Junior 3s vs Erin Isle - League - Wed, 23 Jun 2004
ST. BRIGID'S...1-9 ERIN'S ISLE.....0-7
St. Brigid's hit 1-2 without reply late in the first half of this Adult
Football League Division Seven clash at Russell Park to pull clear of Erin's
Isle last Wednesday night.
The Finglas boys had enjoyed the upperhand for most of the first half, but
Brigid's - through fine points from Podge O'Reilly, Alan Bernie and a Willie
Corbett goal - turned the tie on it's head in the dying stages of the half
to lead by 1-6 to 0-4 at the short whistle.
That paved the way for a home victory, as try as they did, Isle's never
recovered after the break and the Saints eased to a comfortable five-point
success.
It was an impressive display from Brigid's as the likes of Colm Freeman,
Niall Ryan and Brian Smith stood out in defence, the midfield pairing of
Kevin Bonfil and Joe Twomey shone and forwards such as Bernie and Willie
Tyrell looked particularly impressive.
Isle's dominated the opening exchanges, but failed to turn their vastly
superior possession into scores and led by just 0-3 to 0-1 after 25 minutes.
The game's turning point arrived soon after, as Brigid's 'keeper Donal
Donnelly saved Keith Byrne's weak penalty to keep the hosts in touch.
And Brigid's took advantage in the ensuing minutes, outscoring their
opponents by 1-3 to 0-1 before the turn.
Corbett got the ball rolling with a pointed free on 27 minutes, before
O'Reilly split the uprights after a fine pass from Tyrell and Bernie pointed
in spectacular fashion to leave the teams locked at 0-4 apiece.
The Saints' goal then arrived in first-half stoppage time, as Corbett
displayed tremendous predatory instincts to fist to the net and leave his
team 1-4 to 0-4 up.
Bernie was a prominent figure in the early stages of the second half,
pointing two frees before scuffing a shot wide when a goal looked a distinct
possibility (1-6 to 0-5).
Isle's began to pin Brigid's back once again as their midfield began to
get the better of proceedings, but an inspirational two scores from Tyrell
kept Brigid's clear as he began to torment the Finglas defence.
To their credit, Isle's refused to lie down, and the Brigid's full-back
line of Tony Hughes, John Duffy and Seamus Smith had to work hard to keep
them at bay while Donnelly produced a top-class save to deny Byrne.
But Brigid's always looked in control, and substitute Declan Barron split
the uprights in fine fashion in the last minute and the hosts played out
time thereafter to record a deserved five-point win.
SCORERS: St. Brigid's: W Corbett 1-1 (1f), A Bernie 0-4 (3f), W Tyrell
0-2, P O'Reilly, D Barron 0-1 each. Erin's Isle: M Smith 0-3 (3f), A Byrne
0-2 (1f), D O'Sullivan, A Hegarty 0-1 each.
ST. BRIGID'S: D Donnelly; T Hughes, J Duffy, S Smith; C Freeman, N Ryan, B
Smith; K Bonfil, J Twomey; W Tyrell, S Cassidy, P Hooty; W Corbett, A
Bernie, P O'Reilly. Subs: D Barron for Reilly.
ERIN'S ISLE: J Heatherton; G Hegarty, E Murray, I Baldwin; D O'Brien, D
O'Sullivan, D Hanratty; A Hegarty, J Harte; J Dunphy, F Dodd, K Byrne; M
Smith, A Byrne, J Baxter.
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