Last-chance saloon after St Pat’s loss
RATHER than reflect back on what has been a miserable SFC campaign so far, St Patrick’s now need to focus on the task of preserving their senior status following this latest loss at Ashbourne on Friday evening.
It’s the second time since 2015 that the Stamullen men have diced with relegation and they will now fight it out with Blackhall Gaels and Curraha to see who drops down to the Intermediate ranks for 2019.
Moynalvey also needed something from the tie to make certain of senior football next year and it was a game where both sides made tentative starts.
However, the contest soon burst to life after Shane Dowling opened the scoring on seven minutes. It didn’t take long for Moynalvey to respond, and while they dropped a couple of efforts short Cillian O’Sullivan had them up and running from a free.
With the breeze in their favour David McLoughlin and Mark O’Sullivan added further points and that was a lead Moynalvey weren’t to relinquish.
Donal Landy pulled a point back for St Patrick’s, but Moynalvey had established a platform at that stage and McLoughlin and O’Sullivan stretched the lead with
Moynalvey St Patrick’s 2-11 0-8
further points.
They were also denied a goal when Robert Cluskey made a fine save to deny Darren Brennan.
Darren Hagan accounted for St Patrick’s third point before great work by Brian Harnan set Cathal McCabe and Shane Lenehan on the counter-attack and it was left to Cillian O’Sullivan to fire to the net from close range to make it 1-5 to 0-3.
That proved a body blow for the east Meath side, but they did display admirable courage to hit back with three of the last four scores of the half as Padraig Nulty pointed twice (one free) and Donal Landy also slotted over in response to a fisted point from McLoughlin to close the gap to 0-6 to 1-6 at half-time.
All of St Patrick’s good work at the end of the opening half was undone within 21 seconds of the restart, though, as Lenehan climbed highest to punch McLoughlin’s short point attempt to the net and put six between the sides.
Mark O’Sullivan quickly added another score as St Patrick’s struggled to remount a challenge. Nulty had a goal opportunity but instead blasted over the bar in the 35th minute and then Landy was denied by keeper Ray Ryan.
McLoughlin and Cillian O’Sullivan both converted frees before Cluskey denied Mark O’Sullivan with another good block.
However from the follow-up Cillian O’Sullivan tapped over and it was McLoughlin who kicked a wonder score with six minutes remaining to close Moynalvey’s account and secure their status. MOYNALVEY: Ray Ryan; Conor Harnan, Robert Lawless, Brian Harnan; Anthony Forde, Darren Brennan, Daniel Treacy; Donal Smith, Stephen Donoghue; James Weldon, Cillian O’Sullivan 1-3 (2f), Cathal McCabe; Shane Lenehan 1-0, Mark O’Sullivan 0-3, David McLoughlin 0-5 (1f). Subs: David Donoghue for Weldon (35), John Donoghue for McCabe (38), James Kelly for Lenehan (56), Darragh Brannigan for M O’Sullivan (60).
ST PATRICK’S: Robert Cluskey; Adam Byrne, John Curtis, David McQuillan; Alan Vickers, Barry Mooney, Shane Dowling 0-1; Niall Mooney 0-1f, Diarmuid Quinn; Neil O’Flaherty, Darren Hagan 0-1, Donal Landy 0-2; Padraig Nulty 0-3 (1f), Kieran Lynch, Johnny Woods. Subs: David Stafford for Woods (37), Niall Whearty for Nulty, Keith Whearty for Curtis (both 40), Ciaran Sullivan for Dowling (54).
REF: Martin Griffin (Simonstown Gaels)