Eadestown progress at Confey's expense
Eadestown's Rian Boran and Confey's Brian Grimes Photo: Sean Brilly
Battling Eadestown recovered from conceding two early goals to reel in Confey with five second half two-pointers as they clinched their place in the Preliminary Quarter Finals of the Joe Mallon Motors Senior Football Championship in Cedral St Conleth’s Park.
After a dramatic day in Group D in which Caragh’s narrow win over Carbury saw the latter drop out of contention for the title in their centenary year, with Eadestown finishing second in the group, the big losers were Confey, whose fourteen-year stay at senior level is in jeopardy, the Cope Bridge side facing now into a Relegation Final against either Kilcock or Allenwood.
Confey had a blustery wind in their back in the opening half and pounced for a fourth minute goal from David Slattery. When Niall Carney’s long-range effort was carried over his line by Eadestown goalkeeper Shane Sargent four minutes later it put Confey 2-2 to no score ahead.
Eadestown hit back with Conor McCarthy’s finish to the net on 23 minutes reducing the gap to four points and it remained that way at half-time with Josh Collins landing the score of the half in injury time when driving a two-point free over from all of sixty metres.
That put Confey 2-6 to 1-5 ahead at the interval and we wondered whether a four-point advantage would be sufficient given the breeze.
Niall Cummins made that look doubtful forty seconds into the second half with a two-pointer from play from 55 metres and Cummins would go on to raise two more of Eadestown’s second half orange flags with Pauric Tuohy and substitute Cian Bolton adding one each as they took control.
An injury time goal from Brian Grimes did cause a flutter in Eadestown hearts as the gap narrowed to three, but they saw it out and will look forward to a Preliminary Quarter Final next weekend, while Confey have to deal with concerns of their own.
Shane Sargent; Daire Dillon, John Lawlor, Paul O’Dwyer; Rian Monaghan, Cian Boran, Tom Mernagh; Niall Cummins 0-6 (1tp,2tpfs), Rian Boran; Calum Murphy 0-1, Pauric Tuohy 0-4 (1tp), Sean Hynes; Eoin Conneff 0-6 (4fs), Dara McGettrick, Conor McCarthy 1-1. Subs: Darragh Jameson for Mernagh 42, Cian Bolton 0-2 (tp) for Murphy 46.
Colin Heeney; Conor Dennehy, Joe Kilbane, Andrew Breslin; Cathal Jennings 0-1, Aodan Jordan, Aidan Crean; Paul Divilly, Josh Collins 0-3 (1tpf,1’45); Brian Grimes 1-0, David Slattery 1-1, Conor Jennings 0-1; Philip Hallinan, Oisín Maher, Niall Carney 1-4 (1tp,2fs). Subs: James Gately 0-1 for Maher 7, Imad Mirza for Kilbane 15, Maher for Conor Jennings 53, Ben Corscadden for Slattery 60+2.
Lee Moore.
