Castledaly do enough to keep 14-man Milltown at bay

Castledaly 0-11, Milltown 0-10

Castledaly did just enough to see off 14-man Milltown in this Westmeath Intermediate Football Championship game at Garrycastle last Sunday.

In a fixture which was moved to Garrycastle from its original venue of Páirc Chiaráin, there was very little between the teams from the throw-in right until the final whistle. Castledaly just about deserved the win and they had the ascendancy on the scoreboard for the duration of the game. They rolled the dice at the end, holding possession in trying to see out the game and Milltown were unlucky when hitting the post with the last kick.

Overall, though, Castledaly were slightly the better team, though Milltown did finish with 14 men when Paul Mahon picked up a straight red card. In a game of defensive-minded tactics, the main reason for Castledaly’s win was that their transition play was much sharper and faster. Paul Kelly’s charges brought pace to their counter attacks and found it easier to get scores. Milltown's transition play was way too slow and they lacked support on the counter attack.

Castledaly held a slender lead in the first quarter, with wing-back Adam Turley their main scoring threat. Turley kicked 0-4 altogether in the first half. Alan Stone and Aaron Nugent chipped in with scores. But Milltown were matching these scores with points of their own at the other end. Jack Duncan and Ben McGauran both kicked excellent scores in the first half.

Both sides made numerous errors and the wet conditions didn’t help. It was Castledaly 0-7 Milltown 0-5 at half-time.

The second half continued in much the same vein. Both teams consistently focused on keeping numbers back and the game was played in a defensive manner. A key moment arrived in the 34th minute when Ben McGauran had an opportunity to score a goal. The full-forward had to react quickly and his attempt to tap the ball past Jordan Nugent failed to beat the Castledaly keeper. A goal then for Milltown could have given them the platform for a win.

Instead, Castledaly pushed out their lead by the 40th minute. John Warburton marauded up from defence to kick a score. Then Daniel Heavin kicked a brace. It was Castledaly 0-10 Milltown 0-6 going into the fourth quarter. Castledaly scored just once more, they stood off way too much and allowed Milltown the possession to kick scores. Although Milltown were continuously slow to move the ball and even slower to get up in support, they were still able to cut into the arrears. McGauran kicked five points in the second half and with the clock gone red, just one point separated the teams. Both sides had chances to add to their totals.

Leading by one point into added time, Castledaly were playing out the time at the risk of Milltown getting an equaliser. They did hold out but Milltown’s last attempt for a score skimmed the post and had Milltown equalised, Castledaly would have no one to blame but themselves. Both sides need to improve. Castledaly are struggling with former Westmeath player Paddy Holloway and Kevin Stone out injured. They needed everyone available in this championship to challenge for the intermediate title. They are still in the title race though and they could surprise a few people by giving the championship a real go yet.

Castledaly now have two wins from their three championship games, while Milltown have one victory and two defeats from their three outings.

Scorers - Castledaly A Turley 0-4 (2f); A Nugent, A Stone and D Heavin (1f) 0-2 each; J Warburton 0-1. Milltown: B McGauran 0-7 (2f); J Duncan 0-3.

Castledaly: Jordan Nugent; Shane Fitzpatrick, Liam Fitzpatrick, David Dolan; Adam Turley, John Warburton, Michael Lynch; Alan Stone, Fergal Hynes; Cathal Dolan, MJ Kelly, Lorcan Dolan; Justin Coughlan, Aaron Nugent, Daniel Heavin. Subs used: David Stone for C Dolan (27 mins); Daragh Kelly for Coughlan.

Milltown: Alan Geraghty; Gary Byrne, Bernard Kiernan, Diarmuid Maguire; Matthew Gunning, Patrick Somers, Seán Dillon; Jack Murtagh, Frank McLoughlin; Paul Mahon, Conor Dillon, Thomas Lynn; Jack Duncan, Ben McGauran, Daire Hynes. Subs used: Seán Somers for Lynn (42 mins), Luke Gunning for M Gunning (50).

Referee: Declan Nugent (Maryland).

In a nutshell

Man of The Match

Alan Stone (Castledaly): Stone kept driving on his team from midfield and kicked two points into the bargain. Lorcan Dolan worked hard in a roving role. Ben McGauran was again Milltown’s main scoring threat.