Gilligan and Stokes shine

Coláiste Bhride beat Pres

COLÁISTE BHRIDE PRES BRAY 2-03 0-04

PRESENTATION COLLEGE BRAY and Coláiste Bhride, Carnew were unfortunate to have a dreadful day for their Wicklow Colleges Senior football quarter-final, played in Carnew on Thursday last.

Rain swept down the field from the roadside dressing rooms end leaving underfoot conditions and handling conditions very difficult.

The team playing in that direction in either half appeared to have some advantage but scoring was low and the side playing against the elements did have their chances in either half.

Pres Bray played with the elements in the opening half and enjoyed plenty of possession for long periods.

However, Cillian Gilligan put Coláiste Bhride on the board with a point early on.

The Carnew side seemed content to play a containing game, preventing their opponents from building any lead.

They tried hard to hold the ball when in possession and were obviously looking to the second half.

For their part Bray had plenty of play in the middle third of the field but usually came a cropper against a very tight marking Coláiste Bhride defence.

Darragh Rochford levelled the scoring at 0-1 apiece after fifteen minutes but John Doyle re-established the lead for the homesters with a good point off his left foot. Rochford once again brought matters level with a point four minutes before the break.

Pres Bray brought on two substitutes at half-time, Sam O’Dowd and Elliot Ryan.

Both were very prominent in the second period.

Carnew began the second half strongly and Cillian Gilligan had the ball in the net after three minutes.

Centre forward Rory Stokes. having played the first half helping out his defence, was now operating back in attack.

He banged home goal number two after five minutes.

At this stage it looked like Coláiste Bhride might swamp the visiting side but the Bray men steadied things and Sam O’Dowd pointed in the sixth minute.

The same player scored another point after eight minutes leaving the score at 2-2 to 0-4.

When Cillian Gilligan pointed a free for Coláiste Bhride after 12 minutes, it proved to be the last score of the game.

Presentation Bray had more than their share of good chances to score and perhaps to even win the game.

The skilful Elliot Ryan, very adept at chipping the ball from ground to hand, almost had a goal but was thwarted by a brilliant save from the Carnew keeper Darragh Brooks.

Close to the end, Sam O’Dowd liked certain to score a goal when the ball was fisted across the goal to him. However, substitute defender Jack Keogh won a ball that he had little right to win and saved the day for Carnew.

The home side were content to keep their opponents at bay and ran out winners on a scoreline of 2-3 to 0-4.

Both sides should be complimented on providing a very interesting game on an atrocious day for football.

Coláiste Bhride move on the semi-finals while Presentation College Bray now await their opponents in the B competition.

Scorers: Coláiste Bhride: Cillian Gilligan 1-2, Rory Stokes 1-0, John Doyle 0-1.

Presentation College Bray: Darragh Rochford 0-2, Sam O’Dowd 0-2.

Daragh Brooks; Gearoid Donoghue, Jim Sherry, James Tyrell; Paudie McGing, Ian Clancy, Eoin Doyle; Sean Forde, Sean Barden; John Doyle, Rory Stokes, James Hedderman; Eoin Darcy, Conor Hughes, Cillian Gilligan. Subs Frankie Kavanagh, Bradley Hickey, Jack Keogh and Anto Phelan.

Paul Ashford; Mark Robinson, Joe McLoughlin, Ben Kearney; Syd Hunt, Noah Cummins, Ronan McMahon; Adam Walshe, Cian Walshe; Mark Mullin, Andy Conway, Darragh Rochford; Davy Maloney, Rory Byrne, Stewart Nolan. Subs: Sean O’Dowd and Elliot Ryan.

Christy O’Rourke.