Stars shine in confident win
Senior champs look good
STARLIGHTS SHELMALIERS
A COMPOSED and confident display throughout ensured Starlights of their first piece of silverware of the year as they overcame a lack-lustre Shelmaliers side in the All-County Football League Division 2 final in St. Patrick’s Park on Friday.
While it took them a while to rack up the scores, the eventual victors never looked in doubt as they kept possession for long periods and tried to piece plays together and set up attacks in an almost training-session-like manner.
Shelmaliers, with a number of notable absentees, struggled to match their opponents and were heavily reliant on placed balls for scores but, to their credit, continued to plug away to the end and kept the Starlights on their toes in the closing stages.
The gap was evident early on as the Enniscorthy side hit five without reply thanks to James Carty, Eamonn Furlong, Willie Hudson, Tomás Mahon and Dillon Redmond.
Shelmaliers had barely moved the ball down the other end of the field at this stage and their only scores of the half came from inter-county player Craig McCabe who looked highly competent from dead-balls.
Starlights looked to be preying patiently for a goal and they got it just before half-time when Willie Hudson followed up on Richie Farrell’s blocked effort to fist to the net, giving his side a six-point lead at the break.
Shelmaliers looked a little better in the second-half and McCabe and Aidan Cash traded scores on two occasions with Darragh Pepper who suddenly came to life and took four impressive scores as his side held a five-point lead going into the final quarter.
The Shels pressed hard in the closing minutes and tried in vain for a goal that could have made things interesting.
But the reigning county champions stood firm and a resolute finish along with a sublime display from the lively Darragh Pepper ensured that the cup was brought back the short distance to Bellefield.
Starlights: Pa Doyle; Rory O’Connor, Tom Wall, Anthony Roche; James Peare, Ricky Fox, Dillon Redmond (02, 1 free); Richie Farrell (capt.), Jack Kelly; Alan Tobin, James Carty (0-1), Darragh Pepper (0-6); Willie Hudson (1-1), Eamonn Furlong (0-1), Tomás Mahon (0-1). Subs. - Nick Doyle for Mahon, Ryan Mahon for Wall, Lenny Connolly (0-1) for Furlong, Tommy Foley (0-1) for Hudson, Jason Russell for Roche, also Damien Tobin, Dale Galway, Anthony Russell, Chris Doyle, Jack Doyle, Ronan Kirwan, Killian Lett, Tom Ryan, Mel Doyle, Kevin Foley, Liam Ryan, Conor Farrell, Dylan McVeigh.
Shelmaliers: James Gordon; Andre O’Brien, James Cash, Dan Campbell; Craig Parker, Graham Staples, Cian Manley; Aidan Cash (0-2), Eoin O’Leary; Brian Murphy, Ciarán O’Shaughnessy, Liam Rockett; Páraic O’Leary, Craig McCabe (0-7, 5 frees), Ross Banville. Subs. - Conor Walsh (0-1) for Manley, Aodhán Foley for Campbell, Niall Murphy for Rockett, also Graham Lawler-Ryan, Seán Keane-Carroll, Conor Hearne, Jody Donohoe, Brian Malone, Tommy Barron, A.J. Lehane, Aaron Doyle.
Referee: Brendan Holohan (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown). AN INJURY time penalty from James Kelly earned Davidstown-Courtnacuddy a share of the spoils after an action-packed Greenstar Under-20 football championship Division 4B encounter at The Rocks on Wednesday.
St. Mary’s looked to have turned the tide in their favour when scoring an unanswered 1-3 between the 50th and 58th minutes to fashion a three-point advantage, but when Kelly got his chance in additional time he made no mistake.
The teams weren’t long about hinting at the goal rush to come, with Davidstown-Courtnacuddy awarded a penalty in the fifth minute after Darragh Cooper was fouled. Up stepped Kelly to take the spot-kick, but goalkeeper Luke Rogan got down well to make the save.
The miss looked even more costly three minutes later when the hosts pounced for a goal. Leon Nolan-Cullen won possession and picked out the lethal Todd Hynes who finished with aplomb to the corner of the net.
The Wexford town crew stretched their lead to 1-2 to nil, but after the impressive Seán Cooper eventually got Davidstown-Courtnacuddy off the mark in the 19th minute, they plundered a goal seconds later.
A James Kelly delivery into the danger zone was well fetched by Stephen Hickey, and he fed the inrushing Pádraig Loughlin who took his chance from close range.
However, St. Mary’s built up a 2-4 to 1-3 advantage by the interval, with Adam Baziz grabbing their second goal, gathering a Hynes pass and shooting low to the net in the 27th minute.
The Maudlintown side seemed to have tightened their grip on the contest within three minutes of the turnaround when Hynes netted his second goal.
Leon Nolan-Cullen fielded the ball brilliantly in midfield before sending Hynes on his way, and the attacker did the rest, bursting forward with menace before rocketing the ball past netminder Barry Nolan to give his side a 3-5 to 1-3 lead.
However, Davidstown-Courtnacuddy then completely turned the game on its head, scoring 2-5 without reply by the 47th minute to take a 3-8 to 3-5 advantage.
James Kelly scored the first of two quickfire goals for the Enniscorthy District side in the 40th minute, bursting through before planting the ball past Luke Rogan, and seconds later Eoin Furlong gathered possession and finished with similar panache, finding the top corner of the net.
In a topsy-turvy contest, it was St. Mary’s turn to rediscover their mojo and Todd Hynes completed his hat-trick to help them to a 4-8 to 3-8 advantage with just over two minutes of normal time remaining.
Davidstown-Courtnacuddy were handed one last chance deep into injury time when referee Mick Lanigan awarded them a penalty, and Kelly did the needful this time around.
St. Mary’s (Maudlintown): Luke Rogan; David Tennant, Cade Caulfield, Patsy Whelan; Kian Whelan, Mark Doyle, Steven Doyle; Ramish Amakan, Adam Baziz (1-0); Byron Sweeney (0-1), Todd Hynes (3-3, 0-3 frees), Lee Nolan (0-2); Conor Morris, Leon Nolan-Cullen (0-1 free), T.J. Nolan (0-1).
Davidstown-Courtnacuddy: Barry Nolan; Conor Blythe, Rory Loughlin, Peadar Roche; James Doyle, Mark Murphy, Mark Kavanagh; Seán Cooper (0-5), Pádraig Loughlin (1-0); Eoin Furlong (1-0), James Kelly (2-3, 1-0 pen., 0-1 free), Brian Ormonde; Charlie Dunne, Darragh Cooper, Stephen Hickey.
Referee: Mick Lanigan (Shelmaliers).