GOALS VITAL FOR ‘BODEN
Dunne’s late strike seals the deal for St Enda’s
DUBLIN MFL DIVISION 1
BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S……………………………………… 2-9
NAOMH OLAF…………………………………………………… 0-12
Daire Walsh
GOALS from Keith Sweeney and Mikey Dunne were crucial on Sunday morning for Ballyboden St Enda’s, who held off a strong second-half fightback from Naomh Olaf to secure a three-point win in Division One of the Minor Football League at Pairc Ui Murchu.
With a seven-point interval cushion at their disposal, ‘Boden were in pole position to secure the points on offer. With Glenn Soraghan and Tom Keane leading by example, Olaf’s forced their way back into contention, but following Dunne’s 54th-minute major, the hosts kick-started their campaign in encouraging fashion.
For this encounter, ‘Boden contained three players from the squad that lost the Minor ‘A’ Championship decider to Ballymun Kickhams last year, while Olaf’s have a number of players on the St Benildus side that recently secured the Leinster Schools SF ‘A’ crown.
During the opening period of play, ‘Boden played with a significant wind advantage – and with just 15 seconds gone on the clock, they registered their first score of the contest. Half-forward Ruairi Hester raised a white flag at the end of a fine team move, and this was swiftly followed by similar efforts from Dylan Walsh and Dunne (free). Olaf’s were using nominal corner-forward Tom McGurke as a sweeper at the heart of their defence, but with midfielder Eoin Foley driving them forward, they did create a couple of promising opportunities in the early moments.
Keane and Conor McInerney failed to capitalise on a brace of goal-scoring opportunities from close-range, before Keane finally opened their account with a pointed free on 12 minutes. ‘Boden were also wide of the mark on a number of occasions in the first-half, but a fine 0-2 salvo, including a ’45’, by centre-back Hugh Keller ensured that they created some daylight between themselves and their Sandyford counterparts.
Towering full-forward Eoghan Monahan kicked a loose ball over the bar on 23 minutes, and after Sean McDaid of Olaf’s had been denied by the feet of ‘Boden netminder Jack Kelly, Sweeney claimed his team’s opening goal 27 minutes in.
The wing-back finished from a tight angle, and even though Keane superbly split the posts with the outside of his boot, Olaf’s faced into a 0-2 to 1-6 deficit at the mid-way point.
Yet, with the elements on their side when the action resumed, it was expected that Cathal Soraghan’s outfit would eventually enjoy a purple patch. Points from Foley and Soraghan (free) certainly lifted their spirits, and despite conceding back-to-back scores to Dunne and midfielder Walsh, they applied serious pressure on the ‘Boden rearguard for an extended spell.
Keane kicked an excellent score on the turn for the visitors, but with the increasingly-influential Soraghan adding four points to his tally, Olaf’s had cut the gap to just two points heading into the concluding quarter of the action.
‘Boden were finding that clear-cut chances were hard to come by against the breeze, but with Keller and Karl Reddy displaying fine form, they were tightening up on the Olaf’s attack. It looked like Keane might reduce the gap to a bare minimum just seven minutes from time, but his attempt from an awkward angle was ultimately waved wide. This was a let-off of sorts for ‘Boden, but from the subsequent attack, Dunne cut inside from the right-wing, and fired an emphatic shot beyond the reach of Adam O’Callaghan.
This offered breathing space to ‘Boden in the closing stages of the tie, and although Joe Rafferty (two) and Keane added late scores for Olaf’s, a well-worked James Madden point ensured that ‘Boden sealed a hard-earned victory.
MATCH FILE
Scorers – Ballyboden St Enda’s: M Dunne 1-2 (0-2f), K Sweeney 1-0, H Keller (1 ’45’), D Walsh 0-2 each, J Madden, R Hestor, E Monahan 0-1 each. Naomh Olaf: Glenn Soraghan 0-5 (3f), T Keane 0-4 (1f), J Rafferty 0-2, E Foley 0-1.
BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S: J Kelly; F Keogh, K Reddy, S Bobbett; K Sweeney, H Keller, K Kennedy; J Madden, D Walsh; R Hestor, M Dunne, S Lally; R McCormack, E Monahan, S Kennedy.
SUB: E Buckley for S Kennedy (48).
NAOMH OLAF: A O’Callaghan; D Coleman, C Kirwan, R Gallagher; F O’Sullivan, L Doran, S McDaid; R Waters, E Foley; Glenn Soraghan, J Rafferty, J Dalton; C McInerney, T Keane, T McGurke.
SUBS: C Sullivan for Waters (49), Gavin Soraghan for McGurke (58).
MENTORS – Ballyboden St Enda’s: Dan O’Sullivan, Paul Shiels, Daire Walsh, Brendan Gillespie, Brian Weldon. Naomh Olaf: Cathal Soraghan, Darren Egan.
REFEREE: Chris Mooney (St Patrick’s, Palmerstown).
WIDES – Ballyboden St Enda’s: 7 (6+1). Naomh Olaf: 8 (2+6).
CONDITIONS: Extremely windy conditions, with intermittent showers.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Mikey Dunne (Ballyboden St Enda’s).