Pat’s win battle of the big guns
ST PATRICK’S BALTINGLASS 2-06 0-09
TWO behemoths of Wicklow football stood toe to toe in the first round of the Wicklow championship and barely laid a glove on each other, such was the meekness of the performance.
The first half was nothing to write home about. Baltinglass took 18 minutes to score a point, St Pat’s didn’t score in the last 18 minutes of the half.
It was 1-02 to 5 points at half time.
Baltinglass had nine wides and dropped two shot short by half time while St Pat’s registered six wides.
The second half appeared to follow the same script. St Pat’s scored 1-02 within ten minutes of the restart and then didn’t score for fifteen minutes.
Baltinglass scored their first point sixteen minutes into the half and got within two points.
By the end of the game Baltinglass totalled fourteen wides and four dropped shots, St Pat’s kicked seven wides.
Baltinglass had a late chance to equalise but Ian Murphy pulled off a point blank save from John McGrath to get St Pat’s off to a winning start.
St Pat’s started the better team and had all the possession in the first five minutes, getting four shots at goal before the Baltinglass forwards touched the ball.
They missed three of those shots though, Ciaran McGettigan was the only one to split the posts.
Baltinglass replied with a period of dominance, taking five of the next six shots, each of which went wide.
Then St Pat’s struck 1-01 in two minutes, their last scores of the half.
Centre back Conor Ffrench made an excursion deep into the Baltinglass half and passed to half back colleague Simon Bouchier for the point before substitute Jack Dunne got the goal.
Jordan Petticrew’s flick to gather possession was a thing of beauty in the build up to the goal.
McGettigan had a goal chance saved by Mark Jackson on the quarter hour mark and then Baltinglass kicked five points to level the game at half time.
Pat Burke and Mark Jackson scored two in three minutes before Christopher Heaslip, Kevin Murphy and Jackson again raised three white flags late in the half.
St Pat’s played with the wind in the second half and they immediately used it to their advantage with Dean Healy launching a high ball into the full forward line.
It was flicked down by Petticrew into Stephen Duffy’s path and he beat Jackson for a goal.
Shane Murley came up from full back for a point before Duffy added another from the 45. Jack Dunne did well in the build up.
That point came in the 38th minute and made it 2-04 to 5 points.
Healy had a goal chance moments later, he crashed a shot off the bar, but St Pat’s went scoreless again for fifteen minutes.
Three frees from Baltinglass, two from Jackson and one from Peadar Burke, reduced the deficit to two points and it looked like the 2016 champions would force their way into the game.
A Duffy free and good point by Healy put paid to that idea and Murphy’s late save from McGrath ensured the points went to Wicklow.
Scorers – St Pat’s: Stephen Duffy (1f) 1-02; Jack Dunne 1-00; Shane Murley, Simon Bouchier, Dean Healy, Ciaran McGettigan 0-01 each.
Baltinglass: Mark Jackson 0-04f; Pat Burke, Kevin Murphy, Jason Kennedy, Christopher Heaslip, Peadar Burke (f) 0-01 each.