Navan O’Mahony’s 1-08 St Colmcilles 0-09

Two points from Jack McConnell helped Navan O’Mahony’s snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the semi-final of the Premier 2 competition. After a lacklustre middle period, the lads stepped it up in the closing stages to just about overcome St Colmcilles.

The East Meath side took an early lead, opening the scoring after two minutes. In the fifth minute, Eoin Joyce pointed from a free. St Colmcilles took the led again with another point from play, but this was nullified by a Jack Flynn point a minute later.

In the eighth minute, McConnell found Eoghan Nugent with a good pass but the netminder made the angle too tight. Nugent flicked the ball across the square where the oncoming Hugo Fitzherbert sent it to the net. St Colmcilles scored the next two points and would have had a third only for an impressive block by Paddy Dillon.

McConnell kicked a point which looked to be dropping short, but bounced off the bar to go over in the sixteenth minute. Ten minutes passed without score until the Cilles pointed from play. A point separated the sides going into injury time, in which both sides scored with McConnell getting his second.

Navan O’Mahony’s 1-04 St Colmcilles 0-06

O’Mahony’s, with the wind at their backs, were slow to start the second half. St Colmcilles dropped two frees short in the opening few minutes but got the equaliser in the seventh minute.

Cilles looked to be through for a goal until Craig Nolan and Aaron Byrne pressurised the forward into a mistake. Neither side could gain the lead and ten minutes passed scoreless until St Colmcilles took the lead midway through the half.

In the twenty-third minute, they added another point and things looked bleak for O’Mahony’s, who had yet to score in this half. Nevertheless, a minute later, Lois Collins reduced the gap to a single point with five minutes on the clock. At this stage, St Colmcilles had a numerical advantage after Nugent received a second yellow.

A great combination of work from Thomas Cully and Joyce left O’Mahony’s in possession of the ball again and the play ended with Collins equalising. With two minutes on the clock, it was again Cully who found McConnell with the pass to give O’Mahony’s the advantage as the clock ticked down.

Cilles put in a massive effort to attack, but efforts were thwarted by good defence from the Brews Hill lads, including Eimhin Power, Evan Brady and Ciaran Vaughan. A high ball into the square was caught by Byrne and shipped out of defence through the hands of Dillon. An injury time point from McConnell left Cilles with no choice but to go for goal and O’Mahony’s held the lead when the final whistle was blown. 

O'Mahonys: Aaron Byrne, Craig Nolan, Paddy Dillon, Eimhin Power, Ciaran Vaughan, Louis Collins (0-02), Evan Brady, Jack Flynn, Hugo Fitzherbert (1-0), Jack Quinn, Eoghan Nugent, Jack McConnell (0-04), Eoin Joyce (0-02), Shane McCarthy, Christy Dillon

Thomas Cully for Quinn, Evan Cully for McCarthy

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