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Championship results

November 8, 2018

Dunshaughlin 1-10 Seneschalstown 0-9

Dunshaughlin shocked last year’s beaten finalists Seneschalstown in this opening Meath Farm Machinery Senior Football Championship encounter played in Pairc Tailteann on Friday night. It was a Jekyll and Hyde performance from Dunshaughlin who after scoring just a solitary point in the first half outscored the Yellow Furze men by 1-9 to 0-3 in a second half they totally dominated.
 
Dunshaughlin went into the game as 11/4 outsiders, but at half time their supporters wouldn’t have taken a 100/1 bet they may have been offered on a Black and Amber recovery. Although they lacked nothing in endeavour and workrate and possibly even enjoying the majority of possession, Dunshaughlin made a huge number of basic errors in the opening half spurning a number of gilt edged scoring opportunities. They also looked edgy at the back and only a mixture of good luck and the performances of Caoimhin King at full back, who kept the dangerous Joe Sheridan relatively quiet, and the imperious Ronan Gogan in goals denied Seneschalstown from scoring one or more goals. Trevor Dowd scored the one Dunshaughlin point in the first half from a free after seven minutes. While Dunshaughlin were missing opportunities at one end, Seneschalstown who you always felt were operating in second gear scored points at ease at the other end. But the Furze men will surely rue three golorious goal chances that they were denied either through being foiled by brilliant goalkeeping by Gogan on two occasions but in particular a terrible miskick by Robert Ruddy with the goal at his mercy.
 
At half time the Under 10 teams from both clubs performed an exhibition game. This is a brilliant idea from the Meath County Board and hopefully will be a feature of all Championship games in the future. While this was going on there were harsh words in the Dunshaughlin dressing room but whatever was said certainly worked as a different more confident Dunshaughlin team performed in the second half. Cathal O’Dwyer scored immediately from the restart and a free from Dowd shortly afterwards broght the deficit down to three. Seneschalstown scored again in the 38th minute only for Ray Maloney who was becoming increasingly influential to point brilliantly from far out on the right. The introduction of Michael McHale by this stage had provided Dunshaughlin with a target man at full forward and he had a big hand in the games most important score which arrived in the 44th minute. He fielded a long ball, fed it to Martin Reilly who slipped it to the onrushing Dowd. Dowd one on one with the keeper did the clever thing and calmly handpassed it across to Conor Devereux who had the simple task of palming the ball to the empty net. The scores were now level but the goal provided an enormous fillip to Dunshaughlin and a point from McHale put them in front. Three further points from Maloney, Dowd and o’Dwyer put four between the teams with six minutes of normal time left. However Seneschalstown were putting a huge amount of pressure on the Dunshaughlin defence but King and Gogan dealt with the aerial bombardment brilliantly with Gogan in particular plucking some dangerous high balls from above Joe Sheridan. Another free from Dowd and a point from Maloney cancelled out two points from Seneschalstown in the closing stages and Dunshaughlin held out for a famous victory.
 
Best for Dunshaughlin were Ronan Gogan, Caoimhin King, Ray Maloney, Conor Staunton and Michael McHale.
 
Dunshaughlin – Ronan Gogan, Alastair Doyle, Caoimhin King, Mick Ahern, Fergus Toolan, Tommy Johnson, Denis Kealy, John Crimmins, Ray Maloney 0-3, Conor Staunton, Trevor Dowd 0-4 (4f), Tadgh O’Dushlaine, Cathal O’Dwyer 0-2, Niall Murphy, Conor Devereux 1-0. Subs – Martin Reilly for Murphy, Michael McHale for Crimmins, Richie Kealy for Reilly, Paddy McHale for Johnson
 
Dunshaughlin 0-6 Clonard 0-13
 
Dunshaughlin lost out to Clonard in the opening round of the Junior B Championship played in Summerhill. Eoin Hegarty opened the scoring for Dunshaughlin in the first minute with a tremendous effort from distance. However this was the only time Dunshaughlin led. Two frees from Clonard put them ahead before Eoin Farrelly dispossessed a Clonard defender and pointed. But the Black and Amber side remained scoreless for the rest of the half as Clonard scored four times to lead by 06 to 0-2 at half time. David Devereux scored from a free just after the resumption to put a goal between the side. Dunshaughlin almost levelled soon afterwards bu a shot from Mark Caldwell was well saved by the Clonard keeper. Clonard scored three more points before successive points in the 48th and 49th minutes from Devereux and substitute John Coleman reduced the deficit. But it was the Clonard side who finished much the stronger reeling off four points before Duncan Geraghty closed the scoring in the final minute. It was a disappointing performance from Dunshaughlin for whom Ken McTigue, Fearghal Gogan, Eoin Hegarty and Emmet Staunton were best Dunshaughlin – Stephen Clusker, Sean Joyce, Ken McTigue, Mark Devanney, Kevin Ward, Fearghal Gogan, Fearghal Delaney, Duncan Geraghty 0-1, James Horgan, Eoin Hegarty 0-1, David Devereux 0-2, Emmet Staunton, Eoin Farrelly 0-1, Niall Kelly, Mark Caldwell. Subs – Alan McLoughlin for Joyce, John Coleman 0-1 for Horgan, James Rattigan for Kelly