Ryan's five points helps sink Johnstownbridge
The Naas team in a huddle after beating Johnstownbridge to qualify for the Joe Mallon Motors Senior Football Championship semi-finals. Photo: Sean Brilly
A slightly more clinical Naas, the championship favourites, overcame Johnstownbridge to make it through to the semi-final of the Joe Mallon Motor Group Senior Football Championship at Cedral St Conleth’s Park.
Johnstownbridge will be kicking themselves, their shooting letting them down badly on a day when they carved out plenty of opportunities against a team chasing their fifth title in six years.
Five times in the first half alone Johnstownbridge manufactured goal chances, but they only had Daniel Flynn’s well-slotted fourteenth minute effort to show for their efforts. Flynn finished low after Sam Doran’s brilliant foot pass found Paul Cribbin down the left and he put his former county colleague through.
After only three minutes Cribbin’s shot was half-blocked but fell perfectly for Doran only for Naas ‘keeper Luke Mullins to get down sharply and make the first of a number of top-class saves.
Immediately after Flynn’s goal, Cribbin found Josh O’Donoghue and he too was denied by Mullins at the concession of a ’45.
Later in the half Darragh Sloane shot weakly straight at Mullins and a minute before the interval O’Donoghue crashed a shot off the top of the crossbar, without even the consolation of a point as the ball bounced clear.
Naas were far from perfect in front of goal themselves but two goals from Alex Beirne and some clinical finishing from Ryan Sinkey helped them to a 2-6 to 1-4 advantage.
Beirne’s first owed plenty to Darragh Kirwan’s industry, stripping Luke O’Connor of possession on nine minutes before feeding Sinkey who set up Beirne to palm home at the back post.
Flynn’s goal had inspired Johnstownbridge to draw level at 1-4 apiece by the 18th minute but a driving run from deep from Rob Murray drew a foul inches inside the penalty area, in Brendan Cawley’s view at least, and Beirne slotted his 21st minute spot-kick low to Eoin Sheehan’s right.
Johnstownbridge needed the first couple of scores of the second half, but Sinkey quickly brought his tally to five from play with two points and Beirne added two of his own to stretch the Naas lead.
Two two-point frees from Doran kept Johnstownbridge in touch with the gap down to five points but, despite Naas starting to squander goal chances (two from Kirwan and one from Paddy McDermott), the favourites kicked four points in a row to head into the final six minutes nine points clear.
A late flourish from Johnstownbridge saw two-pointers from Flynn and Sloane while Doran blasted another goal chance over from close range and, in a throwback to his Kildare days, Flynn almost produced a “Dan Flynn special” with Mullins flinging himself to his right to push out his goalbound effort.
Beirne had rounded off the Naas scoring with a two-pointer of his own before Ciaran Doyle blasted another goal chance off the angle of post and crossbar.
A curious affair and a ‘curate’s egg’ of a performance from Naas, but they march on to another semi-final in a fortnight’s time.
NAAS: Luke Mullins; Mark Maguire, Brian Byrne, Jack McKevitt 0-1; Rob Murray, Cathal Daly 0-1, Paddy McDermott 0-1; Paul McDermott, James Burke; Dermot Hanifin, Darragh Kirwan 0-1, Kevin Cummins 0-1; Euan Cowzer 0-2, Alex Beirne 2-4 (1-0 pen,1tp), Ryan Sinkey 0-5. Subs: Daire Guerin for Paul McDermott 44, Seán Hanifin for Kirwan 48, Tom Kelly for Cummins 51, Ciaran Doyle 0-1 for Dermot Hanifin 52, Fintan Quinn for Cowzer 58.
JOHNSTOWNBRIDGE: Eoin Sheehan; Ian McKeon, Tomas Von Engelbrechten, Seán McKeon; Luke O’Connor, Keith Cribbin, Shane Flynn; Joey Higgins, Luke Flynn; Darragh Sloane 0-3 (1tp,1s/l), Paul Cribbin, Cathal McNally 0-1; Josh O’Donoghue 0-1, Daniel Flynn 1-4 (1tp), Sam Doran 0-6 (2tpfs,1’45). Subs: Dean Kelly for Higgins 37, Ronan Scanlon for O’Connor 41, Luke Ennis for Cathal McNally 41, Kelvin McNally for Paul Cribbin 53, Connor Flynn for Kelvin McNally 59.
REFEREE: Brendan Cawley.
