Martin’s light up home soil
ST. MARTIN’S scored an extremely impressive 1-24 from play as they humiliated Naomh Eanna and exacted a small piece of revenge on the Gorey side after their Pettitt’s Senior hurling final defeat to the same opponents last month.
This Greenstar Under-20 football Division 1 championship quarter-final in Piercestown on Saturday probably couldn’t have been played in any worse conditions, but it did not seem to faze the home side as they controlled the contest from start to finish.
When you consider that St. Martin’s failed to score in either the first or final five-minute periods, their final tally, of almost one score every two minutes, seems all the more impressive.
Jack Devereux kicked them into gear before Diarmuid Barry, Conor Coleman and Adam Cantwell added to their early lead.
Michael Molloy kicked Gorey’s only first-half score at the midway point, but their rivals hit another seven unanswered before the break.
Barry O’Connor, with a brace, Philip Dempsey, Devereux, Cantwell, Coleman and Ben Stafford were all on target as St. Martin’s took a sizeable lead (0-12 to 0-1).
Gorey had a brief spell after the re-start where Molloy pointed and Jack Doran’s shot was turned into the net by Sam Audsley, but, after this small glimmer of hope, they failed to add to their tally for the final 26 minutes.
Coleman caught Larry Cullen off his line to quickly cancel out Gorey’s major and from there St. Martin’s ran up the scores with point after point.
Coleman was in impressive form with both feet, kicking five second-half points as he led the demolition.
Stafford, Devereux, Barry, Ben Maddock, Kyle Firman and Conor Kelly all added points in between Coleman’s minors which supplemented the ever-growing margin between the sides.
Devereux got the final St. Martin’s score in the 54th minute to complete a comfortable 23-point victory and book their semi-final spot opposite Sarsfields with ease.
St. Martin’s: Brandon Dodd; Sam Audsley, Philip Dempsey (0-1), Eoin O’Leary; Philip McDermott (capt.), Conor Firman, Jack Roche; Adam Cantwell (0-2), Ben Maddock (0-1); Ben Stafford (0-2), Barry O’Connor (02, 1 free), Kyle Firman (0-1); Diarmuid Barry (0-2), Conor Coleman (1-8), Jack Devereux (0-4). Subs. - Conor Devereux for Stafford (48), Conor Kelly (0-1) for Firman (48), Paddy Gallagher for Maddock (53), Stephen Doyle for Coleman (53), Adam McLoughlin for Barry (53).
Naomh Eanna: Larry Cullen; Seán Dowling, Jack Cushe, Cian Kenny; Nathan Byrne, Seamus O’Donnell, Seán Delaney; Joseph Naughton (capt.), Conor Levingstone; Evan O’Dwyer, Michael Molloy (0-2 frees), Jack Doran; Aaron Byrne, Eddie O’Brien-Murphy, Paddy Murphy. Subs. - Barry Levingston for Murphy (33), Murphy for Byrne (53).
Referee: Stephen Burke (Volunteers).