F.C.J. fall short in lively final
End-to-end affair ends in three-point victory for Kilcock
S. DARA (KILCOCK) F.C.J. (BUNCLODY) 3-11 3-8
F.C.J. (BUNCLODY) more than played their part in this entertaining, end-to-end affair at the Kildare Centre of Excellence in Hawkfield on Tuesday, but unfortunately they came up short in the Top Oil South Leinster Senior football ‘B’ championship final for the second year running.
And it took a very talented team to beat them, as the victors from Scoil Dara (Kilcock) competed in the ‘A’ grade last season and brought Good Counsel to three games before bowing out by one point in a second replay.
Eight players survived from that strong outfit, with the Kildare school drawing heavily from Meath football strongholds Moynalvey, Na Fianna and Summerhill.
F.C.J. had lost to Carlow C.B.S. at the same stage by 1-10 to 1-7 in 2017, and that frustrating threepoint margin was repeated after a game featuring swift counter-attacking from both sides.
Meath Minor Conor Frayne was the three-goal hero for the winners, with his first coming from the penalty spot in the tenth minute after netminder Jack Regan fouled Paddy O’Sullivan.
Cillian Redmond (’45) and Frayne had swapped points beforehand, and F.C.J. reacted well to that goal concession as Matthew Ging and Eddie Black (free) reduced arrears to the minimum.
Scoil Dara looked menacing every time they broke downfield though, and they almost added a second goal in the 13th minute when Matt Brennan rattled the crossbar from a Ciarán Smyth pass.
Paddy O’Sullivan did pick off a point before the net bulged once more early in the second quarter, with Frayne reacting quickest after Jack Regan parried a head-high delivery from Luke Kelly into his path(2-2to0-3).
The game threatened to run away from F.C.J. in the six minutes that followed as Frayne, Kelly and Frayne again (free) added points.
However, they got the tonic they needed when Eddie Black handpassed to Edward Dunbar who in turn found James Lawlor, and the full-forward crashed the ball to the net (2-5 to 1-3).
Black added a point after Dunbar broke the kick-out into the path of Daniel Ging, and the margin could have been even lower than four points at the interval after midfielder Cillian Redmond hooked a low shot across goal and wide in the 30th minute.
F.C.J. continued to play with a lot of belief on the re-start, with Luke Kelly and Matthew Ging (free) exchanging points before the latter struck for a fine goal.
He latched on to the Scoil Dara kick-out and made ground before planting the ball in the net, leaving the minimum between two evenly-matched teams (2-6 to 2-5).
F.C.J. continued to get a lot of joy from the opposition re-starts as they attacked the ball at every opportunity, but they couldn’t get their noses ahead.
Influential midfielder Shane Walsh and Conor Frayne picked off Scoil Dara points before number four Seán Bookey - who spent most of his time in an advanced position - split the posts from an Edward Dunbar handpass.
Frayne left Kilcock clear by 2-9 to 2-6 before David Brennan made a super save to deny James Lawlor at the expense of a ’45 after Cillian Redmond claimed a mark from a Scoil Dara kick-out.
Matthew Ging drilled a low shot wide after the placed ball that followed rebounded off a post, and disaster struck for F.C.J. less than three minutes later.
A line ball from the right halfback sector was played backwards, but inadvertently straight into the path of attacking ace Conor Frayne who availed of the present to bear down on goal before calmly completing his hattrick (3-9 to 2-6).
F.C.J. came back undeterred, as Matthew Ging pointed a free before James Lawlor set up a grandstand finish with his second goal in the 56th minute after good work by Peadair Cowman and Edward Dunbar.
A relieving point from Scoil Dara’s Shane Walsh drew a quick reply from Lawlor, and the Kildare-Meath border side couldn’t afford to relax until Luke Kelly kicked their last score in added time after Conor Frayne initially struck the woodwork.
F.C.J. hit 14 wides compared to six from the winners, and they were awarded 20 of the game’s 30 frees. It was a brave effort on the whole against highly-rated opponents, but that South Leinster crown remained as elusive as it proved twelve months ago.
F.C.J.: Jack Regan (HWH-Bunclody); Seán Bookey (Kilrush, 0-1), Adam Hogan (HWH-Bunclody), Robert Murphy (Ferns St. Aidan’s); Niall Murphy (Ferns St. Aidan’s), Liam McGuill (Kildavin-Clonegal), Byron Byrne (HWH-Bunclody); Cillian Redmond (Kildavin-Clonegal, 0-1 ’45), Peadair Cowman (HWH-Bunclody, capt.); Ciarán Kavanagh (HWH-Bunclody), Eddie Black (HWH-Bunclody, 0-2, 1 free), Edward Dunbar (HWH-Bunclody); Matthew Ging (Tinahely, 1-3, 0-2 frees), James Lawlor (Ferns St. Aidan’s, 2-1), Daniel Ging (Tinahely). Subs. - Robert St. Ledger (Kildavin-Clonegal) for Black (46), also Tadhg O Ceallaigh (HWH-Bunclody), James Byrne (Kilrush), Brian Lambert (Tinahely), Peter Kelly (Ballyhogue), Kevin Mulhall (Tinahely), Patrick O’Hagan (Ferns St. Aidan’s), Barry Doyle (Duffry Rovers), Jamie Roban (Duffry Rovers), Seb Pim (Davidstown-Courtnacuddy), Darragh Kinsella (Kilrush), Alan Doyle (Duffry Rovers), George Kenny (Duffry Rovers), Niall Hickey (Kildavin-Clonegal), Ciarán Regan (HWH-Bunclody), Michael McGinty (Davidstown-Courtnacuddy), Seán McLoughlin (Marshalstown-Castledockrell), Philip Byrne (Kilrush), Cian Cowman (Duffry Rovers).
Scoil Dara: David Brennan; Sam Sheahan, Seán Rafferty, Lee Loughnane; Ciarán Harnan, Oisín McCluskey, Conor Lawless; Ciarán Smyth, Shane Walsh (0-3); Matt Brennan, Paddy O’Sullivan (0-1), Eoghan Mulhall; Luke Kelly (0-3), Oran Smullen, Conor Frayne (3-4, 1-0 pen., 0-1 free). Subs. - James Kenehan for Lawless (37), Eoghan Frayne for Mulhall (43), Shane Farrell for Harnan (49), Jamie O’Shea for O’Sullivan (52), Jamie Acton for M. Brennan (55).
Referee: Pat Kehoe (Carlow).