JACFC Div. 4 semi-final: St. Michaels edge Bective

Bective's Colm Barry with Ben Tobin St. Michaels during the JACFC Div. 4 Semi-final at Carlanstown

St. Michaels 1-13, Bective 1-10                            

St. Michaels edged out Bective in this very competitive encounter in Carlanstown on Saturday evening last and in doing so booked themselves a place in the division 4 final with Clann na nGael in Martry on Friday evening next.                                                                                     . 

The home side started well winning the throw-in and opening the scoring with two early points from the outstanding Ciaran Lynch. Jamie Farrelly followed up with another minor after his first effort came off the upright, Lynch added another brace to put his side five points to the good after only eleven minutes. Bective started slow and didn't get on the board until the end of the first quarter and they rattled off another four minors to the home sides single point from a placed ball from lynch to leave the minimum between the sides with the scoreboard reading St. Michaels 0-6, Bective 0-5 at half time. 

Bective came out with all guns blazing in the second half and put 1-2 on the board in the opening 10 minutes, the goal coming in the 34th minute. Lynch and Ben Tobin added a point apiece before Bective pulled one back from a placed ball. The turning point in the game came on 46 minutes when the in-rushing substitute J.B. O'Reilly was brought down in the square, Jamie Farrelly's penalty strike went over the crossbar and Bective were reduced to 14 men. The deficit was now down to two points and the visitors made it a three point game with their next score on 48 minutes, then up popped Cian McFadden who broke through the Bective defence for a well struck goal and the leveller with 10 minutes remaining. Diarmuid O'Malley converted a free before Ciaran Lynch struck a two-pointer from a placed ball before Ben Tobin completed the scoring for the winners with a good effort from play. A converted free on the stroke of full time completed the visitors tally.

The introduction of J.B. O'Reilly who did some excellent fielding around the middle third helped the St. Michaels cause immensely as did the foraging work done by the roving David Lynch & Ryan Gaffney.  

St. Michaels team and scorers: Josh Carolan: Conor Harten, Brian Reilly, Luke Kelleher; Ryan Gaffney, Harry Dunne, Patrick Clarke; Paddy Finnegan, Paddy Fitzsimons; Cian McFadden (1-0), David Lynch, Diarmuid O'Malley (0-1); Ben Tobin (0-2), Jamie Farrelly (0-2), Ciaran Lynch (0-8).                                                                  

Subs used: Ben Reilly for Dunne, J.B. O'Reilly for Finnegan, Ronan Lynch for Harten, Ray Reilly for Clarke.                                                                                          

Referee: Ken Doyle.            

Match report: Pascal Reilly PRO.