Navan O’Mahony’s 2-17
Simonstown Gaels 2-12

Cillian Roe proved the hero with the insurance goal in the dying stages of this all-Navan encounter of the Meath Cleaning Supplies JACFC Div 4 encounter played in the sunshine in Paddy O’Brien Park on Sunday evening.

Five minutes in, O’Mahony’s held a two point lead following a free from Ciaran McGuinness and a Paul Cunningham effort from play. Simonstown reduced the gap to a point in response, and within sixty seconds had taken the lead with a goal. Two points in quick succession from Clayton O’Sullivan brought the game back to level terms after ten minutes.

The following ten minutes was a relatively quiet period for the umpires, with both sides adding a single point. The men behind the goals were kept busier for the final ten of the half, starting with points from Sean Smyth and Ben Forde. Simonstown also kept the scoreboard ticking over, including a two-pointer free. O’Sullivan added three points in this time, including a two-pointer from play and the bare minimum was between the sides at the break.

Navan O’Mahony’s 0-11
Simonstown 1-07

It was anyone’s game going into the second half. Tommy Carroll extended the lead with a point from play in the fifth minute and five minutes later, the gap was extended to five with a penalty from Cunningham.

Simonstown were quick to respond, and within three minutes had added two points to leave it a single score game once again. Midway through the half, O’Sullivan added a two-pointer free with Simonstown responding immediately with a point from play.

Ten minutes remained on the clock when the North Navan side added another point from play, leaving three between the sides once more. Once again, it was O’Sullivan who pointed to keep the visitors at arms length but O’Mahony’s struggled to get it to more than a single score game. Three points separated the sides before Cunningham and O’Sullivan pushed O’Mahony’s further into the lead with three minutes remaining.

The drama wasn’t over yet, and with ninety seconds of normal time left on the clock, Simonstown found the net to make it a two-point game, a dangerous lead under the new rules. Simonstown tried in vain to add another score but it was Roe who, a minute and a half into injury time, secured the vital score that ensured victory for John Nugent’s side.

Navan O’Mahony’s: Brían Yourell, Diarmuid O Bric, Killian Clarke-Doggett, Niall Gorman, Thomas Cully, Jack Lafford, Kian McGee, Tommy Carroll (0-01), Andy Leech, Ciaran McGuinness (0-01, 1F), Clayton O’Sullivan (0-10, 1 2P, 1 2PF), Sean Smyth (0-01), Ben Forde (0-02),  Paul Cunningham (1-02, P), Darren Clarke

Max Farrelly for Clarke, Aaron Coyle for McGee, Podge Gallagher for Smyth, Cillian Roe (1-0) for Forde

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