Junior D Semi final

 

Eire Óg Greystones 2-9

Valleymount 1-6

Eoin Horkan

Ballinakill

Eire Óg had two goals to spare on Friday night against Valleymount in the Junior D championship semi-final. This means the north Wicklow side will face Tinahely in the Junior D championship final.

With a stiff breeze in Ballinakill on Friday night Eire Óg opted to play against it in the first half. This didn’t faze them as they opened the scoring with three early points from both midfielders. It was the boot of Phil McCarthy that hit two points from play while his midfield partner Colm Condon added a dead ball. With the aid of the strong breeze Valleymount started to become much more efficient in there forward line with corner forward Shay Geoghegan narrowing the deficit before a long range free sailed over the bar from the boot of Steven Byrne. As the west Wicklow side began to control the game Gary Walsh levelled the tie with an outrageous effort with the outside of his boot before Byrne gave his side the lead with another effort from a place ball. Eire Óg were finding difficult to judge that breeze as they started to drive efforts from play wide, Condon  then manged to level the tie with a free before the break. As the half drew to a close the side with the breeze managed to go in a goal up when full forward Glen Cullen rattled the back of the net with the last kick of the half.

The second half was much more one sided as Greystones proving they had made the right decision playing against the wind started to pull away. An early blitz of two goals and a point unanswered was enough to put this tie beyond the reach of the opposition. Condon opened the scoring with his third free of the game before two goals in as many minutes finished this tie. The first came from the fist of Colm Shortt who fisted the ball into the net when a free dropped short. From the next play substitute Richie Houlihan found himself in the right place to fire in his sides second major of the game. The opposition solitary response against the breeze was another Byrne effort. It was Greystones who  had complete control at this stage as they hit another purple patch in the final quarter of the game. It was centre forward  Colin O’ Shea who was proving the playmaker for his side as they pushed forward. He was rewarded with his two of his own minors from play along with efforts from Houlihan and Condon. The final two scores of the game were shared between by the two number seventeens who had come of the bench for their respective sides. It was Luke Degan who finished off his sides scoring before Niall O’ Connor hit a consolation effort for Valleymount.

Eire Óg: Sean O’ Neill; Gordon Bailey, Dermot Blake, Eoin Potts; Ruairí Parker, Max Scully, Kevin Booth; Phil McCarthy(0-2), Colm Condon (0-5 4fs); Fionn Melia, Colin O’ Shea (0-2), Colm Shortt (1-0); Cian O’ Lionaigh, John Coveney, Andrew Kealy.

Subs Used: Richie Houlihan (1-1) for J Coveney, Luke Dorgan (0-1) for F Melia, Daniel English for C O’Lionaigh.

Valleymount: Conor Harpur; Davy Miley, Matthew Cripps, Liam O’ Brien; Jordan Balfe, Aidan Miley, Aaron Balfe; Derek Miley, Diarmuid Nugent; Bradley Foster, Steven Byrne (0-3fs), Ryan Willoughby; Gary Walsh (0-1), Glen Cullen (1-0), Shay Geoghegan (0-1).

Diarmuid Richardson for M Cripps, Jeff Kemmy for L O’ Brien, Dylan Maguire for B Foster, Niall O’ Connor (0-1) for S Geoghegan.

Referee Pamela Prendergast (Kilamcanogue)