Go Ahead AHL 6
Ballyboden St Enda’s 1 17 Raheny 0 11
A strong second half performance from the home side meant that 2 more league points were added to the 2 points gained against Naomh Olaf a fortnight ago. The victory was fully deserved but the margin of victory will have disappointed the visitors as they were game and competitive throughout the contest. Having played with the fresh breeze blowing towards the clubhouse end Ballyboden had a mere 2-point half time lead. The hosts began brightly with a trio of points from Garrett Crowley and in the 7th minute Brian Cummins found the net when he drew on the sliothar after great work on the wing by Jonathan O’Donoghue. Indeed, it was O’Donoghue who provided the highlight of the half in the 20th when he shot straight over the black spot from way out on the rain soaked right wing. Raheny kept their nose in the contest with a succession of long range frees and 65s and could have enjoyed a substantial lead except for 2 fine stops from the home cul báire, Marc MacLiam. The half time score was 1-7 to 0-8 to the home side.
The introduction of Andy Hand gave Boden much needed stability at the back. Conor Barton also stormed into game while Alan McGovern continued on from the first half with his tenacious play. Morgan Ryan found his range to slot over a number of difficult frees while another sub, Jack Kenny, contributed with being fouled twice and scoring a point from the 3 plays he was involved in. Overall, it was a satisfactory day at the office and the squad look forward with confidence to the rest of the league.
Team: Marc MacLiam, Conor Barton, Kevin Brady, Johnny McCormack, Alan McGovern, Darren Lennox, Micheál Manning, Seán Lambert, Garrett Crowley 0-7 (1 free), Jonathan O’Donoghue 0-1, Morgan Ryan 0-5 (5 frees), Eoghan Deignan, Adam Fischer 0-1, Brian Cummins 1-1, Liam Duffy 0-1. Andy Hand, Oisin Cannon, Jack Kenny 0-1, Brian Kennedy, Dave Barrett.
