Dublin AFL3 North

TRINITY GAELS 5-9 PARNELLS 2-12

Daire Walsh

TRINITY Gaels enjoyed the midas touch in front of goal at Chanel on Saturday evening to get the better of Parnells in an incident-packed Dublin Adult Football League Division Three North encounter.

Finding the net four times inside the opening 12 minutes, Trinity were ruthlessly efficient in attack as they recorded their fourth win of the campaign. Jamie Bishop bagged an impressive tally of 2-1, while his inside partners Sean Behan and Joseph McCann came away with 1-2 apiece.

Wing-back Daniel Guerin also got forward for a superb goal in what was a frantic and often enthralling affair. Hosts Parnells lost Darragh Joyce and Jamie Sammon to red cards in the closing minutes, but posed plenty of problems for their Drumnigh visitors throughout the course of the contest.

Joyce contributed 1-3 in his time on the field and substitute Aaron Jameson also shook the net from a late penalty. While this result leaves both teams on a respectable total of eight points, it places them out of contention for top spot in the league with just one round of games to play.

Parnells skipper Stephen Duffy got his side up and running with an opening minute point, before Trinity burst into life with three quick-fire green flag efforts.

Behan fed McCann with a ball over the top and the full-forward fired beyond the reach of opposition netminder Keith Cluxton – brother of Sky Blues legend Stephen, who was marked absent for this game. Behan was also the architect for their second major, with his speculative ball into the square being deftly flicked to the net by Bishop in the fourth minute.

Trinity were playing with ferocious intent and Behan completed a remarkable spell of attacking pressure with another three-pointer 60 seconds later. This left Parnells shell-shocked, but Joyce got the Coolock men back into the reckoning by firing home after initially beating Trinity custodian Craig Reilly to a cross-field delivery.

Although Evan Whelan added a point for the visitors, Joyce (free) and Duffy split the uprights to keep Parnells within touching distance. Trinity remained confident in possession, however, and Shane Concannon subsequently released his half-back colleague Guerin for a superbly-struck goal.

CHIPPED

McCann also chipped in with a point to secure Trinity a 4-2 to 1-3 cushion at the first-half water break. In comparison to what preceded it, the second-quarter was much more reserved.

After Sammon fired over a fine score for Parnells, their opponents responded with unanswered points courtesy of McCann, Liam Glynn and Behan. Alex Hutton (45) and Adam Doyle (an outstanding solo contribution) got in on the scoring act at the opposite end, but Trinity nevertheless established a convincing 4-5 to 1-6 buffer at the break.

A dramatic second-period fightback appeared to be on the cards when Adam Myler and Joyce both found the target shortly after the restart. Yet Trinity held their composure and claimed their fifth goal on 39 minutes as Bishop rose high to flick home his second.

Gaels goalkeeper Reilly ventured forward to convert a long-distance free and while substitute Cillian Hunt and Joyce posted impressive points, Parnells were nine adrift (5-7 to 1-10) inside the final quarter.

Harry Gardiner and influential Trinity midfielder Whelan went on to trade scores, before a peculiar sequence of events ensued.

Either side of a missed penalty from Hunt, his teammates Joyce and Sammon were dismissed at the end of separate incidents as tempers started to fray. Matters eventually settled and Behan kicked another point to move Trinity back into a double figure lead.

Even though the outcome was now beyond doubt, Parnells ended the game in fine spirits. Gardiner grabbed a second point deep into stoppage time and Jameson capped a fine cameo role by slotting home his side’s second spot-kick of the game.

Scorers – Trinity Gaels: J Bishop 2-1, S Behan, J McCann 1-2 each, D Guerin 1-0, E Whelan 0-2 (1f), C Reilly (f), L Glynn 0-1 each.
Parnells: D Joyce 1-3 (0-2f), A Jameson 1-0 (pen), S Duffy, H Gardiner 0-2 each, A Hutton (’45’), A Myler, A Doyle, J Sammon, C Hunt 0-1 each.

TRINITY GAELS: C Reilly; L Myers, S Flanagan, D Byrne; D Guerin, S Concannon, J McDonagh; E Whelan, M Walsh; J McKenna, L Glynn, C Whelan; S Behan, J McCann, J Bishop.
Subs: A Boylan-Behan for McCann, B Curtin for Behan, K Clifford for Glynn (all 64).

PARNELLS: K Cluxton; C Nolan, B McCarthy, S McGrath; A Hutton, C McDonald, R O’Shea; A Myler, A Doyle; C McGrath, J Dignam, N Burke; S Duffy, D Joyce, J Sammon.
Subs: H Gardiner for Burke (21), C Hunt for Dignam, S Quinn for Duffy (both 36), A Jameson for McCarthy (42), R Mills for C McGrath (61).

MENTORS – Trinity Gaels: Thomas Behan, Damien Bodigan, Mark McCabe, Barry Loftus, Vinny Fitzpatrick, Brendan O’Reilly.

Parnells: Dave Flanagan, Martin Whelan.

REFEREE: Liam Aherne Clarke (Ballyboughal).

WIDES – Trinity Gaels: 5 (4+1). Parnells: 5 (2+3).

CONDITIONS: Bright and sunny with a slight breeze.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Jamie Bishop (Trinity Gaels).