St. John’s top group with win
IN the wet and slippery conditions in Markievicz Park on Saturday evening St Johns overcame the challenge of St Patricks by 3 – 12 to 1 – 8 to top group 3 of the Kennedys Intermediate Football Championship.
Due to the colours of the two teams involved this was described by some as a dress rehearsal of the All Ireland senior football final but hopefully the fare on offer in Croke Park will be a step up on that produced on Saturday as both teams struggled to overcome the rain and wind that swept the pitch and made the greasy ball difficult to control. Just as Mayo have a mature hero in Andy Moran, St Johns had their own inspiration in the form of Alan Keane who scored 1 – 7 (4F,1’45). While his scores were vital for the win, his work-rate and ability to bring others into the play was an important aspect of his team’s success.
St Patricks were almost totally dependent for scores on the free-taking of Paul Boland who scored 1-4 (penalty and 3 frees) and Padraic Clarke who contributed 4 pts from frees.
This failure to score more from play says more about the defensive strength of the hard tackling St Johns backline than the inability of the St Pats forwards.
The Carraroe boys opened very strongly going 4 points up after 5 min thanks to Keane from play, free and a ’45 and another from James Murphy. St Pats opened their account with a free from the right by Padraic Clarke followed by their only score from play coming from Boland.
Another Keane free for Johns was balanced by a Clarke free for the Dromard boys before Keane broke through to shoot to the Pats net for their first goal.
A David Rooney point increased St Johns lead and further pointed frees for Pats by Boland and Clarke reduced the margin before the Johns defence had a lucky escape when a Pats goal chance went narrowly wide.
Just before the half time whis- tle good tackling by Alan Keane dispossed the Pats goalkeeper Conor Cadden and Tommy Kelly swooped in to score Johns second goal to leave the score 2 – 6 to 0 – 5.
St Johns started off the second half as in the first with point from a Keane free and a Murphy pt from play.
Two pointed frees from Boland were followed by a Daniel Smith point for the Carraroe side before St Pats hope were given a lift when they were awarded a penalty which Boland converted to bring the deficit down to 5 points.
But their joy was short-lived as Brian Mc Gowan struck for Johns third goal.
Two further Keane points and another from Kelly with a Boland point in reply left the final score at 3 -12 to 1 -8.
St Johns improved greatly from their second half performance in their Enniscrone game and team manager Dara Mc Garty will be pleased with this and hope that it continues for the rest of the campaign if the Intermediate crown is to return to Carraroe.
This result means that St Johns finished top of group 3 on the Championship with Enniscrone-Kilglass as runners-up and St Pats in third place.
The Carraroe side will face Castleconnor, another team from the West division, in the Quarter final next Sunday in Bunninadden.
St Patrick’s now face the prospect of a relegation playoff against the bottom teams from the other groups.
St Johns; N O’Donnell; A Clerkin, E Roche, N Walsh; O Cox, P Mc Namara, D Smith(0-1); J Murphy(0-2), D Rooney(0-1); T Kelly(1-1), B Mc Gowan(1-0), C Greene; A Keane (1-7), F Grennan,C Harrison
St Patricks; C Cadden; J Mc Munn, P Keaveny, J Higgins; J Egan, E Connolly, C Kearins; P Kearins , J Clarke; C Giblin, D Giblin, P Boland (1-4); C Brady, P Clarke (0-4), D Mahon.