Horeswood survive first dogfight
HORESWOOD GOT a little taster of life in the Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship, but in the end they survived to take Group A victory against a spirited St. Mary’s (Maudlintown) side in St. Patrick’s Park on Saturday.
It’s doubtful that anyone involved with the winners believes it’s going to be anything other than a massive dogfight to work their way through the championship and back to the Senior ranks, and it couldn’t have been clearer in this contest.
In fairness to Horeswood, they proved that they are up to the task. This had all the hallmarks of a first round banana skin but the side relegated from the top tier last season gave as good as they got in a hard-hitting, physical contest.
St. Mary’s were injury-ravaged but had their chances in this game. The score is a little misleading, as there was only two points in the contest going into added-time, despite the fact that the Wexford town side had been playing with 14 men since the final minute of the first-half.
Horeswood started impressively with the breeze and worked their way into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after 21 minutes.
Other transfers might have created more talking points, but Jamie Myler’s from St. James’ might be the most impactful and his three points were vital as his side eased clear.
However, St. Mary’s started to put some quality moves together against the breeze, and points from Dermot Flood, Eddie Pitman (two) and Graham Carty closed the gap to one by the 29th minute.
A second yellow card, for what was suggested to be a lack of a gumshield, saw Ross Lynch dismissed just before the break.
It was a cruel blow for Maudlintown, who went in level after Pitman converted the free his side had won before the sending-off.
From 0-6 each at the change of ends, Horeswood worked scores from David Larkin in the 33rd minute and the impressive Seán Nolan ten minutes later to move two ahead against the dropping breeze.
Pitman closed his side within one but St. Mary’s missed a couple of dead-ball chances to get level and eventually they ran out of steam.
Horeswood went into stoppage time two clear but scored three more times, including two from Nolan, to take the spoils by a scarcely believable five.
Horeswood: Conor Swaine; Kevin Parker, David O’Shea, Eamonn O’Sullivan; Eddie Shiely, Darren Shannon (0-1), David Larkin (0-1); Shane O’Hanlon, P.J. Banville (capt., 0-2, 1 free); Eric Banville (0-1), Eoin Murphy, Barry Hearn; Declan Murphy (0-1), Jamie Myler (0-3, 2 frees), Seán Nolan (0-3). Sub. - Michael O’Hanlon for D. Murphy, inj. (33).
St. Mary’s: Paul Dempsey; Gary Murphy, Alan Lynch (capt.), Tre Long; Jamie Thomas, Mark Doyle, Ross Lynch; Graham Carty (0-1), Eddie Pitman (0-4, 3 frees); Gavin Cullen, Dermot Flood (0-2), Pierce Dooley; Jason Swords, Donal O’Leary, Paul Lambert. Subs. - Todd Hynes for Lambert, inj. (44), Cian Whelan for O’Leary (60+1).
Referee: Fintan O’Reilly (Kilmore).