Goalkeeper Teape helps St Mary’s get

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Homeland SFC

Group One – Round One St Mary’s 1-14 Shamrock Gaels 1-12

SAINT Mary’s, the last winners of the Owen B Hunt Cup before the Tourlestrane takeover, are contenders for this year’s crown but they remain an enigmatic force.

They currently lead Group One of the Homeland Senior Football Championship with a 100% record after two games after being both convincing and vulnerable in these victories over Tubbercurry and Shamrock Gaels.

Mark Breheny’s side required late scores to overcome Tubbercurry in

ST MARY’S: With two wins in the bag, they must wait until either September 10 or September 11 to play again – a round four tie against North Division rivals Calry-St Joseph’s.

They are up against Adrian Marren’s Curry on Saturday week, September 3, at Bunninadden Community Park (6pm). This is a repeat of the Intermediate championship final of four years ago.

round one and it took a similar finish last Saturday when three points in the last 15 minutes of play nudged them ahead of an energetic and dangerous Shamrock Gaels, a side inspired by the Deignan siblings, Lee and Shane, at Markievicz Park.

St Mary’s looked to veteran forward Stephen Coen in their win over Tubbercurry – the jinking attacker bagged 2-1 in that game.

Here, against Shamrock Gaels, it was goalkeeper Jack Teape who stepped up, making saves to deny three goalbound shots and his 47th minute interception – to prevent Dillon McDermott from setting up Lee Deignan for a goal chance – was an essential part of St Mary’s win. Shamrock Gaels will rue that fact that they failed to build on an exceptional phase – the first 10 minutes of the second-half – when they kicked five points without replay to overturn a two-point interval deficit, 1-7 to 1-5. This gush of scores put them three up, 1-10 to 1-7, but they only managed two further points over the next 27 minutes at the Sligo town venue. In last weekend’s nip and tuck fixture watched by Sligo senior team manager Tony McEntee, the scores were level on six occasions.

The sixth and final time that it was all square was in the 51st minute when David Quinn, who grew into proceedings in the second-half, as did Evan Lyons, set up Conor Sheridan for Shamrock Gaels’ 11th point.

This came a minute after St Mary’s had edged in front after Cian Breheny, back after suspension, blasted over for a point when a goal was on.

With two minutes of normal time left St Mary’s, for whom Paul Kilcoyne was a consistent influence, had moved two points ahead, 1-13 to 1-11, after scores from Kyle Cawley, who pointed superbly, and substitute Jay Cox. Shamrock Gaels, whose collective industry allied to the Deignan brothers’ artistry makes them contenders for at most a semi-final berth, replied in stoppage time when a long-range pointed free by David Quinn.

There was an opportunity of an equaliser from a free in the fourth minute of time added on after Liam O’Connell was fouled. With the luxury of two reliable free-takers to call on, David Quinn and Lee Deignan, it was the latter who took the shot – from about 46 metres out – but, unfortunately for Shamrock Gaels, it dropped short.

St Mary’s, still not out of the woods, tacked on an insurance score when Nathan Rooney pointed a free from long-range for his sixth score of the game.

Relieved at winning, St Mary’s will worry about the short-term