Junior 1's versus Crumlin in Championship - Sun, 13 Jun 2004
ST. BRIGID'S...1-12
CRUMLIN.....1-9
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The Junior A footballers of St. Brigid's had to withstand a late onslaught
from Crumlin in championship action at O'Toole Park last Thursday night, but
their defence passed the test with flying colours as they held out for a
deserved three-point win.
Brigid's, who played most of the second half with fourteen men following
Joseph Cassidy's 43rd minute dismissal, progressed thanks to a combination
of gallant late defending and the free-taking ability of David Fitzgerald,
and Donal Quinn's troops will now face Naomh Mearnog in the quarter-finals.
Fitzgerald slotted over three late frees when the pressure was on,
therefore handing the Russell Park outfit the opportunity to go one better
in championship fare than last year when they lost out to Lucan Sarsfields
in the decider.
Quinn's men laid the foundations for the win in the first half, as they
made the turn 1-9 to 0-5 in front after an impressive team display.
They fell asleep somewhat in the early stages of the second half however,
and that - combined with Cassidy's sending off - gave Crumlin the
opportunity to get back into the contest.
But Brigid's have only lost one game this year - a league defeat to Vinny
Murphy's St. Monica's - and the Saints displayed that same grit and
determination to hang on for victory.
Quinn's men began the contest the brighter and, as the midfield pairing of
Vincent Bruin and Barry Muldoon dominated, led by 0-4 to 0-2 after twenty
minutes, with Sean Duignan, Michael Walsh, Bruin and Cassidy claiming the
scores.
And it got better for Brigid's two minutes later, when Walsh took
advantage of incredibly slack Crumlin defending to blast to the net and put
his side five points clear.
That strike finally buoyed Crumlin into action, and they hit back through
a brace of Michael Curran points in the ensuing five minutes, although some
poor shooting from their forwards prevented them from closing the gap
further.
Brigid's capitalized on their opponents' wastefulness in the dying stages
of the half, as wonderful scores from Duignan and Muldoon were followed by
points from Cassidy, Fitzgerald and Brian McGuinness to hand the
Blanchardstown boys an eight-point half-time lead (1-9 to 0-5).
But it didn't take Crumlin long to hit back after the restart - just two
minutes in fact - which they did through Graham Joyce's goal from close
range.
With the wind now in their sails, Crumlin closed the gap further through a
Brian McMahon point soon after, but once again poor shooting from their
forwards hindered the southsiders' bid as three wides followed in quick
succession.
Cassidy's dismissal in the 43rd minute gave Crumlin further belief that
they could pull off an impressive comeback, but they reckoned without the
likes of Fitzgerald, Enda Lynch and David Dempsey, all of whom were
performing well in the Brigid's half-back line.
And Fitzgerald was also instrumental in helping Brigid's pull further
clear, as he maintained his composure to score three frees and leave his
side 1-12 to 1-6 up with five minutes remaining.
Crumlin fought back with three points in the dying stages, but it was too
little too late and Brigid's hung on to set up a clash with Mearnog in the
last eight.
SCORERS: St. Brigid's: D Fitzgerald 0-4 (4f), M Walsh 1-1, S Duignan, J
Cassidy (1f) 0-2 each, V Bruin, B Muldoon, B McGuinness 0-1 each. Crumlin: C
Groake 0-5 (5f), M Joyce 1-0, S Cullen, B McMahon, M Curren, K Mackey 0-1
each.
ST. BRIGID'S: D Smith; M Furlong, J Boyle, C Kelly; E Lynch, D Fitzgerald,
D Dempsey; V Bruin, B Muldoon; J Baxter, J Cassidy, M Walsh; S McCarthy, S
Duignan, M Barrett. Subs: B McGuinness for Baxter.
CRUMLIN: O Ryan; S Donnelly, J Cullen, C Martin; T McGarry, R Elliott, J
Keogh; C Groarke, S Cullen; S Dunne, B McMahon, N Purtell; J Maher, M
Curran, G Joyce. Subs: K Mackey for McGarry, P Devlin for J Keogh.
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