Duleek-Bellewstown 0-15 St Michaels 1-10

Duleek-Bellewstown got their Meade Potato Intermediate Football Championship off to a winning start with a hard earned win over St Michaels in a windswept Rathkenny on Saturday night. Matches between these two sides are normally tight and intense and this was no exception.

Playing with the strong wind from the dressing room end in Rathkenny, Duleek Bellewstown got off to a perfect start with a pointed free in the first minute from John Flood after a foul on Eoghan Heeney. Flood then pointed two from play to extend the lead to three points after 5 minutes.  Two more points from play from Eoghan Heeney and Jamie Crosby had the lead out to 5 by the end of the first quarter.

Another Heeney point and pointed free from James McWeeney had extended the lead before St Michaels opened their account with a point from their full forward on the 23rd minute which was immediately cancelled out by James McWeeney following a pass from John Flood.

St Michaels then got to grips with things around the midfield area and 3 pointed frees had the gap down to 4 as the half entered injury time. Brian Fitzpatrick then swept forward and landed a massive point from beyond the 45 on the right which was followed a Joe Hartford effort in the 35th minute.  But there was still time for St Michaels to respond with another pointed free to close out the half with 5 points separating the sides.

Duleek-Bellewstown 0-10 St Michaels 0-5.

The strength of the wind was definitely a factor in the first half and St Michaels had some efforts fall short or pulled away from the goals. The question at half time was how would Duleek-Bellewstown fare in the second half as the 5 point gap might not suffice.

That concern was well and truly put under the microscope when St Michaels opened with a goal straight from the throw in and the gap was at two. But it was Duleek Bellewstown who pushed on and put St Michaels on the defensive.  Keeping possession and some timely interceptions and strong tackling was key to the next phases of play and with points from Shane Crosby and 2 from the left boot of Alan Bowden the 5 point gap was restored by the end of the quarter.

A pointed free from their centre forward got the Michaels back on track which was cancelled by a Jamie Crosby free. Another pointed free and a point from play had the gap back to a single score with 5 minutes left on the clock before John Mc Donnell calmed the nerves with a point as the game entered injury time.

St Michaels then threw everything into getting scores and at one stage had all their players including their keeper in the Duleek-Bellewstown half. In the 7 minutes of injury time, a pointed free and a point from play and a shot which flashed narrowly past the post saw Duleek Bellewstown hold out for a well earned two point win.

Duleek-Bellewstown; R Lynch, S O’Leary, K McCann, C Regan , B Fitzpatrick (0-1), R Clarke, C Byrne, S Crosby (0-1), A Bowden (0-2), D Heeney, J Flood (0-3)  J McWeeney (0-2 1f), J Hartford (0-1), J Crosby (0-2 1f), E Heeney (0-2) Subs; J Mc Donnell(0-1), C Flynn,  D Collins, C Kirwan,

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