DOUBLE DELIGHT AS S
ST PATRICK’S AGB 0-9 0-7
CASEY O’BRIEN’s men secured their back-to-back Senior football titles last weekend, but they did it the hard way, pushed all the way by a dogged and determined AGB side who will feel that they let a golden opportunity pass them by when they got on top of this battle late in the second half.
It certainly won’t go down as a classic final by any stretch of the imagination but given the conditions and the weight of expectation and pressure on both sides it was always going to be a fierce contest and the massive crowd in Aughrim were treated to a thrilling affair that was in the mix right up until Anthony Nolan’s final whistle that sent the Wicklow Town supporters wild with delight.
St Pat’s won’t care how they won this final. They would have liked to brush the young challengers aside and power home to maintain their powerful standards this season and they will be left with questions to answer after being constrained so competently and impressively by Damien Redmond’s well-organised and ambitious side but getting the win was all that mattered and they got there thanks to belief and the wayward shooting of an AGB side who will hopefully contest plenty more county deciders over the next 10 to 15 years.
Ciaran Hyland’s performance on Tommy Kelly was a huge factor in this game. Holding the free-flowing attacker to a single point from play is both a testament to Hyland’s class and a worrying reflection on the standard of defending in the county.
Jack Hamilton done a fine job in limiting the influence of the superb Paudge McWalter while James Tyrrell chased and harried Stephen Duffy for all he was worth as Damien Redmond’s plans came so close to causing a shock to everyone but those supporting and planning within the AGB camp.
But the Miley Cup is back in St Patrick’s and it’s there because Casey O’Brien’s men withstood the massive test from AGB, and they have their defence and their ceaseless bravery to thank for that.
Both sides showed major positional switches to their match programme listing. Dean Healy and John Crowe lined out at midfield for Pat’s where they would face Chris O’Brien and Stephen Hurley.
The AGB full-back line of Ciaran Hyland, James Tyrrell and Tom Maher were faced with Tommy Kelly, Paul Earls and Stephen Duffy with Tyrrell following Duffy as he set sail around then pitch and Hyland gluing himself to Tommy Kelly.
Jack Hamilton was given the onerous task of shepperding Paudge McWalter while Karl Kirwan and Andy Maher were joined by Ciaran McGettigan and Paul O’Brien.
Matthew Traynor continued his new-found fondness for full-back where he was faced with JP Hurley from the start while Shane Murley and Wayne Doyle were by his side with Conor Ffrench showing his endless class at centre back and Patrick O’Keane and Ciaran Doyle either side with O’Keane attempting to thwart Darragh Fitzgerald on his travels.
It was a fascinating battle. A foul by Chris O’Brien on John Crowe allowed Tommy Kelly to get his aim in check and he obliged superbly with 30 seconds gone.
Three minutes in and Pat’s were dealt a blow when Paul Earls was forced off with an injury and Bryan Doyle came into the fray in his stead.
It’s been a factor for Casey O’Brien’s charges this year, the strength of the bench and their substitutions certainly didn’t weaken the Pat’s side whatsoever.
Doyle took a lay-off from the under-pressure Tommy Kelly and swung over Pat’s second poit of the day before a foul on JP Hurley provided Philip Healy with the chance to get AGB off the mark with seven gone following a surging run from the outstanding Jack Hamilton.
It wasn’t a wonderful start by AGB. A Philip Healy free for a foul on Karl Kirwan was collected by Traynor in the square, he fed Wayne Doyle who was awarded a softish free and the danger was relieved.
Two Tommy Kelly pointed frees opened up a worrying 0-4 to 0-1 lead for Pat’s at the end of the first quarter and Conor Ffrench made that 0-5 to 0-1 after a savage mark from John Crowe who was excellent in that opening 20 minutes along with the running power of Ciaran McGettigan.
AGB were struggling to stay afloat and had Ciaran Hyland to thank for it not getting beyond them as he prevented what might have become a Tommy Kelly goal chance and the veteran defender weas struggling with an injury, requiring attention twice in the first half.
But AGB would finish strong in that opening half with a pointed free from Healy after John Crowe hopped the ball twice on his way out of his defence before Darragh Fitzgerald got on the end of a fine move involving Stephen Hurley, Cathal Kelleher, Karl Kirwan and Philip Gleeson to pull AGB back to within two at the break with John Crowe becoming the latest Pat’s player to pick up a yellow card after an incident with Cathal Kelleher. Crowe joined Tommy Kelly and Dean Healy in Anthony Nolan’s notebook.
Damien Redmond’s men would also have Mervyn Travers to thank them being so close to the Pat’s side after he saved well from a Ciaran McGettigan effort.
Slow starts have been a constant for AGB this season but strong showings in second halves have been as well and that is exactly how this game unfolded.
Cathal Kelleher pointed a from play off his left after he went short