Dunshaughlin 0-16
Blackhall
Gaels 1-07
Blackhall
Gaels looked like they picked up where they left off in Pairc Tailteann last
Saturday night with two scores inside the opening five minutes. But this was a
different Dunshaughlin performance and Martin Reilly settled the nerves on eight
minutes with a converted free. A move that epitomized Dunshaughlins mood then
followed when Ray Maloney pounced on a mistake by the Blackhall keeper and
offloaded to Denis Kealy who steamed through to level with a point.
Dunshaughlin were really up for this game and in very sector of the pitch were
pressurizing the Blackhall player on the ball. Cathal O’Dwyer then put
Dunshaughlin into the lead, a lead they didn’t surrender. Blackhall were
finding it hard to cope with the onslaught and forfeited free which Niall Kelly
and Reilly pointed with ease. Blackhall Gaels pointed in the 21st minute
to reduce Dunshaughlin’s lead to two before Kelly (free), O’Dwyer and David
Devereux made it 0-08 to 0-03 in favour of the Black and Ambers. Bothe teams
traded frees in time added on, Martin Reilly converting after being fouled
himself, leaving it 0-09 to 0-04 at the break.
Dunshaughlin
were in much the same form when the second half got underway and Cathal O’Dwyer
took no time to register his third point of the evening. Another Reilly free
followed as the Blackhall rearguard continued to struggle with the pace of the
Dunshaughlin forward unit. A constant thorn in the Blackhall side, Conor Staunton
pointed just before Martin Reilly added a point from play which left Dunshaughlin
leading 0-13 to 0-04. Midway through the second period, Blackhall looked down, and
out, but two quick points gave them a glimmer of hope, and in the 47th
minute a high hopeful ball ended up in the Dunshaughlin net, calls for a square
ball went up but Blackhall were awarded the goal and with that, only trailed by
four. But in reality, Dunshaughlin had been far better than the score line suggested,
and the outstanding Cathal O’Dwyer steadied the ship with his fourth and Dunshaughlin’s
14th score. Kenny McTigue and Caoimhin King were masterful at the
back and along with the Kealy’s Richard and Denis were affording the Blackhall
attack no further opportunity to add to their goal, while at the other end
Niall Kelly and Cathal O’Dwyer added two more points for Dunshaughlin as they
rampaged through the Blackhall defence. The Gaels did manage a point in the 58th
minute but it was a mere consolation as Dunshaughlin romped home to secure a
Semi-Final berth.
This was a
fine team display, but best for Dunshaughlin were Caoimhin King, Kenny McTigue,
Denis Kealy, Ciaran Farrelly and Cathal O’Dwyer.
Dunshaughlin:
Ronan Gogan, Tommy Johnson, Caoimhin King, Kenny McTigue, Denis Kealy (0-1),
Michael Ahern, Richard Kealy, Naill Kelly (0-3, 2 frees), Raymond Maloney,
Ciaran Farrelly, Trevor Dowd, Cathal O’Dwyer (0-5), Martin Reilly (0-5, 4
frees), David Devereux (0-1), Conor Staunton (0-1).
Subs: Michael Johnson for Cathal O’Dwyer
