A League Division 1 Round 7
St Peter’s Dunboyne 4-13 Seneschalstown 5-12
After getting their season up and running a week earlier with their first victory of the season, Seneschalstown clung on in a frantic injury time on Saturday evening to account for Dunboyne and pick up their second League win of the year to date. In what was an enthralling encounter, full of incident and scores, the visiting side turned in an impressive second half showing to overcome a four point deficit at the interval to edge out Dunboyne.
A League Division 1 Round 7
St Peter’s Dunboyne 4-13 Seneschalstown 5-12
After getting their season up and running a week earlier with their first victory of the season, Seneschalstown clung on in a frantic injury time on Saturday evening to account for Dunboyne and pick up their second League win of the year to date. In what was an enthralling encounter, full of incident and scores, the visiting side turned in an impressive second half showing to overcome a four point deficit at the interval to edge out Dunboyne.
With Meath manager Andy McEntee looking on attentively, county panellists Brian and Joe Sheridan were in impressive form up front for Seneschalstown and chipped in with 1-06 from play between them while also having a key role to play in many more of their sides scores.
Bryan Clarke and Brian Sheridan may both have been in the starting XV for Seneschalstown but once more the free taking responsibilities were handed to Minor player Robert Wogan and it was he who opened the scoring in the third minute when he slotted over a free following a foul on Sheridan as advantage appeared to be played after Clarke was felled. Dunboyne replied with two points, one from a free to edge narrowly in front but Jonathan Gilsenan soon grabbed the first of the matches nine goals when he squeezed his effort home.
The green flag had barely left the umpires hand though when referee Liam O’Brien awarded Dunboyne a penalty as he adjudged Conor Cowley to have committed a foul, a decision which drew looks of disbelief amongst the Seneschalstown contingent on the line. Brian Sheridan responded with a point from play but the home side soon grabbed their second major when capitalising fully on a Seneschalstown error to goal.
The thrilling action continued apace and Seneschalstown equalised when team captain Bryan Clarke latched onto a Joe Sheridan flick on and Clarke made no mistake as he rifled to the back of the net. Dunboyne hit back with two points from play before Robert Wogan popped over his second free of the opening third. Dunboyne though were causing Seneschalstown plenty of bother when attacking and had the ability to draw scorable frees, the next of which was converted on nineteen minutes.
Dramatically Seneschalstown were then presented with a penalty when after consulting with his umpire, Liam O’Brien awarded them a penalty for a foul on James Conlon, Brian Sheridan stepped up to the plate but he saw his well struck effort well saved as the goalkeeper flung himself to his right and tipped the ball which had appeared destined for the top corner around the post for a forty five which ultimately came to nothing.
Dunboyne have a tendency to look for the short kickout but as has been seen on countless occasions this can be fraught with danger when misplaced and from one of these, Bryan Clarke intercepted the ball, fed Joe Sheridan who then spilled the ball only for Clarke to fling himself at the loose ball and swing his left boot at it, diverting it past the despairing efforts of the goalie for Seneschalstown’s third goal. Robert Wogan followed up with his third pointed free but the end of the half was all about Dunboyne as they picked off two goals in two minutes to go in four points to the good at half time.
It looked as though Seneschalstown needed a quick start to the second half and this is what they got when picking off the first two points, firstly via Brian Sheridan who capitalised on a poor kickout and then James Conlon who became the fifth of the starting sexted of Seneschalstown forwards to put his name on the scoresheet. Dunboyne did manage a pointed free but Seneschalstown then drew level when Jonathan Gilsenan fisted home after the Joe Sheridan, Bryan Clarke axis had carved open the Dunboyne defence.
Joe Sheridan then picked off his first point of the hour before a trio of Dunboyne points arrived. Jonathan Gilsenan, eyeing up a hattrick, then saw his attempted chip of the goalkeeper just drift over the bar for a point, this proving to be his last act before being helped from the action a few moments later. On fifty one minutes Joe Sheridan cancelled out a Dunboyne point before younger brother Brian sent over from play after a spectacular Niall Groome catch.
Ross Howard, introduced in place of Gilsenan, marked his first involvement in the fray with a point and then Seneschalstown grabbed their fifth goal of the hour. Bryan Clarke got on the ball out on the left and cute as a fox he let the ball in diagonally towards Joe Sheridan who turned his man and drove his shot low and hard into the bottom corner of the goal. Brian Sheridan followed this up with another point before Dunboyne launched their late fightback which could well have earned them more than two points were it not for the impressive rear-guard action fought by the visiting side.
Best for Seneschalstown were Brian Sheridan, Gary Conlon and Joe Sheridan as well as Jonathan Gilsenan.
Seneschalstown: David Gordon, Ronan Conneely, Conor Cowley, Niall McCabe, Gary Conlon, Cormac Noonan, Niall Groome, Sean Noonan, Damien Sheridan, James Conlon (0-01), Joe Sheridan (1-02), Jonathan Gilsenan (2-01), Robert Wogan (0-03, 0-03 Frees), Brian Sheridan (0-04), Bryan Clarke (2-00).
Seneschalstown Substitutions: John Smith for N. McCabe, Ross Howard (0-01) for J. Gilsenan, Mark Carey for R. Wogan, Stephen Finnegan for D. Sheridan.
