Goals give Glynn edge

GOALS WON the day for Glynn-Barntown as they took the points against Naomh Eanna in the opening round of the Enniscorthy Farm Systems Junior football championship Group A in St. Patrick’s Park on Sunday.

It’s a game very few will remember (after all, just 29 supporters were in attendace), but it still contained a handful of the usual moments of intrigue, excitement and a little controversy.

Most of the excitement came in the first-half as Glynn-Barntown cut through the heart of the Gorey defence on several occasions.

They profited from three of those moves, building a lead they were able to largely maintain after the break.

The Killurin-based club kicked eight first-half wides but did open their major account as early as the fifth minute when Jack Brazill fed Jamie Crean into the clear and he finished with aplomb. Gearóid Cullen responded with a free but it was soon countered by Matthew Joyce.

Joyce flashed wide when another goal looked likely just before the end of the opening quarter, but he did notch his second point moments later to make it 1-2 to 0-1.

Evan O’Dwyer kicked two classy points in a row as Glynn-Barntown went nine minutes without registering.

When they did find their next score it was the result of a slalom run and clinical finish by Crean for goal number two.

Despite points from Cian Kenny and Eoin McGuckin, Joyce finished a sensational team move in added time to give Glynn-Barntown a 3-2 to 0-5 lead.

Just a solitary Gearóid Cullen point had been scored in the second-half when Gorey thought they found a way back into the match.

Dara McDonald had the ball in the net but referee Philip Murphy adjudged that he was standing in the square when the ball was delivered, a rule that stumped a few within the Naomh Eanna camp.

After Cormac Cooney pointed, Darragh Canavan did force Adam O’Leary into a sharp save, but the goal Gorey needed just wouldn’t come.

Cullen added two dead-balls in the final quarter but Glynn-Barntown held on to take the spoils.

Next up for the winners is a clash with Castletown in Monamolin on Sunday, while Naomh Eanna will feature on that same double-header when they will go in as underdogs against District rivals Kilrush.

Glynn-Barntown: Adam O’Leary; David Roche, Shane Codd, Bill Joyce; Jamie O’Shea, Stephen Lyne, Frankie Hynes; Matthew Banville, Calum O’Shea; Jamie Crean (2-0), Pádraic Wafer, Cormac Cooney (0-1); Darragh Nolan, Jack Brazill, Matthew Joyce (1-3). Subs. - Ben O’Shea for Banville (31), Conor Clarke for B. O’Shea, inj. (33), Murtagh Joyce for Cooney (59).

Naomh Eanna: Eamonn Doyle; John Lillis, Nathan Byrne, Seán Dowling; Michael Kennedy, Daniel Sunderland, Evan O’Dwyer (0-2); Cian Kenny (0-1), John Doyle (capt.); Darragh Canavan, Gearóid Cullen (0-4, 3 frees), Dara McDonald; Eoin McGuckin (0-1), Ryan Higgins, Barry Levingston. Subs. - Ian Parle for McGuckin (45), Patrick Dwyer for Levingston (54).

Referee: Philip Murphy (Faythe Harriers).