Cortown 3-07 St Peter’s Dunboyne 0-13

Rekindling the spirits of 2014, Cortown and St Peter’s Dunboyne locked horns once again for the latest instalment of a game which has produced some cracking ties throughout the years. In a windswept Cortown, with legendary former Meath Manager Sean Boylan looking on, only two remainers from 2014 lined out for the hosts with the visitors fielding a development team with all players 23 and under.

Playing with the elements in the opening period, Cortown got the perfect start with Davy Rispin scoring a fortuitous goal inside the opening exchanges of the contest. The chiselled Saint’s settled themselves into the game and despite registering several wides, notching three consecutive scores to restore parity.

Under the cosh and living off scraps, a rare venture into the Dunboyne half resulted in a second major for Martin McGovern’s men. The returning Hugh Staunton forced a turnover deep in the final third and laid the ball on for Oisin Smith who finished soccer-style to the back of the net to give Cortown a major boost.

Undeterred, David Gallagher’s young guns continued to dominate possession and carve out opportunities and posted a further trio of points to equalise entering the closing stages of the half. Brían Smith did manage to pop over the lead score for the home side on the stroke of half-time to give Cortown a slender 2-1 to 0-6 advantage albeit having played with the strong wind at their backs.

If you were of the betting persuasion, you would not have given Cortown much of a chance in the second half based on the wind advantage and the sheer dominance that the men in strips enjoyed in that opening period. However, Cortown really rolled the sleeves up and turned in a vintage second half performance to turn the tide in their favour.

Smith nailed back-to-back frees to extent the lead to three with the North side enjoying far more possession with Ciaran Keating, Luca Brady and Theo Staunton all excelling in that middle third. Jake Coyne in his first home league game for the Club alongside Gavin Clarke and Markuss Watters, curled over an excellent score for an inspired Cortown.

St Peter’s were far from done though and Jack Finnegan was forced into an outstanding stop to preserve his clean sheet, but the travelling side did reduce the arrears to one courtesy of a close-range effort followed by a two-pointer from outside the arc.

The reintroduction of Hugh Staunton midway through the second half proved to be a significant turning point in the contest with Cortown regaining a foothold in the middle third. Brady fed Smith for what proved to be the sealing third goal with a slight deflection helping wrongfoot the Dunboyne ‘keeper.

Credit to the visitors who plugged away and hit another two pointer from a free outside the ’45 but Cortown held firm for a crucial victory, their first of the year for a much-needed boost ahead of a tricky looking away clash in Kilmainhamwood next Sunday.  

Cortown: Jack Finnegan; Gavin Clarke, Barry Canning, Micky Costello; Charlie Smith, Theo Staunton, Ciaran Keating; Luca Brady, Hugh Staunton; Jake Coyne (0-1), Davy Rispin (1-0), Markuss Watters; Oisin Smith (2-5, 3fs, 1pf), Josh Flood, Brían Smith (0-1).

Subs: Declan Clarke for H Staunton, Conor Smith for B Smith, Staunton for Clarke.

Referee: Seamus O’Connor (Carnaross)  

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