Clara Gaels on fire St Patrick’s have no answer as group side runs amok
CLARA GAELS ST PATRICK’S 5-21 0-9
MARK CULLEN scored a brace of first-half goals, as a clinical Clara Gaels display brought an outfought St Pat’s team crashing back down to earth in the under-20 club football championship on Sunday morning.
Goals from Ross Ward, James Doyle, and Eric Olahan added to Cullen’s first-half pair as the Gaels team, inspired by awesome performances from Oisin McGraynor, David Miley, and the aforementioned Ward sent them on their way to their first win of the campaign.
Both sides went into the game in Laragh having made opposing starts to the under-20 championship. While Pat’s came from behind to defeat Bray Emmets in their opening contest last week, Clara Gaels were edged out by AGB on the 27th of October.
It took just 22 seconds for Clara Gaels to prove that form would not be indicative of the match on Sunday morning. Right from the throw-in, as would be the case all afternoon, David Miley won the ball in the air, and kicked off a move that ended with Mark Cullen scoring his first goal of the day.
Jack Dunne would get Pat’s on the board with six minutes on the clock from a free, but that would be their one and only score in a first-half that was dominated by Clara Gaels from start-to-finish.
Between the 11th and 14th minutes, Gaels would turn the screw and broaden the gap; starting with Ross Ward pointing off Oisin McGraynor overturning a kick-out, and ending with McGraynor himself splitting the posts after Shane Brown had been fouled.
After David Miley notched a pair of scores, Gaels’ persistent and relentless pressure paid-off with another goal with seven minutes left in the half.
Ross Ward demonstrated tremendous footwork to side-step Niall Delahunt, before moving the ball to Oisin McGraynor who, in turn, set-up Mark Cullen for the second goal.
A further pair of frees, from Ross Ward and Oisin McGraynor respectively, capped off an awesome opening half an hour for Clara Gaels, who went into the half-time break in a commanding 2-14 to 0-01 lead.
St. Pat’s would enjoy a slight change in fortune in an improved second-half, but Clara Gaels remained too strong, fast, and dangerous for the vastly overpowered Wicklow Town team.
Rossa Marron ventured up from full-back to get Pat’s second score of the day after trading possession with Jack Dunne. This momentary boost was soon wiped out when Ross Ward put the ball past Patrick Sammon in the Pat’s goal.
This latest setback forced Pat’s into a change just four minutes into the half, as management brought Matthew Ryan in off the bench; his first game since breaking his leg while playing for St. Joseph’s football club back in January.
Ryan was involved right away, sending a ball into Jack Dunne from the right-hand side. The subsequent foul on Dunne allowed him to get his team’s third point of the day.
Both sides spent the next few minutes trading scores, before the impasse was shattered by Gaels’ fourth goal of the day. David Miley kicked off the move with a trademark surging run past three Pat’s men. Miley eventually worked the ball on to Zach Cullen, who then involved Ross Ward. Once the ball found its way to Eric Olahan, he found James Doyle, who made no mistake in capping the flowing move with a cool finish.
The kind of exchange of possession defined the Gaels performance, as was once again demonstrated by a counter-attack, started by Kieran Penn putting a block in on Jack Fox, ending with Miley putting the ball wide.
They wouldn’t have to wait long for their fifth goal, however. Miley hooked a searching ball towards the Pat’s square for Eric Olahan. Despite being initially dispossessed by James Byrne, Olahan did not give up the ghost; winning the ball back in placing it past Sammon.
Pat’s would have a late penalty call turned down when Rossa Marron appeared to be dragged to the floor following a pinpoint pass over the top by Matthew Ryan. Jack Dunne and Callum Kelly would get a pair of late frees for Pat’s, but it would be Gaels who would leave with the last word; Steven Lee and Olahan pointing to clinch the 5-20 to 0-09 win.
Scorers: Clara Gaels: Ross Ward 1-7 (4f), Mark Cullen 2-2, Eric Olohan 1-1, James Doyle 1-1, Oisin McGraynor 0-4 (2f), Jack Manley 0-3, David Miley 0-2, Steven Lee 0-1.
St. Pat’s: Jack Dunne 0-5 (3f), Callum Kelly 0-1, Cian O’Brien 0-1, Luca Rampersaud 0-1, Rossa Marron 0-1.
CLARA GAELS:
Tom Murphy (for Robert Davey); Luke Kearney (for Kevin Kinsella), Euan Harper, Ian Merrigan; Kieran Penn, Zach Cullen, Shane Brown; Oisin McGraynor, David Miley; James Doyle, Ross Ward, Jack Manley (for Steven Lee); Eric Olahan, Donal McGraynor (for Ross Merry), Mark Cullen (for Paraic Doyle)
Patrick Sammon; Ken O’Grady, Rossa Marron, Cian Kelly (for Ciarán Byrne); Aaron Byrne, Niall Delahunt, James Byrne; Luca Rampersaud, Ronan Murray; Reese Kelly (for Frank Reynolds), Callum Kelly, Cian O’Brien; Dylan Kavanagh (for Matthew Ryan), Jack Dunne, Jack Fox.
ST. PAT’S: REFEREE:
Pat Hickey