St Peter’s Dunboyne 4-13  Bhulf Ton 3-12 

Cluiche an taitneamhach spóirtiúil é seo. Bhí na foirne ar comhscór le seacht noiméad fágtha. Deirigh leis an foireann baile le ceithre pointe gan freagra ag an deireadh.

Both teams were coming off league defeats at the weekend and served up a very entertaining game played in ideal conditions. The lead changed hands on a number of occasions and the issue was in doubt until the final minutes.  

Bhulf Tón opened the scoring with a Cian Ward free in the first minute. Two minutes later Stephen Sheppard who was highly effective at full forward had his goal effort saved by the Dunboyne keeper and from the subsequent clearance Dunboyne worked the ball the length of the pitch to goal at the far end. On these tight margins games are won and lost. The Sheppard brothers had a point each to draw the Tones level by the sixth minute. 1  01 from Dunboyne saw them open a four point lead before Stephen Sheppard goaled following good interplay between Eanna O Kelly Lynch and Cian Ward. Dunboyne pushed the gap out to two before O Kelly Lynch and Niall O Reilly combined to find Conor Sheppard who gave the Dunboyne keeper no chance and Bhulf Ton a one point lead. Tones had been the better team to this point but had registered six wides. Unfortunately for the visitors they conceded their third goal shortly afterwards. Thomas Blaney replied with a free from an acute angle. The sides traded points again, Cian ward with a ’45 on target for the Tones before Conor Sheppard galloped forward to level matters in the 28th minute. Dunboyne added a pointed free. The half time score saw the home side hold a slender lead on a 2  06 to 3 04 scoreline.                                                                     

Tones had the best of starts to the second half when Cian ward wriggled his way through the Dunboyne defence and managed to find the net. The game swung from end to end with both teams creating scoring chances, and by the 43rd minute Tones had added two points to their tally, Cian Ward and Darragh Canny being the scorers, while conceding three points. However Tones were rocked by the concession of a goal as Dunboyne won the Tones kick out in the half back line and made the most of the opportunity. Tones showed spirit to fight their way back to be level again by the 53rd minute.  The pick of their four points in this period was a fine individual effort from Stephen Sheppard who collected a Cian Ward pass and drove though the Dunboyne defence under all sorts of physical pressure and somehow managed to get his shot away and Thomas Blaney who also pointed brilliantly following good work from Niall O Reilly and Conor Sheppard. However Tones couldn’t find the scores they needed in the dying minutes while Dunboyne added four without reply to emerge victorious after a see saw battle.                                                                                                          

Tones will be disappointed to have come home empty handed after a very good performance given their extensive injury list and will look to their next game against Dunshaughlin to garner much needed league points. Prominent for the Tones were Stephen Sheppard, Cian Ward and Thomas Blaney in attack, Niall O Reilly and Alan Callaghan who dominated for a period in mid field and the half back line Conor Sheppard, Éanna O Kelly Lynch and Waterford native Kieran Conway.

Bhulf Tón: Trevor Browne, Aonghus Mc Loughlin, Shane Glynn, Robert White, Kieran Conway, Éanna O Kelly Lynch, Conor Sheppard (1-2), Niall O Reilly, Alan Callaghan, Caolan Ward, Cian Ward (1-5, 3f, 1’45), Gary Mc Fadden, Darragh Canny (0-1), Stephen Sheppard (1-2), Thomas Blaney (0-2,1f) Subs: Mark McFadden for Caolán Ward (52), Jake mc Fadden for Thomas Blaney (bc, 58)

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