Brilliant Bray beat Blesso
Three-goal blitz does trick
A THREE-GOAL blitz in the second period of extra time to be the key as Bray Emmets claimed the county Under-15 football ‘B’ title at the expense of Blessington at Roundwood on Sunday afternoon.
After 60 minutes, the sides were tied on level terms, Bray having scored 2-7 in reply to their rivals’ 1-10 return, requiring 20 minutes of extra time to be played.
Following the initial period of 10 minutes, the contest was still balanced on a knife edge, the eventual winners having recorded 3-9 compared to a 1-11 total for the west county side.
However, in the second period, the team, jointly managed by Tadhg Dornan and Brendan Snow considerably upped their performance, with their goal-scoring prowess proving a major asset against their opponents who could manage to shoot only three points in the same period.
In the final 10 minutes, the decision to move Luke Doyle from the half-forward line to the edge of the Blessington square proved a master-stroke for Emmets, with the re-sited player shooting his side’s first goal almost immediately on the change of ends.
After Adam Prunty had delivered in a superb ball, Doyle underlined his clinical finishing ability by unleashing a pile-driver to the left corner of the net.
After this telling blow, the considerable strength of the Bray panel was underlined when two subs – Finn Redmond and Dara Byrne - contributed the remaining green flags for the north outfit.
Displaying his elusive qualities in abundance, the paced Redmond avoided a number of tackles before steering the ball past Blessington goalkeeper Adam Williamson from close range.
And, then with time almost up, Byrne latched on to a through ball over the top from Redmond and calmly slotted the ball home to put the outcome beyond any doubt.
As well as Redmond and Byrne, fellow sub Robbie Murphy recorded a three-pointer for Bray, his score coming in the early stages of the first half of extra time.
Another player who made a major contribution to his side’s success was Finn Treacy, who, although operating in a midfield role, contributed the whopping total of two goals and four points.
Furthermore, Bray goalkeeper Jack Kearney displayed outstanding shot-stopping ability, denying the Blessington forwards of a goal on no fewer than four occasions.
And a major regret for Blessington is that they spurned a number of opportunities to win the game in the regulation 60 minutes, including a miss from a close-in free.
As well, the west county side carried a two point advantage into the closing stages of the 60 minutes, but pointed frees from Cian Byrne and Treacy ensured that an additional 20 minutes would have to be played.
Bray joint-boss Dornan said: ‘The win was additionally sweet because Blessington had hammered us when we played them on their ground in the first round of the championship.
‘I suppose we are renowned for scoring goals rather than points, and that proved a big plus for us in the game.’
Blessington manager Kevin Dooley said: ‘We had enough goal chances to win the game but their goalkeeper played exceptionally well.’
Scorers – Bray Emmets: Finn Treacy 2-4, Luke Doyle 1-1, Dara Byrne, Robbie Murphy, Finn Redmond 1-0 each, Cian Byrne 0-3, Fionnan Denver 0-1.
Blessington: Killian O’Connell 0-5, Austin Brennan 1-0, Finn Behan 0-3, Sam Gough 0-2, Max Fetherstone, Brian Richardson, Ethan McNally, James Dooley 0-1 each.
BRAY EMMETS: Jack Kearney; Fionn Laffan, James Byrne Ciaran Kenny; Sean Kenny, Fiachra O Dunai, Cathal MacMaolain; Adam Prunty, Finn Treacy; Shane Baguley, Luke Doyle, Cian Byrne; Conall Butler, Fionnan Denver, Ross Hayde. Subs: Jamie Healy for Laffan (30), Robbie Murphy for Butler (30), Dara Byrne for Fionnain Denver (35), Patrick O’Connor for Baguley (40), Jamie Cunnane for Hayde (40), Finn Redmond for Murphy (60), Denver for Cunnane (70), Baguley for Byrne (75).
BLESSINGTON: Adam Williamson; Jack Hardy, James Dooley, Jamie Daly; Dylan Freil, Austin Brennan, Rory Cullen; Sam Gough, Killian O’Connell; Finn Behan, Max Fetherstone, Ethan McNally; Brian Richardson, Chris Daniels, Connor Richardson. Subs: Adam Smith for Daly (20), Tristan Will Whelan for Daniels (40), Callum Gilmartin for Fetherstone (55), Amadeousz Kasprzak for McNally (66), Cormac O’Loughlan for Brian Richardson (72), Chris Daniels for Brennan (74).