Seneschalstown 0-16 Ratoath 1-13

When all was said and done at the end of this Fairyhouse Steel Senior Football Championship Group B in Páirc Táilteann on Sunday, Seneschalstown were left with a bittersweet feeling having been forced to settle for a draw after a topsy turvy tie against Ratoath. For roughly three quarters of the contest Seneschalstown were the better team on the pitch, stemming from their opening round win over St. Colmcille’s. This was emphasised that from trailing 0-04 to 0-01 in the 9th minute, Seneschalstown outscored Ratoath 0-14 to 0-03 until the 50th minute and left themselves eight points to the good and in a strong position.

However, like all good teams Ratoath demonstrated why they were joint favourites for the Championship coming into the weekend with a powerful last ten minutes to snatch a draw which seemed most unlikely as we approached the closing stages.

A stiff breeze was blowing into the hospital end all game, and it was Ratoath who were backed by it in the opening half. It took them just over 60 seconds to get the opening point from play.   Seneschalstown drew level in the third minute when Cian Commons kicked his first score of the day after Dylan Keating dinked a ball over the top into his path.   It looked however, that Ratoath were in a mood to make the best use of that wind advantage as they had built up that aforementioned three point lead by the ninth minute.

Seneschalstown though, got the next score when Alan Mulvany found Eoin Finnegan with a pass and the corner forward spun on a sixpence and he slotted over. This seemed to awaken something in the men in yellow and they started to get a major foothold in the game. There were opportunities that went abegging and passes that went astray but it wasn’t for the lack of trying. The Seneschalstown defence were starting to get a lot of joy in their man to man duels and it provided them with a platform to kick on.

Despite not scoring again until the 21st minute, the Furze men were well in the game. Commons kicked two routine frees in quick succession, the first after a foul on Bryan Clarke and the second after he won it himself straight in front of the sticks. Despite their endeavour, Ratoath would go into the break two points ahead after a two point effort from play in the 25th minute with neither team able to force the scoreboard operator into any further action before the hooter.

Whatever was said in the Seneschalstown dressing room underneath old stand in Meath GAA HQ at the break obviously hit home with the players as they came out at the start of the second period on a mission.

Within two minutes they had the opening score of the half when Eoin Finnegan was on target with a free for his second of the day after Dylan Keating was brought to the ground.

This was only the start for Seneschalstown, as things only began to get better for them.   In the 34thminute Seneschalstown hit the front for the first time when they were awarded a free near the 45’. Up stepped Cian Commons and he sent the ball arrowing towards the posts and it was unerringly accurate from the 19 year old which put his side ahead on the scoreboard at 0-07 to 0-06.   Moments later it was like déjà vu as from another two point free from a similar position the number 11 made no mistake and now Seneschalstown were beginning to hum.

The gap was out to four points seconds later when Bryan Clarke found himself in space on the edge of the old D’ and he bisected the uprights off his left foot, but the best was yet to come from the two time Keegan Cup medallist.

Seneschalstown forced Ratoath down a blind alley along the terrace side and when the ball was coughed up Niall Hickey, as he had done all day, pounced on the loose ball on the ground.   After he came up with the ball, he was impeded and Seneschalstown were awarded another free only metres in from the touchline on the 45’. Bryan Clarke came across to take the free, and as was his trademark when he was on the championship winning teams of ’07 and ’09, he put it on the ground and from what many would deem a low percentage shot, Clarke’s effort had more than enough in it to carry over the bar for another orange flag and Seneschalstown were 0-12 to 0-06 to the good.

Ratoath’s indiscipline was costing them, as yet another foul outside the new arc was punished by the ever so accurate Cian Commons and Seneschalstown had a fourth two pointer to their name of just the second half!

Ratoath eventually broke their scoring duck in the 47th minute with a free but Seneschalstown answered in kind down the other end with another Commons effort, this time just for a one point score but there was still 13 minutes left on the hooter clock in Navan.

Ratoath followed up with another score and gradually momentum started to swing their way. There was still six minutes left on the clock when James Meade’s kickout was intercepted and Ratoath had a goal chance. Cian Rodgers got his shot off for Ratoath but Simon Rooney came from nowhere to amazingly block the ball on the line.   However, the rebound broke to a Ratoath player and it was worked back across to Rodgers and he finished to the net and all of a sudden the vociferous Seneschalstown crowd were watching the game through their fingers. Ratoath kept up the pressure and drew level with just over two minutes left on the clock. It looked like curtains for the Yellow Furze men.

Just when it looked like their inexperience would cost them coming down the stretch, Seneschalstown regained their composure and worked another attack.   After being patient for a couple of moments the ball broke loose between the two arcs and Commons was the quickest to react and he took aim as he turned. Backed by the wind the ball sailed over the bar and it looked like Seneschalstown were in a match winning position once again.

Just before the hooter went though, Ratoath engineered one more opportunity for themselves which was popped over by Eamon Wallace with twenty seconds left. Meade got the kickout away and after a couple of fumbles from both sides in possession, Seneschalstown eventually worked one more scoring opportunity.

Unfortunately for them, the ball went outside the post and with it came Cormac Reilly’s full time whistle. It was despair for Seneschalstown in one way, but when they look back on it, the performance was certainly one of the best they have produced in a Senior Championship game in Navan in quite a while. This was highlighted none more so than after the game when the Seneschalstown support gave the team a standing ovation as they left the field knowing the side had left it all out there.

However, regardless of what the result was on Sunday the third round encounter against Ballinabrackey was always going to be a must win game if Seneschalstown are to progress to the knockout stages for the first time since 2016, and attention will swiftly turn to that fixture in Dunganny which is fixed for Saturday August 31st at 6pm.

Seneschalstown: James Meade, Simon Rooney, Danny Waters, Conor McDonnell, Robbie Finnegan, Woodley Nicholson, Éamon Finnegan, Donie Commons, Niall Hickey, Ronan Conneely, Cian Commons (0-11, 3 tpfs, 3 fs), Alan Mulvany, Eoin Finnegan (0-02, 1f), Bryan Clarke (0-03, 1 tpf), Dylan Keating.

Subs: Collie Scanlon, Darren O’Brien

Tweet

Most Read Stories