Crust & Crumb Senior Football League Div 2
Derrylin 0-17 St. Patrick’s 0-15
EVEN though the attacking efforts of both teams yielded a bountiful points harvest, the lack of goals reflected the excellent goalkeeping expertise of respective goalkeepers, Brian Lunney and Sean Montgomery.
Each made vital blocks to keep an entertaining contest, in which Derrylin always led, wide open to the end.
Play began with Derrylin’s Jake Smith opening the scoring with a superb long distance two pointer.
Cathair Leonard added a single but the Donagh visitors responded with a point from Sean Michael Cadden.
Good work by Tom Lunney put Luke Flanagan through for another home point but again St. Pat’s hit back with a pair of Thomas Cadden scores inside as many minutes.
Diarmuid Owens then landed Derrylin’s second two pointer of the evening.
After Daire Treacy had pulled one back from a free, St. Pat’s were denied a goal by a super Lunney save, then fell further behind when Smith stroked over a ’45’, leaving it 0-7 to 0-4 by the water break.
Josh Smith coolly slotted over the bar to keep the home score board ticking over, and Treacy tacked on a score for Donagh before Leonard registered his second point of the game.
A Sean Michael Cadden point kept Donagh in contention, as did Montgomery who made a superb save to block a Jake Smith shot before he hit another point.
Josh Smith pointed again before Treacy closed the Donagh scoring before the break after a good team move, 0-11 to 0-7.
Again Jake Smith got Derrylin off to a quick restart, pointing a 31st minute free but Tracey converted a two pointer in response.
Only another smart Lunney save preserved the home lead and Derrylin pushed on with points by Owens and a Jake Smith free.
However St Pat’s were steadily building a head of steam, reeling off a points trio per Cadden, Pearse McDermott and Treacy.
Crucially, their momentum was to be disrupted when the outstanding Cadden was black carded in the 42nd minute.
Johnny Reilly did land a very good Donagh point but an Owens score helped steady the O’Connell’s ship, making it 0-15 to 0-13 by the three quarters stage.
Kian Prior kicked a home free before the evergreen Eamon Maguire, on as a sub, cancelled for St. Pat’s.
Another Owens point finished the Derrylin scoring to set up a nervy finish in which each side carved out viable goal opportunities against keepers in unbeatable form, before Tracey hit the visitors last score.
In outfield defence, Derrylin were particularly well served by Ciaran McCaffrey and Leonard with returning James Dolan prominent at midfield, as were Smith and Owens up front.
Likewise for St. Patrick’s, Joe Cadden in defence, Johnny O’Reilly at midfield, Cadden and Tracey in attack, were leading performers.