Davidstown depart from race on a very sour note
O’GATE-GLENBRIEN D’TOWN-C’CUDDY
OYLEGATE-GLENBRIEN booked an Enniscorthy Farm Systems Junior football championship quarter-final spot opposite Glynn-Barntown with a crushing Group B victory over Davidstown-Courtnacuddy in Farmleigh on Saturday.
However, their victory was overshadowed by an unsavoury incident that didn’t even involve the quarter-finalists. With 28 minutes on the clock, Davidstown-Courtnacuddy on the attack and the ball still in play, one of their mentors became apoplectic with midfielder Philip Murphy.
The selector, going absolutely berserk and roaring at his charge, summoned Murphy off the field immediately and tried to replace him with a substitute, shoving and verbally insulting the shellshocked player while he was leaving the field.
To Murphy’s credit, he didn’t react to the embarrassingly pathetic display from the Davidstown-Courtnacuddy mentor and walked off the field without a retaliation. Others might not have reacted with such impressive restraint.
It was a sad moment for a club with many devoted members trying hard to build foundations at under-age level that will see them compete successfully for years to come. Indeed, just earlier in the day they had Colm ‘ Gooch’ Cooper in doing a session with the Under-12s.
However, this is not the way to treat lads going out there busting a gut playing Junior football for a club they have represented with pride for years.
The Boolabawn side are out of the football now but must act to prevent a repeat of this kind of incident in the future.
On the field Oylegate-Glenbrien boasted nine different scorers on their way to a 1-11 to 0-2 interval lead. Ciarán Hourihane netted in the 13th minute and they could have had others as their talented squad put Davidstown-Courtnacuddy to the sword.
Alan Hickey scored a well-taken major after the break but it only provided a moment’s respite. Shane Reck, Marty Kelly and substitute Pierce Murphy all registered goals in the second-half to see Oylegate-Glenbrien into the last eight in flying form.
Oylegate-Glenbrien: Eddie Mernagh; Lee Kehoe, Michael Heffernan, Fergal Doran; Bryan McCormack (0-1), Shane Reck (1-0), Jamie Reck; Mark Kavanagh (0-2), Ciarán Hourihane (1-2); Tom White (0-1), Podge Doran (0-1), Marty Kelly (capt., 1-2); John McCormack (0-3), Peter Nolan (0-2), Damien Reck (0-2). Subs. - Fergus Heffernan for F. Doran, inj. (40), Barry Dunne for D. Reck (46), Conor Heffernan for Kavanagh (48), Jack Reck for P. Doran (51), Pierce Murphy (1-1) for S. Reck (53), Daithí O’Mahoney for B. McCormack (56).
Davidstown-Courtnacuddy: Stephen Dunbar; Andrew Furlong, Johnny Delaney (0-1), Kevin Keane; David O’Shea, Pádraig Loughlin (0-1), Pa Rowsome; Philip Murphy, David Shore; Alan Hickey (1-0), David O’Dwyer, James Doyle; Danny Delaney, Paul Sheridan, Stephen Kennedy (capt., 0-1 free). Subs. - James Kelly for Murphy (28), Stephen Sheridan for Doyle (37), Timmy Morrissey for Shore (40), Kieran McCabe (0-1) for Hickey (42), Ciarán Walsh for J. Delaney (42), Eoin Keane for M. Delaney (45).
Referee: Paddy Brady (Réalt na Mara).