Three Geary goals fire Athlone minors to victory over Caulry

MJS Builds Westmeath Minor Division 4 Football Championship final: Athlone 3-9 Caulry 0-5

By Eamon A. Donoghue

Dara Geary's hat-trick of goals proved the difference in this victory for Athlone over Caulry at Tubberclair last Saturday evening.

In a final that was a contest in the first half, Athlone exploded into life after the break. The first half was low scoring, with Athlone dominating on the scoreboard. Fiachra Feeney was impressive and he kicked 0-3 in the early stages. Midfielder Gabriel De Almeida was hard working and he kicked a score.

Caulry scored their first and only score in the first half in the 22nd minute and that came from their most impressive player, Darragh Martin. But the game was very much alive at half-time, with Athlone leading 0-6 to 0-1 in what had been a low-scoring, defensive first half.

The Mount Temple/Baylin boys were left to rue their slow start. For over a third of the half, they were held scoreless by a disciplined Athlone defence that forced turnovers and made life difficult for the Caulry forwards.

Despite plenty of possession in the middle third, Caulry couldn't find a way through and were guilty of several errors in possession that ended up in turnovers.

Athlone, while not at their free-flowing best in the first half, were far more clinical in the second half. They worked the ball patiently, picked off points from play and from placed balls, with both Conor Lough and Feeney accurate from frees.

The turning point came early in the second half when Athlone finally found the goal their pressure deserved. Dara Geary, who had been quiet in the first half by his standards, burst into life. His first goal came from a well-worked move down the right wing. A quick handpass inside left Geary one-on-one with the keeper and he made no mistake, rifling low to the corner to make it 1-7 to 0-2, giving Athlone breathing space for the first time.

Caulry responded well and they created numerous opportunities. The strong running of Hugo McGowan and Martin was causing Athlone problems, but they didn’t score enough and they were leaving gaps at the back as they chased the game. That is exactly what Geary exploited for his second goal.

A long ball over the top caught the Caulry defence square. Geary showed great pace to get in behind and finished brilliantly to the bottom corner. Suddenly it was 2-7 to 0-3 and the game was really slipping away from Caulry.

To their credit, Caulry kept battling. They could have scored a goal which would have brought them right back into the game, but after Aaron Buckley's attempt for a two-pointer dropped short, Rhys Mason’s deft flick with his hand hit the post.

They showed great character after that difficult first half in which it took them over 20 minutes to score. Their midfield improved after the break with Darragh Belton battling hard and they created more, but they left it too late and just hadn’t the scoring power up top. Also, the Athlone's defence remained resolute.

The game was put beyond any doubt with ten minutes to go when Geary completed his hat-trick. It was the pick of the three - a turnover in midfield, a quick counter attack, and Geary was on the end of it again to place his shot into the net to make it 3-8 to 0-4.

The Shannonsiders and Caulry both added one more point to leave the final score 3-9 to 0-5, Feeney the Athlone scorer and Belton for the boys in red and white.

In truth, Athlone were always in control, especially in the second half and the final scoreline tells the story.

The first was a cagey affair match and the second was all about Athlone's clinical edge in front of goal. The late introduction to the starting lineup of Dara Geary was the key move and his three goals were the winning of the game.

For Athlone, Geary will take the headlines for his three second-half goals, but this was a strong team performance built on that first-half defensive platform.

From Caulry’s point of view, they will take positives from their second-half showing, but will know that they left themselves too much to do with that slow start.

Player of the match: Dara Geary (Athlone). Geary’s three goals were the key scores and he was the difference and deserves the accolade. Fiachra Feeney and Gabriel De Almeida provided most assistance. Hugo McGowan and Darragh Martin were best for Caulry.

Scorers – Athlone: D Geary 3-0; F Feeney 0-4 (2f); C Lough 0-2 (1f); E Whelan, G De Almeida and A Fallon 0-1 each. Caulry: D Belton 0-2 (1f); D Martin, H McGowan and A Buckley (f) 0-1 each.

Athlone - Nathan Quigley; Philip Heavey, Daniel Nugent, Thomas Tynan Daly; Ruairi Nicholson, Aaron Hardiman, Cillian Silke; Shane Killian, Gabriel De Almeida; Luke Clarke, Fiachra Feeney, Eoin Whelan; Dara Geary, Conor Lough, Conor McEnroe. Subs used: Cian Mannion, Joel Idahosa, Aodhan Fallon and Fearghal Kelly.

Caulry - Sam Hatton; Gavin Quilty, Fionn Murphy, Brian Moran; Tom Madden, John Paul, Senan Hatton; Darragh Belton, Rhys Mason; Gavin McSharry, Hugo McGowan, Ciaran Dunning; Kevin O’Brien, Aaron Buckley, Darragh Martin. Subs used: Luke Quilty, Luke Berry, Ryan Doyle, Simeon O’Flaherty, Marcus Grant.

Referee - Des McEnery (Garrycastle).