ACL Div.5: Mullingar Shamrocks 1-15 St Joseph’s 1-17
This could become a habit: another high scoring encounter with Shamrocks ending on the wrong side of a scoring feast. And we were treated to another enjoyable game of football, the third one this week. Shamrocks attacked from the throw-in against a St Joseph’s team who were playing their first match since the Covid-19 restrictions ended. And it showed too in the first half as Shamrocks raced to a 1-12 to 0-2 interval lead after leading by 0-7 to 1-1 at the first water break. Zach Aherne (0-3), Brian Farrell (0-2), Dillon Matthews and Trevor Keena were the early scores and when play resumed Cormac Hynes, Zach, Trevor, Ryan Blundell and Daithí Martin added points with Dillon Matthews scoring a typical on the run goal.
The second half proved to be a very different story as St Joseph’s adjusted their sights and kicked ten unanswered points, many of them fine long range efforts. In a twelve minute spell St Joseph’s had drawn level. A couple of great saves and some great last gasp defending prevented St Joseph’s from adding a few goals. One episode in particular featured Matthew Siode and Ronan McHugh before Ronan emerged from the crowded goalmouth with the ball firmly in his grasp. Shamrocks eventually got a grip on the game and points by Dillon Matthews, Mark Shaw and a free from the ground by Zach Aherne restored the Shamrocks lead at the second water break (1-15 to 1-12). These proved to be the last scores for Shamrocks and in the final quarter St Joseph’s added five points to secure the league points, the last three by Brian Keegan, Dean Slevin and Jordan McDonald were particularly fine efforts and brought the score to 1-17 to 1-15.
Mullingar Shamrocks: Seán Hynes; Peter Bane, Matthew Siode, Ronan McHugh; Cormac Hynes (0-1) [Ollie MacNamara], Ryan Blundell (0-1), Jack Kelly (Eamonn Breslin); Zach Aherne (0-5), Dillon Matthews (1-2); Mark Shaw (0-1), Brian Farrell (0-2), Daithí Martin (0-1) [Cormac Hynes]; Matthew Maslin (James Devine), Gary Corroon (Adam McCormack), Trevor Keena (0-2).
