SFC rel play-off: Seneschalstown survive in extra-time thriller

Seneschalstown's Cathal Finnegan

Seneschalstown 1-26 Simonstown Gaels 2-19 (after extra-time)

And finally they could all breathe! The relief was palpable among Seneschalstown players and supporters when Robert Purfield’s final whistle sounded on a enthralling Fairyhouse Steel Senior Football Championship Relegation Playoff between the Yellow Furze men and Simonstown Gaels played in Fr. McManus Park in Skryne on Friday night.

When the sides were level at the end of the sixty minutes, an additional twenty was required to separate the sides and despite conceding two poor goals from their point of view in that extra twenty minutes, Seneschalstown were definitely the better team in extra-time where they kicked 1-10, not far off their tally for the duration of normal time.

The sides were well acquainted with each other with this being the fourth meeting between them this season. The Navan side were victorious in the Feis Cup and in Round 5 of the League. Seneschalstown turned the tables in the Division 2 League Final and were hoping to back that up and secure their Senior status in this particular fixture having felt like they let games against St. Colmcille’s and Ballinabrackey slip from their grasp in the group stage.

There was a stiff breeze blowing straight across to the dressing rooms in Skryne which favoured neither team in truth and there was a misty rain that fell nearly constantly throughout which made handling difficult and the ground greasy underfoot.

When proceedings got underway an early Seneschalstown attack came to nothing but the Simonstown goalkeeper was perhaps harshly adjudged to have taken too long over the kickout. Cathal Finnegan tapped over the thirteen metre free to get Seneschalstown on the scoreboard.

Seneschalstown couldn’t add to this any further in the opening ten minutes before Simonstown got on the scoreboard through a two point effort from play from out on the right hand side and a point a minute later from a more central position.

Colin Scanlon did well to create a shooting opportunity in the twelfth minute and he made no mistake from between the two arcs to register Seneschalstown’s second point.

With both sides making mistakes aplenty due to the conditions combined with the nerves to come along with these relegation battles, scores were not plentiful in the opening twenty minutes but Seneschalstown had their first two point opportunity when Cathal Finnegan was fouled just outside the forty metre arc. Cian Commons stepped up to convert the two point dead ball and edge Seneschalstown 0-04 to 0-03 in front.  The same player was on target again moments later as Alan Mulvany set Brian Maguire free across the halfway line and his run set up Commons on the loop and the centre forward did the rest, chipping over his first score from play.

Seneschalstown were enjoying the better of proceedings at this point and Alan Mulvany doubled their advantage when he sent a shot spinning over off the outside of his right boot from 25 metres after being placed for the score by Robbie Finnegan.

Another monster two point score for the Gaels left it 0-06 to 0-05 as the clock ticked into first half stoppage time. However Seneschalstown would increase their advantage before the half-time whistle when Alan Mulvany somehow came out with a breaking ball from a collection of bodies in midfield and he carried forward. With no defender coming to close him down he decided to do the same as his earlier point and cut across the ball into the wind and it went between the posts for a two point advantage at the break.

Seneschalstown carried on that momentum from late in the opening half when Cathal Finnegan converted a free after he was fouled himself. Simonstown got their first score of the second half from a free shortly after.

However, a big turning point came in the 36th minute. Seneschalstown worked a close range opportunity for Darren O’Brien but his rasping drive came off the crossbar and went all the way out for a sideline. Up the pitch went Simonstown to pull back a point from a free and a shot to nothing from outside the two point arc on an advantage was let hop over the bar for an orange flag and the sides were level.

The Sky Blues were building momentum quickly and further Seneschalstown indiscipline was punished two minutes later with another orange flag score. A further point left Seneschalstown three behind before Seán Carey broke the Simonstown head of steam with a fine point from the left hand side. At the three quarter stage, Seneschalstown looked in big trouble trailing 0-13 to 0-09.

However Carey, who was enjoying a superb outing at wing back came up with a superb two pointer off the outside of his left boot in the 46th minute to halve the deficit and from the resulting kickout Séimí Byrne, introduced earlier in the piece was fouled just outside the new arc and in the space of about 90 seconds Seneschalstown had the four point deficit wiped out when Cian Commons kicked the resulting free.

From the next kickout Eamon Finnegan plucked the ball from the sky and when the play developed Seneschalstown were awarded a free which Cathal Finnegan converted from the 13 metre line to edge his side back in front with a little over ten minutes remaining at 0-14 to 0-13.

Simonstown brought the sides level with a good score moments later and the Senior champions from a decade ago were in the driving seat after a pointed free with eight minutes to go.

