minute.
They kicked further on after the goal. Jordan got his sixth, with Adam Cantwell and Coleman adding further points to open up a 1-13 to 0-7 lead with just ten minutes left.
Aaron McGuire and Shannon cut the lead slightly with a point apiece but what they really needed was a maximum. However, Nicky Greene between the St. Martin’s posts simply was not tested enough for this to ever look like a possibility.
Stafford added the final score in the 56th minute and this capped off an impressive eight-point win for the men in maroon.
St. Martin’s: Nicky Greene (capt.); Adam McLoughlin, Philip Dempsey, Tony Kelly; Johnny Hamilton, Mark Maloney, Eoin O’Leary; Darren Jordan (0-6 frees), Conor Coleman (0-3); Jack Roche (1-0), Richard Devereux (0-1), Diarmuid Byrne (0-1); Seán Stafford (02), Philip Waters, Jack Whelan. Subs. - Adam Cantwell (0-1) for Whelan (40), Jack Devereux for Byrne (48), Luke White for McLoughlin (49), Leo Burke for Waters (51).
Volunteers: John Coady; Dylan Lawlor, Keith Furlong (capt.), Brian Delaney; Aaron McGuire (0-1), Mikey Banville, Cian Brennan (0-1); Eoin McCarthy (0-2), Stephen Burke; Peter Walsh, Mikey Lawlor, Jack O’Leary; Dylan Carthy (0-1), Neil Furlong (0-1), David Shannon (0-2, 1 free). Subs. - Paddy Glover for D. Lawlor (23), Jason Kearns for Delaney (31), Luke Dowdall (0-1) for O’Leary (31), Geoff Scally for Burke (31), Brian Dwyer for McCarthy (47), Donal O’Connor for Carthy (54).
Referee: Fintan O’Reilly (Kilmore).