Edenderry seniors played their second game of the league campaign on Saturday afternoon and suffered a three point loss to Clara. Despite missing twenty of the thirty one players who togged out for the county final, the reds put up in a workmanlike effort and the management were delighted with the performance.
The game was lively from start to finish and with less than a minute gone Edenderry took the lead through a Brian Quinlan goal. Stephen Guing made a great solo run before laying the ball off to Paddy Lynch who’s shot hit the uprights, but it fell to regular Edenderry goalkeeper Brian ‘The Bomber’ Quinlan who coolly slotted into the Clara net.
Clara responded just one minute later with a goal of their own when a mistake in the Edenderry defence allowed Joey Deehan in for a goal. Clara took the lead in the sixth minute from a Thomas Deehan free and it took until the fifteenth minute until Edenderry leveled and after some great play from Colm Byrne, Daniel Ryan, Padraig Foy and Diarmaid Meleady it was Paddy Lynch who sent the ball over the bar.
Stephen Guing put the reds in front in the eighteenth minute but two points in three minutes from Scott Brady and John Reynolds gave Clara back the edge. Stephen Guing put Edenderry back on level terms in the twenty fourth minute but three points in the remaining five of the half gave Clara a three point lead at half time.
Half time:
Edenderry 1-3 1-6 Clara
At half time Edenderry introduced three subs, Cian Lawton for Pat Moloney, Matthew O’Grady for Padraig Foy and Dean Cummins for Ciaran Cummins, with Brian Quinlan taking over his usual role between the sticks.
Within the first minute of the restart Joey Deehan stretched Clara’s lead to four points from a free. In the seventh minute Ciaran Hurley reduced the deficit to three with a pointed free after a foul on Dean Cummins. Clara hit back with two scores in the tenth and eleventh minute and again Ciaran Hurley pointed from a free in the fourteenth minute.
Three minutes later Ciaran hurley hit his third of the game and in the twentieth minute Clara again took a four point lead. Edenderry introduced Mark Hoey for the injured Paddy Lynch and it paid dividends within seconds. Dean Cummins fielded a high ball in the danger zone and while been fouled he laid it off to Stephen Abbott who appeared to also be fouled but when they ball broke loose in the square it was Hoey who placed the ball in the back of the net.
Edenderry were now just trailing by one point but they failed to kick on from here and Clara showed their experience by kicking three points in seven minutes. In the thirtieth minute David Farrelly pointed after some great play from Dan Ryan to leave three between the sides at the full time whistle.
Edenderry management will be very pleased with this workout and considering there were twenty plus players unavailable it shows the strength in dept of the current set-up and the huge pool of players available.
On the day Edenderry were best served by half backs Colm Byrne and Paddy Lynch, with debutant Matthew O’Grady very impressive, while Stephen Guing was dominant at midfield.
Referee: Martin Carty
Man of the Match: Stephen Guing(0-2)
Team Sheet:
Ciaran Cummins, Padraig Foy, Diarmaid Meleady, Johnny Blong, Colm Byrne, Johnny Hurst, Paddy Lynch(0-1), Stephen Guing(0-2), David Farrelly(0-1), Stephen Abbott, Ciaran Hurley(0-3), Pat Moloney, John Gorman, Brian Quinlan(1-0), Dan Ryan
Subs: Dean Cummins for Ciaran Cummins, Cian Lawton for Pat Moloney, Matthew O’Grady for Padraig Foy, Mark Hoey(1-0) for Paddy Lynch, Leslie Nolan for John Gorman.
Adrian Farrell