Commons and Eamon Finnegan combined from the next kickout to set up Alan Mulvany for his third point of the evening from outside on the right wing as the sides went score for score and the prospect of extra time loomed large.

With no score for almost ten minutes as everything became frantic both teams were running out of opportunities and Seneschalstown were presented with a golden chance to win the game when Cathal Finnegan was fouled about 25 metres and the number 13 was spot on from the free and it looked like Seneschalstown had one hand on victory.

However, Simonstown came away with possession from the kickout and engineered one final opportunity which was taken and with no time for the restart, an extra twenty minutes was going to be required to decide who would join Na Fianna in the Relegation Final in a fortnight.

The early stages of extra-time were stop start with a couple of injuries and as a result the first score didn’t come until five minutes in when Cathal Finnegan’s shot went through the posts and after some discussion with the linesman, both of the referee’s arms went up in the air to signal a two pointer and a serious shot in the arm for Seneschalstown.

A minute later the same player was denied a goal by a great block from the Simonstown defence but Finnegan was showing no signs of fatigue as he landed the 45’.

After another stoppage, Seneschalstown kept the pressure on the Simonstown kickout and when the ball was worked wide to Seán Carey he decided to shape up for another two point effort but he totally miscued it. Fortunately for Seneschalstown, Eamon Finnegan was alive to the situation and he grabbed the ball on the 20 metre line and he swivelled away from a tackle to hoist the ball high over the bar and move his side 0-20 to 0-16 ahead with nine minutes of the half gone.

With those aforementioned stoppages, the was a considerable amount of injury time and Simonstown were finally able to break out through the Seneschalstown press. When they worked a shooting opportunity from long range, it dropped short but the ball escaped the clutches of Seneschalstown keeper David Gordon and ended up in the net to give Simonstown a massive lifeline. Two minutes later, things got worse for Seneschalstown.

Another high ball into the square wasn’t dealt with and consequently ended up with the umpire going for the green flag and suddenly Seneschalstown found themselves two points in arrears. Their response though, was highly impressive.

Straight from the kickout, Seneschalstown worked an opportunity between Alan Mulvany and Seán Carey and the wing back did have a chance of raising an immediately green flag in reply but he had to be content with the point, his fourth. After the ball went down the pitch Seneschalstown produced a turnover and after Woodley Nicholson won a 50/50 ball on the ground he teed up Dylan Keating who made his way around the edge of the two point arc and curled over four and a half minutes into injury time and somewhat remarkably Seneschalstown went into the quick team talk at the break a point to the good at 0-23 to 2-16.

Seneschalstown got off to a really positive start in the second period of extra-time. After winning the throw-in, the winners made progress up the field with a strong carry from Woodley Nicholson, Cathal Finnegan came in on the loop and he swung over a two point effort with a roar coming from the Seneschalstown crowd on the bank leaving the umpires in no doubt on what to do. Finnegan now had 0-09 as he looked his sharpest since returning from injury.

With a three point lead, the next score turned out to be a dagger in the hearts of Simonstown.

A David Gordon kickout was superbly flicked on by Seán Carey into the path of Dylan Keating. Keating, from around halfway tore forward towards the Simonstown goal as a big gap appeared down the middle. After a defender came towards him, Keating slipped the ball towards Eamon Finnegan who was in on goal. The wing-forward took possession and dummied back onto his right foot by going around the goalkeeper and finishing to the net and now Seneschalstown could sense victory was well within their grasp as they had a six point buffer with as many minutes remaining.

To their credit, Simonstown didn’t give up the ghost and worked a two point score from play and a regular white flag to halve the deficit with two minutes to go.

Seneschalstown did defend the next couple of phases well and when they were awarded a free in the middle of the pitch, good interplay between Keating and Carey left Cian Commons with the insurance score as the clock ticked towards the 80th minute.

Seneschalstown withstood the final few seconds and when the final whistle went, there was a sense of relief among those of a yellow and blue persuasion. It wasn’t a position that the side wanted to be in but they did the job on the night and ensure the streak of consecutive years in Senior Football will stretch to 59 in 2027.

Seneschalstown: David Gordon, Ronan Conneely, Simon Rooney, Brian Maguire, Colin Scanlon (0-01), Woodley Nicholson, Seán Carey (0-04, 1tp), Danny Waters, Darren O’Brien, Éamon Finnegan (1-01), Cian Commons (0-06, 2tpf), Alan Mulvany (0-03), Cathal Finnegan (0-09, 2tp, 4fs, 1 45’), Dylan Keating (0-02, 1tp), Robbie Finnegan.

Subs: Séimí Byrne, Ryan Finnegan, Liam Dillon, Conor McDonnell.