Oylegate-Glenbrien see off Glynn-Barntown
OYLEGATE-G’BRIEN GLYNN-BARNTOWN
IT wasn’t always pretty, but Oylegate-Glenbrien eventually did what they had to do to grind out a victory over their dogged opponents in their Enniscorthy Farms Systems Junior football championship quarter-final in a blustery Bree on Saturday.
The Killurin-based crew held a 0-5 to 0-2 advantage at the interval, which, in truth, never looked like it was going to be enough as they turned around to play into the teeth of the strong wind.
However, Glynn-Barntown packed the defence and managed to frustrate their fancied opponents for the ten minutes after the break, but once Marty Kelly struck for the only goal of the game to draw Oylegate-Glenbrien level there was only ever going to be one outcome. Points from Tom White and Ciarán Hourihane had Oylegate-Glenbrien 0-2 to 0-1 ahead inside seven minutes, but they didn’t work the scoreboard again until the 41st minute.
Glynn-Barntown held a threepoint advantage by the change of ends, with Jack Brazill, Aaron Kehoe (two), Seán Carmody and Dylan Lyne all splitting the posts, but they will rue not adding a few more scores to their tally with the breeze at their backs.
They did battle well after the interval though, playing some clever possession football, but the wind was well and truly taken out of their sails in the 41st minute, when Marty Kelly gathered a Mark Kavanagh pass and slid the ball past goalkeeper Adam O’Leary.
As expected Oylegate-Glenbrien kicked on from there and Podge Doran followed up a free, by curling over a fine effort moments later.
They remained camped in the Glynn-Barntown half and closed out the win with points from Michael Heffernan, Daithi O’Mahoney, Mark Kavanagh, Tom White and Jamie Reck to seal their spot in the semi-final.
Oylegate-Glenbrien: Eddie Mernagh; Lee Kehoe, Michael Heffernan (01), Ciarán Lambert; Bryan McCormack, Damien Reck, Jamie Reck (0-1); Shane Reck, Mark Kavanagh (0-1); Ciarán Hourihane (0-1), Podge Doran (0-2, 1 free), Tom White (0-2); John McCormack, Peter Nolan, Marty Kelly (capt., 1-0). Subs. - Jim White for McCormack, Daithi O’Mahoney (0-1) for Nolan, Pierce Murphy for Kelly, Conor Heffernan for Doran.
Glynn-Barntown: Adam O’Leary; Gary Sutton, Paschal Carley, David Roche; Kevin Creane, Aaron Breen, Frankie Hynes; Cormac Rowe, Aaron Kehoe (0-2, 1 free); Dylan Lyne (0-1), Seán Carmody (0-1 free), Bill Joyce; Jack Brazill (0-1), Darragh Barron (capt.), Jamie O’Shea. Subs. - David Clarke for Joyce, John Leacy for O’Shea, Daniel O’Regan for Sutton, Barry Kirwan for Kehoe.
Referee: Paddy Campbell (Shelmaliers).