GO AHEAD ADULT FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE ROUND-UP
GO AHEAD ADULT FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE ROUND-UP: JULY 2ND
By Daire Walsh
Skerries Harps confirmed their Go Ahead Adult Football League Division One status for another year with a 3-10 to 2-10 triumph over Naomh Mearnóg on Saturday evening.
One of just four top-flight games to take place at the weekend, Harps had just enough firepower to claim their fifth success of the campaign. They have also recorded three draws to date in 2022 and currently occupy ninth spot in the AFL1 table with just one fixture left to play – a trip to Lucan Sarsfields at 12th Lock on July 13.
Impressively, Skerries have gone the whole season without a home league defeat to their name. The return of Stephen Smith from a recent injury was a boost ahead of Mearnog’s visit to Holmpatrick and while some notable faces were absent, it was Harps who came storming out of the blocks.
Early scores courtesy of Smith, Killian McGinnis and Eoghan McGinley helped the hosts to establish an early foothold in the contest. Even though Mearnog – inspired throughout by former Dublin footballer Shane Carthy – bagged a goal, Skerries were quick to respond with a three-pointer of their own from skipper Sean Rocks.
This presented his side with a 1-7 to 1-3 interval cushion and a second goal from the marauding Rocks had Harps in the driving seat on the resumption. Nevertheless, Carthy had kept Mearnog in touch with a brace of points just before Rocks’ intervention and his smoothly-struck penalty subsequently restored parity to the action (2-7 apiece).
Yet Skerries didn’t panic and Dublin U20s footballer Eoin Wilde displayed great composure in grabbing the home team’s third major of the tie. Although this put Harps back into a powerful position, points from Rob McKey and McGinnis moved them five in front and effectively placed the outcome beyond doubt.
Mearnog did narrow the deficit late on, but it wasn’t enough to garner the win they needed to ease their own relegation worries.
Towards the top of the table, St Jude’s played their final game of the regular campaign against Naomh Maur at Tymon Park and finished with four points to spare (1-17 to 1-13). This result keeps them firmly nestled in the top-four, though most teams around them have games in hand.
Whilst eight players made their way onto the scoresheet, it was Niall Coakley, Liam Connerton and Darragh Rooney who really stood out for Jude’s. Whereas Connerton and Leitrim ace Rooney contributed three points each, Coakley helped himself to an excellent haul of 1-3.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Templeogue-based outfit, but with Seamus Ryan, David Sheehy, Simon Murphy and Darragh Kavanagh chipping in at various intervals, Jude’s extended their winning run to six games.
Meanwhile, Ballymun Kickhams built on their emphatic victory over Clontarf four days earlier with a 0-13 to 1-8 success against St Brigid’s at Pairc Ciceam on Saturday.
And at Pairc Naomh Uinsionn, county champions Kilmacud Crokes extended their unbeaten sequence in the AFL1 to eight games by playing out a 0-11 to 0-11 draw with St Vincent’s.
In a tightly contested game, Crokes led by 2 points at half time- 0-7 to 0-5- with Shane Cunningham leading the way with 0-3 from play, alongside an excellent score from centre back Rory O’Carroll.
Diarmuid Connolly and Gavin Burke impressed for the home team with good scores.
Further points from Cunningham and Craig Dias added to the Crokes lead in the second half.
St Vincents stayed in touch, however, with three frees from Tomás Quinn, before a well worked score late on from Nathan Mullins levelled the game.