Dales and Newtown share spoils on nasty night

NEWTOWN 1-13 AVONDALE 3-7

NEWTOWN and Avondale got their SFL Division 1 campaigns for 2020 underway on a desperate night of wind and rain at Newtown on Friday night last.

Sheets of rain blew upfield away from the dressing room end. Both sides adopted a close running, passing game in an attempt to keep possession in the conditions. Underfoot conditions held up well and both sides should be complimented for providing a good standard of play on such a terrible night.

Despite playing into the elements in the opening half, the visitors got off to the brighter start. Conor McGraynor from a free and Oisin McGraynor from play had them two points up in the opening minutes.

Oisin lined out at centre forward and his pace in carrying the ball at the Newtown defence was causing the home side all sorts of problems in the early stages.

However, when Newtown began to come into the game their forwards demonstrated that they too had pace in abundance.

In practically their first organised attack, they opened the Dales defence at speed and Ross Davis raised the first green flag of the night. Two further points from Conor Odlum and Sean Heffernan had the home side a goal to the good after ten minutes.

Jack Manley entered the play as a substitute for Avondale at this stage and announced his arrival with a point from play. He should have goaled at the quarter hour stage when put through with a fine pass from Oisin McGraynor but Newtown goalie Thomas Maher advanced and brought off a fine save.

Sean Heffernan from a free and Sean

Gregory from play, extended the Newtown lead but Manley pulled a point back in between for Avondale. Conor McGraynor reduced the gap to two points, but Ross Davis responded for the homesters.

In the first minute of added time Conor McGraynor lined up to a 20-metre free. His shot failed to rise sufficiently but seemed to catch the Newtown defence by surprise and went under the crossbar into the top right-hand corner of the net.

The sides were now level at 1-5 apiece and it appeared to be advantage to Avondale with the aid of the elements in their favour for the second half.

The old maxim that ‘goals win matches’ may not have come true on this occasion, but they certainly saved a match point for Avondale in the second half. Newtown put in a very strong stint while playing against the elements and their pace and ability to keep possession kept the Avondale rear-guard stretched.

However, a strong display from the Dales’ full-back line and an equally strong performance from Shane Byrne at the heart of the defence restricted Newtown to points. Ross Davis at corner forward had a fine second half and always seemed aware of where the posts stood. He accounted for six points in this period, five of them from play.

However, Avondale’s Conor McGraynor was no less influential for his side. Early in the second half he fielded a Route One delivery in front of goal and fed Ross Ward for his side’s second goal.

He followed this with a point and then netted the third Avondale goal when Newtown messed up a short kick out and the big man was left with an open goal to finish off. Finally, with just a minute of normal time left, Conor converted a point with a booming effort from way out.

This score appeared to have secured the points for the visitors, but Newtown came back immediately with a pointed free from Sean Heffernan and a match saving score from play by Ross Davis in the second minute of added time.

Both sides will feel that they could or should have taken the points, but a draw was probably the fairest result.

Scorers - Avondale: Conor McGraynor 2-4, Ross Ward 1-0, Jack Manley 0-2, Oisin McGraynor 0-1.

Newtown: Ross Davis 1-7, Sean Heffernan 0-3, Sean Gregory 0-2, Conor Odlum 0-1.

AVONDALE: Brian Burke; Simon Cullen, Saoirse Kearon, Liam Kinsella; Patrick Kinsella, Shane Byrne, Conor Sheehan; Eoin Baker, Barry Sheehan; Conor McGraynor, Oisin McGraynor, Shane Browne; Ross Ward, Sean McGraynor, Eugene Dunne. Subs: Jack Manley, Donal McGraynor NEWTOWN: Thomas Maher; Glen Carthy, John O’Donoghue, Oisin Greenan; Bobby Greenan, Lee Turner, Stephen Davis; Shane Mooney, Mark Fitzsimons; Adam Heffernan, Sean Gregory, Neilly Martin; Conor Odlum, Sean Heffernan, Ross Davis. Subs: Aaron Turner, Glen Carthy, Ciaran McGuirl.

REFEREE: John Keenan (Aughrim)