JOB DONE FOR PAT’S
Two goals prove crucial in face of Derry Gaels revival
ST PATRICK’S DERRY GAELS 2-6 0-8
THE opening game in the twomatch Minor football finals programme at Aughrim on Sunday last was the Minor ‘B’ encounter between St. Patricks and Derry Gaels.
When the two sides met earlier in the year in the league victory had gone to the Annacurra/ Aughrim combination, but that was to count for nothing in a county final in October.
Conditions were good for a mid-October clash with St. Pats playing with the advantage of a stiffish breeze in the first half.
The Wicklow town side started in a confident mood and had two points on the board from Ryan Kavanagh and Aaron Byrne in the opening six minutes.
In contrast, Derry Gaels were making mistakes and giving ball away in good situations.
Their top scoring corner-forward Conor Byrne got them off the mark with a pointed free in the seventh minute but St. Pats immediately responded with a Jack Fox point.
However, the Gaels were finding their feet with midfielders Dylan Rochford and John Toomey getting on a lot more ball. Half forwards James Doyle, Dylan Lynch and Dara O’Shea were coming into the game but the St. Pats defence was up to the task of keeping them out.
We went through a 10-minute period without scores as St. Pat’s corner-forward Frank Reynolds moved into the middle third of the field and thwarted the Derry Gaels of a lot of possession. When Conor Byrne picked up the breaking ball from a Dylan Rochford free and popped over his second point it left the score at 0-3 to 0-2
The St Patrick’s Minor football team after their victory over Derry Gaels in Aughirm.
in favour of Pats.
Fionn Luddy pointed a free to extend the Wicklow lead again. Then fate intervened with two incidents having a big bearing on the outcome of the game.
Firstly, Dylan Rochford received an arm injury and had to leave the field. He was replaced by Robert Doyle, who went on to put in a good shift. The second incident came in the 21st minute when Frank Reynolds sent a great cross field ball to Fionn Luddy. The centre forward made ground
towards goal before setting up Dylan Kavanagh to score a fine St. Pats goal.
It was a bad blow to the Gaels who were hoping to keep their goal intact till the half-time break. Centre back Dylan Byrne got a great score for Derry Gaels coming up to half-time. He gained possession in his own half-back line, soloed up field, fed Conor Byrne who returned to Dylan who scored a great point to give his side a big lift coming up to the break. Pats led by four at this stage: 1-4 to -0-3.
Dylan Lynch reduced the gap to a goal after four minutes of the second period. Niall Delahunt balanced that with a pointed free.
Two minutes later Jack Fox struck a hammer blow for Pats. Gaels goalie Robert Davey denied Dylan Kavanagh a goal, but he could do nothing about Jack Fox lashing the rebound to the net. The Wicklow town side was now seven points ahead, a good cushion of a lead in any game.
However, they were only to score one more point as Derry Gaels came back strongly looking for scores. There was no further score from wither side until Dylan Kavanagh pointed a free to push the gap to eight points with a quarter of an hour to go.
Derry Gaels brought back on Dylan Rochford and positioned the tall Aughrim man at full-forward. From here to the end the Gaels adapted a ‘Route One’ policy dropping long high ball on Rochford and the Pats defense conceded a number of frees.
Conor Byrne pointed four in a row to leave the gap back to four points before the end, leaving St. Pats deserving winners on a score line of 2-6 to 0-8. This was an enjoyable game of football with some outstanding performers on both sides. The two Pats goals proved to be the cushion that Derry Gaels could not overcome. Their defence was solid all through but those two goals proved to be the difference.
Hugh Kenny made the presentation after the game. He presented the league trophy to Derry Gael joint captains James Doyle and Dylan Lynch while the Minor ‘B’ championship trophy was collected by the St. Patricks captain Niall Delahunt. The Wicklow People Man of the Match award was won by St. Pats’ Frank Reynolds.
- St. Pats: Dylan Kavanagh 1-1, Jack Fox 1-1, Ryan Kavanagh, Aaron Byrne, Fionn Luddy and Niall Delahunt 0-1 each.
Derry Gaels: Conor Byrne 0-6, Dylan Byrne 0-1, Dylan Lynch 0-1.
Aaron O’Loughlin; Cian Kelly, Mark Evans, Fionn O’Brien; Finn Barron, Caolan Mooney, Paul Marah; Niall Delahunt, Calum Kelly; Aaron Byrne, Fionn Luddy, Jack Fox; Ryan Kavanagh, Dylan Kavanagh, Frank Reynolds. Subs: Mark Whelan, Mark Hodgkinson, Mark Hodgkinson, Mark O’Brien, Liam Connolly, Bill O’Brien, Scott Sheridan.
Scorers ST. PATRICKS:
Robert Davey; Shane Arthur, Evan Harper, Sam Campbell; Ben Stephenson, Dylan Byrne, Padraic Doyle; Dylan Rochford, John Toomey; James Doyle, Dylan Lynch, Dara O’Shea; Conor Byrne, John Moran, Philip Toomey. Subs: Robert Doyle, Adam Keegan.
DERRY GAELS: REFEREE:
Stephan Fagan (Baltinglass)