Horeswood seal top spot
HORESWOOD 1-16 ST. MARY’S (R’LARE) 0-14
HORESWOOD ENSURED top spot in Group A of the Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship, and a quarter-final clash with the fourth-placed Group B side, thanks to a fourth successive victory in Clongeen on Sunday.
St. Mary’s (Rosslare) were also unbeaten beforehand, with two wins plus a draw, and they stayed with their fancied rivals for a long spell before a goal in the 48th minute condemned them to a first defeat.
This lively game bore the same pattern Horeswood have followed in the campaign thus far, doing just about enough to secure victory without ever looking like inflicting a heavy beating on the opposition.
Indeed, they were only ahead by 0-12 to 0-11 when that game-clinching goal arrived, with Darren Shannon applying a cool left-footed finish with a low shot after Ryan Harris latched on to a long kick-out into space and made considerable ground.
The best St. Mary’s could do thereafter was to get the margin down to three after points from David Murphy (free), Gearóid Byrne (deflected over by a defender) and Lee Devereux.
However, late scores from substitute Declan Murphy and Shannon secured a second five-point win of the year for Horeswood whose last group game will be against struggling Bannow-Ballymitty.
St. Mary’s have still to play Crossabeg-Ballymurn, and they will be guaranteed a quarter-final spot in advance if the Over The Water side win their back fixture next Saturday.
Either way, Rosslare are virtually certain to be in the last eight as their scoring difference is vastly superior to the side they drew with in round one, Bannow-Ballymitty, who still have the potential to join them on five points in the event of a couple of unlikely results on their part.
The sides were level three times in the first eight minutes before St. Mary’s enjoyed a bright patch, surging clear by 0-6 to 0-3 with points from two David Murphy frees on either side of a Tiarnan Rossiter effort from play.
Rossiter carried a hamstring injury into the game which forced him to move from midfield to full-forward midway through the first-half, and the supply wasn’t always of the required quality afterwards.
That was due in large part to a much-improved Horeswood display as they really upped the ante between the 14th and 26th minutes, hitting seven points on the bounce to turn that deficit of three into a 0-10 to 0-6 lead.
P.J. Banville (two frees), Darren Shannon, Jamie Myler, Eric Banville (two) and Seán Nolan did the needful, and it was 11-8 at half-time after Tiarnan Rossiter and Seán Finan stopped the rot late on for Rosslare, before and after another converted P.J. Banville free.
St. Mary’s were persistent on the re-start and shouldn’t be disheartened by their overall display, with Cian Boggan and David Murphy (free) making it a one-point game by the 37th minute.
Former county colleagues P.J. Banville and Murphy swapped further scores from dead balls before the arrival of that vital Darren Shannon goal, and that was that as far as the destination of the points was concerned.
Horeswood: Conor Swaine; Kevin Parker, Leigh O’Brien, Ryan Harris; Eddie Shiely, Barry Hearn, Seán Stafford; David O’Shea, P.J. Banville (capt., 0-5 frees); Eamonn O’Sullivan, Jamie Myler (0-2), David Larkin; Eric Banville (0-3), Darren Shannon (1-3), Seán Nolan (0-2). Subs. - Declan Murphy (0-1) for O’Sullivan (48), Eoin Murphy for E. Banville (60+1).
St. Mary’s: Gavin Morris; Shea Boggan, Emmet Byrne, Gearóid Byrne (capt., 0-1); Niall Walsh (0-1), Naomhan Rossiter, Seán Finan (0-1); Robert Butler, Tiarnan Rossiter (0-2); Cian Boggan (0-1), Andrew Murphy, Paul Kinsella (0-1); Rees Broaders, David Murphy (0-6 frees), Lee Devereux (01). Subs. - Liam O’Connor for Walsh (HT), Larry Morrissey for A. Murphy (49), Jason Ellard for T. Rossiter (57).
Referee: Damien Donovan (Volunteers).