Mighty Mary’s shine in derby
Knockout spot sealed in style
THREE GOALS during a dominant second-half fired St. Mary’s (Maudlintown) to the quarter-finals of the Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship, as they saw off St. Joseph’s in this crucial Group A tie in Innovate Wexford Park on Friday.
With both sides going into the game level on points, the winner of this local derby was set to secure a passage to the last eight, with the loser exiting the race.
Given what was at stake, it made for a very cagey opening with neither side finding their rhythm, and the eventual winners were leading at the break with a two-point advantage.
St. Mary’s came out a different side in the second-half, hitting an early second goal and going on to dominate proceedings, pushing their opponents aside comfortably in the end.
There was very little to shout about in the early stages of the game, with a mere three points from frees scored in the opening quarter, two from Todd Hynes and one from his opposing marksman, Jason Murphy.
The first score from play came midway through the half after good work from Richie Kehoe allowed Dermot Flood to gain possession in front of goal and he finished excellently to the net.
Jason Murphy’s accuracy from placed balls became a feature of the game as he replied for the Joseph’s with three expertly-taken frees before the break, leaving two between the sides.
When the sides came back on the pitch, St. Mary’s looked a different team, and resumed the scoring early in the new half when Richie Kehoe again set up Dermot Flood for their second goal.
From here, the reds never looked back, hitting 1-3 without reply to leave a massive eleven points in it going into the final quarter, with the goal coming from the lively Todd Hynes.
St. Joseph’s simply had no answer and could only muster two points throughout a tough half as their Wexford town rivals finished the game with a fourth goal near the end to secure a spot in the last eight.
St. Mary’s (Maudlintown): Paul Dempsey; Gary Murphy, Donal O’Leary, Alan Lynch; Jamie Thomas, Alex Lynch, Mark Doyle; Graham Carty (0-1), Dermot Flood (2-1); Eddie Pitman (0-3), Jason Swords, Gavin Cullen; Pierce Dooley (0-1), Richie Kehoe, Todd Hynes (1-5, 0-4 frees). Subs. - Ross Lynch for Doyle (44), Andy Lehane (1-0) for Dooley (52), Dylan Owens for Cullen (56), Dooley for Thomas (60), Doyle for Pitman (63).
St. Joseph’s: Jamie McMahon; Eddie Byrne, Eddie Lawlor, Seamus King; Paddy Harnett, Lee Wadding-Byrne, Philip Leniston; Derek Bergin, Decky Downes; T.J. Doyle, Paul Murphy, Adam Beary; Jason Murphy (0-6, 5 frees), Andy Moore, Wayne Carty. Subs. - Glen McManus (0-1) for Mullins (40), Calum Frankis for Beary (44), Josh Guerrine for Doyle (52).
Referee: Seán Whelan (St. Martin’s).