After a hugely entertaining game of football, our Under 21 team went down on the narrowest of margins to our hosts Glenville in the second round of the Under 21 A&B Imokilly Football Championship on Sunday morning last the 11th of February.
A slow start cost our lads dearly and meant we were always chasing this game. Glenville had two points on the board before Billy Connolly finally raised our first white flag on thirteen minutes. However, the home side scored three more points before David Dunphy had our second score twenty-two minutes in. Sean O Donoghue did send over another free but Glenville scored the last point before the break to lead seven points to three at the short whistle. This was very much a deserved lead. Our lads were showing little of the intensity and fluidity that we saw in their pulsating win over Youghal last weekend. Robert Docherty was having a fine game at midfield but around the field, we just didn’t seem to match the hunger of our opponents.
We were facing an uphill battle in the second period – literally as we turned to play into the village end in Glenville. It all looked very ominous two minutes in when Glenville raised the first green flag – 1- 07 to 0 -03. However, rather than deflate our lads this goal appeared to sting them into action – finally… Quality off the shoulder passing saw St. Colmcille’s cut through the Glenville defence, with Stephen Whooley finishing off a great move, crashing a ball to the back of the net, in an attack that he had been involved in three times in the build up. St. Colmcille’s were awarded a penalty, soon after the resultant kick out, after Billy Connolly was hauled down, which David Dunphy cooly slotted home and in the blink of an eye we went from trailing by seven to trailing by one. When Eddie Coughlan scored a beauty from play, a minute later, all the momentum had shifted in our favour as the game was now level.
However great credit must go to Glenville as they regrouped from this double whammy and scored a couple of big points in quick succession to edge ahead again. David Dunphy boomed over a free on 11 minutes but Glenville stretched it out to two again six minutes later. St. Colmcille’s found it very difficult to breach our opponents defence as they defended in numbers inside the D – the strong wind also blowing into our faces. Still the likes of PJ O Donovan, Joe Dunphy and Sean Delaney were all driving forward at every opportunity and drawing frees time and again. Ruairí Quinlan scored a beautiful point off his left on 30 minutes, and with it obvious there would be quite a bit of stoppage time to be played, it was all to play for with just a point in it. The Colmcilles supporters in attendance were certainly hoping that we could be playing extra time for the second week in a row.
To be fair to our lads we tried everything to draw level but it wasn’t to be. When referee PJ Dennehy blew the whistle for the last time in this fine, sporting encounter it was the home side who celebrated – the 2-07 to 1-11 scoreline leaning in their favour. Congratulations to Glenville on a fine win and the best of luck to them in the remainder of the championship.
Team: Aaron Ryan, Daniel O’Keeffe, Rory McCarthy, Felix Murphy, PJ O’Donovan, Ruairi Quinlan (0-01), Robert Sheehan, Eddie Coughlan (0-02), Robert Docherty, David Dunphy (1 -02 – all frees/pen) , Billy Connelly (0-01), Stephen Whooley (1-00), Sean O’Donoghue (0-01, free), Daniel Kelleher, Brendan Quaine.
Subs Used: Aidan Docherty, Sean Delaney, Joe Dunphy, Sean Whelan, Evan Flynn