Despair for Fr Dalton's after another narrow defeat in final
St Brigid's 0-11 Fr Dalton's 1-7
Undone by the same opposition in the league stage of the competition, Dalystown based St Brigid's exacted the sweetest revenge imaginable when overcoming Ballymore side, Fr Dalton's in an absorbing Slevin's Coaches Westmeath Intermediate Hurling Championship final in Cusack Park, Mullingar on Sunday afternoon. Played in, at times, trying conditions, the men in saffron and white clung on desperately at the end to revive memories of a golden era when they were the kingpins of club hurling in the county.
In securing the narrowest of victories, with a scoreline identical to their semi-final success over Crookedwood, Ger Gill's charges rejoined the county's hurling elite.
Having squandered a plethora of chances in the opening thirty minutes, the victors managed to reach half time with a healthy enough six points advantage (0-8 to 0-2) but with the wind behind in the second moiety, it was clear there would be a major response from the Ballymore men. And there was.
And when Colum Mackey found the net midway through the half, after a handling error, it looked like they could make the historic breakthrough. But when they needed to push on and cross the finish line they allowed St Brigid's to regain momentum and late points from Ciaran Daly, Michael Geraghty and Paul Carey propelled the Dalystown men to victory.
There was just one change on the selected line-ups with Westmeath inter county footballing star, Denis Glennon making way for Tommy Geraghty at top of the left for St Brigid's.
The eventual winners were quickly into their stride and Ciaran Daly tapped over the first of his five minors from a placed ball. A surging run from Kieran Martin brought the sides level but Daly restored the advantage again from a free. St Brigid's really should have been further ahead but chances went abegging before Stephen Quinn collected a Daly pass to fire over.
Jamie Gonoud pushed the men in saffron three up on 11 minutes and Ciaran Daly added to his tally shortly after from a free.
Eleven minutes elapsed before Dermot Faulkner fired over a wonderful point from distance but, worryingly, the wides kept mounting for the Saints.
Colum Mackey reduced the margin from a placed ball but immediately Philip Sheridan, the stand-in captain, negated that effort. Before the break
Ciaran Daly fired St Brigid's six points up at the break, leaving Fr Dalton's trailing 0-8 to 0-2 at the interval.
The main talking point at the recess was the number of wides which St Brigid's racked up in the opening period. A total of twelve misdirected efforts had supporters fearing the worst as wind assisted Fr Dalton's returned but the Ballymore men were slow to get into their stride.
It was seven minutes before Colum Mackey found the target from play and Robert English lifted the spirits with a fine point. On the three quarter hour mark, Fr Dalton's got the lift they badly needed when a probing Trevor English effort deceived Seamus Faulkner and Colum Mackey was gifted the simplest of goals.
A minute later Mackey was impeded as he bore down on goal and he dusted himself to tie the game at 1-5 to 0-8. Supporters of the green and gold were in full voice at the scent of victory and when their sharpshooting left corner forward pushed them ahead for the first time from a free nine minutes from the end, confidence was sky high.
In a tension packed final ten minutes, chances were missed at either end but when Dermot Faulkner was fouled, Ciaran Daly restored parity once more. Seven minutes now remained. The hunger in St Brigid's came to the fore when full forward Michael Geraghty raced through to fire his side ahead.
The normally accurate Colum Mackey fluffed his lines two minutes from time when pulling a free wide before Paul Carey as good as sealed victory with a fine point.
Fr Dalton's desperately needed a goal and when Kieran Martin burst in along the end line in stoppage time there was momentary hope. Unfortunately his parting shot went the wrong side of the upright and the chance was lost. They had time for one last salvo but Robert English's only reward was the final point of the game giving ultimate victory to the men from Dalystown.
SCORERS: St Brigid's - C. Daly 0-5, S. Quinn, J. Gonoud, D. Faulkner, P. Sheridan, M. Geraghty, P. Carey 0-1 each. Fr Dalton's - C. Mackey 1-4, R. English 0-2, K. Martin 0-1.
ST BRIGID'S: Seamus Faulkner; Paul Brady, Darren Quinn, Lee Wallace; Brian Slevin, Dermot Faulkner, Colin Gavin; Paul Carey, Bernard Kiernan; Stephen Quinn, Philip Sheridan, Jamie Gonoud; Ciaran Daly, Michael Geraghty, Thomas Geraghty. Subs. Denis Glennon for T. Geraghty, Ciaran Geraghty for C. Gavin.
FR DALTON'S: Brian McCabe; Christy Maloney, Pat Hickey, Donal Glynn; Andrew Fox, John Gilligan, Michael Maloney; Robert English, Trevor English; Sam Whooley, Kieran Martin, Colum Mackey; Enda Kincaid, Fergus Shaw, Andrew Slevin. Sub. Derek Cuffe for A. Slevin.
REFEREE: Feichin Brennan, Crookedwood.
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