Wicklow Minor a Championship

 

Minor Football Championship

Aughrim 1-11

St Pats 0-6

Eoin Horkan

Aughrim Community Grounds

 

Aughrim who are still managing to hang on to AGB at the top of the minor championship managed to overcome St Pats in a monsoon in Aughrim on Monday night.

The home side produced a fantastic  first half performance to effectively finish the tie off. This was led by  Joe McGuckian and Alex Kavanagh who were unplayable even in the horrendous conditions. It was midfielder McGuckian who opened the scoring as he drove forward from midfield to fire over an early point. After this early score both sides battled hard around the middle third to gain control it was the home side that won this battle. There game plan was simple play long fast ball into Alex Kavanagh this paid dividends as he slotted a free and an effort from play. As the monsoon began Aughrim won a penalty which Kavanagh took and blazed over the bar. This didn’t phase the home side as Kavanagh slotted two more dead ball is quick succession as the ground got slippier which resulted in more frees. With seven minutes to go in the half Kavanagh managed to turn his defender and bury the ball into the net. Pats manged to finally trouble the scoreboard at the end of the half with two well taken frees from Lorcan Sinnott. This left seven points between the sides at the break.

The second half was a much tighter affair as the conditions worsened. It was Sinnott who struck over another early free before McGuckian replied for the home side. Pats were starting to win more dirty ball this time it was full forward  Daniel Kavanagh who narrowed the gap with a minor. Aughrim wrestled back control after this as the rain subsided. The south Wicklow side landed four in a row the first coming from McGuckian before Kavanagh landed one from play and another dead ball to extend his sides advantage. The home sides final score of the game from the aforementioned McGuckian after Kavanagh took a quick free which he duly converted. The final two scored of the game were dead balls from Sinnott as he tried to put a gloss on the final score line.

Aughrim: Mark Shannon; Finn Byrne, Leo Byrne, Ryan Kinsella; Cian Keogh, Oisin Keegan, Charlie O’ Connor; Joseph McGuckian (0-4), Jack Byrne; Lorcan Toomey, Alex Kavanagh, (1-7 4fs 1 pen), Colm McGuckian; Conaill O’ Brien, Dermot Toomey, Mark Murphy.

Subs Used: Cameron Byrne for Conaill O’ Brien, Conor Wilson for Mark Murphy , Layton O’ Neill for Colm McGuckian, John Fanning for Finn Byrne.

St Pats: Fionn Greene; Ben Bowen, Tom Phelan, Denis O’ Brien; Ciaran Mathews, Sam Culleton, Alex Dunne; Alex Sinnott, Ryan McConnell; Charlie Cwzalina, Johnno Moorehouse, Tadgh Lord; Lorcan Sinnott (0-5 5fs), Daniel Kavanagh (0-1), Joshua Butler.

Subs Used: Will Farrell for Ciaran Mathews, Stephen Gormley for Charlie Cwzalina, Kacper Lepek for Tadgh Lord.

Referee Brendan Furlong ( Tinahealy)