Senior B Team Just Fall Short

Kiltipper men just edge Boden in Champo quarter-final derby clash… The Long Fella Reports… Photos by Clíona

Ballyboden St. Endas 0.15 Thomas Davis 1.15

A goal from a penalty five minutes into the second half of this fine sporting Senior B Championship clash at HQ was the score that separated the near neighbours on Saturday evening last. A fine attendance graced the rail and was not alone well entertained, but was also gently warmed by a low Septsun. Davis’s Conor Molloy was given the responsibility of taking the penalty and he gave Boden’s net-man Conor O’Donoghue no chance of stopping his shot. It must be borne in mind that O’Donoghue had to face into the setting sun and this surely restricted his vision. The opportunity emanated from good ball winning in mid-field by one of the visitor’s stars Eanna O’Toole and an efficient passing movement through the lines to the grasp of Davy Byrne. Boden committed the ‘professional’ foul and the referee had no hesitation in awarding the one-on-one shot.

This was a game of fine margins and on this aspect Boden can have few complaints as to who performed best. The opening half had finished at nine to eight points with the visitors to the fore. Arguably, Boden’s Naoise Maguire performed best for the home side, particularly in converting two late points from deep in his own half. O’Donoghue and Mark Lambert did the free-taking and converted three points, with the latter also bagging one from play. Others who kept Boden’s tally ticking over were Mattie Weldon and Finnian McDonagh. For the visitors Kevin Ward pointed three times as did Conor Cooney. O’Toole and Daire Kerr also contributed a brace of fine scores. Opinion on the side-line suggested that the Davis were just about worth their advantage.

Lambert opened the scoring for Boden in the second half to tie the contest. But parity did not last long and the penalty from Molloy opened up the lead that was to eventually deny the Division Three League champions their spot in the semi-final. The visitors kicked on with a classy point from Kerr which was matched by O’Donoghue with one of his trade-mark long frees. Sean O’Reilly for Davis added a point and Byrne followed up with another to open the gap to five. With thirteen minutes to play, Boden’s Gavin Corrigan pointed a free, but the visitors hunted down the field to the Cremorne end, only to blast a shot off the furniture. The ever reliable O’Donoghue narrowed the margin to just the goal, only to be followed by O’ Reilly for the Kiltipper men, a super response in the heat of the concluding stages of the contest. Kevin Ward brought his side’s lead back to five with a converted 65, but Boden’s Keith McCarron cancelled the score with a neat strike from outfield. A loose ball into Boden territory was controlled by Jamie Desmond and he brought his side’s tally to fifteen points with three minutes remaining. Boden went in search of a levelling goal and Corrigan had the misfortune to see his low shot whack off the foot of the post and to safety for the defence. Two further goal chances came Boden’s way, but the defence was good enough to block two O’Donoghue’s efforts from close-in frees.

Thomas Davis management were well pleased to have gotten over Boden in this fine contest and heaped considerable praise on their wing-backs Davy Keogh and Jacques D’Alton. Others to shine were undoubtedly O’Toole for his energy and drive to deny Boden their own share of mid-field possession. Ward was always reliable from placed balls and of course he was well matched in that department by Boden’s O’Donoghue.

Boden squad was Conor O’Donoghue, Eoin Small, Peter Buckeridge, Joe McGrath, Naoise Maguire, Jamie Desmond, Karl Reddy, Rob Leddy, Fionn Maguire, Mark Lambert, Cian Mellett, Ben Kelly, Finnian McDonagh, Gavin Corrigan, Mattie Weldon, Ronan Cleary, Keith McCarron, Ronan Dooley.