Dunshaughlin 3-13 St Colmcilles 0-7

On a lovely, cool but dry Tuesday evening under the lights at the bustling Dunshaughlin club grounds, where multiple training sessions took place around Pitch 2, Gourmet Food Parlour sponsored Dunshaughlin faced off against St. Colmcilles.

Referee Declan Browne got proceedings underway with Sean O’Neill contesting the throw-in.

St. Colmcilles started the brighter of the two sides, registering two early pointsbone from a free following a infringement from Dunshaughlin and another from open play. Dunshaughlin responded in the 10th minute when wing back Sean Clancy got his side on the scoreboard with a well-taken point.

The visitors continued to press and were unlucky not to score a goal when a shot struck the post. However, the umpire signaled that the ball had gone over the bar, extending St. Colmcilles' lead. Dunshaughlin’s right-footed wing forward Evan O’Connor then leveled the sides at the 15-minute mark with a fine point off his left foot.

The crucial breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Dunshaughlin’s now top scorer, Matthew Gallagher, found the back of the net, pushing his side two points ahead. St. Colmcilles responded with a well-executed point, keeping the game finely balanced. As the half-time whistle approached, Dunshaughlin appeared to be finding their rhythm. Just before the break, Sean O’Neill slotted a point to give Dunshaughlin a slight edge, leading by 2 point

Half-Time Score Dunshaughlin 1-03 St Colmcilles 0-4

St. Colmcilles opened the scoring in the second half, reducing the deficit. However, Dunshaughlin’s young stars quickly took control, with Evan O’Connor responding, followed by two consecutive scores from 18-year-old Matthew Gallagher. Now in their purple patch, Dunshaughlin continued to dominate, with Pierce Dunne adding another point, followed by two more consecutive scores from the man of the moment, Matthew Gallagher.

At this stage, Dunshaughlin’s defense was proving rock solid. Gary Farrelly’s influence was evident as the defensive shape was well-organized, preventing St. Colmcilles from penetrating through. The backline, marshaled by the ever-reliable James Traynor stood firm, ensuring that Colmcilles found it difficult to break through. Despite some hard tackling, the visitors managed to earn a free, which they duly converted to add to their tally. St. Colmcilles then added another two points, showing some resilience.

However, with fresh legs introduced through substitutions, Dunshaughlin pushed on again. Evan O’Connor, Ciaran Sheridan, and Pierce Dunne all added to the scoreboard before Ciaran Sheridan found the clubhouse-end goal, giving Dunshaughlin a commanding 12-point lead. In the final moments, Adam “Goal Merchant” Hanley produced a last-minute goal, similar to the one he scored against Moylagh on St. Patrick’s weekend, sealing an victory for Dunshaughlin.

A dominant second-half performance ensured Dunshaughlin secured a well-earned win, with standout performances from Matthew Gallagher, Evan O’Connor, and the rock-solid defensive unit lead by James Traynor, and Cathal McCormack.

Dunshaughlin scorers: Adam Hanley 1-0, Evan O’Connor 0-3, Ciaran Sheridan 1-2, Matthew Gallagher 1-5, Pierce Dunne 0-1, Sean O’Neill 0-1, Sean Clancy 0-1

Next up for this side will be the busy month of April with a trip Navan to take on O’Mahonys on the Sunday 6th April at 11am .

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