NELL’S POWER FORWARD
Impressive second-half show secures win for Coolock side
DUBLIN MINOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 3
PARNELL’S…………………………………………… 3-17
BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S…………………………. 0-11
Daire Walsh
A POWERFUL second-half display paved the way for a Parnell’s victory at Pairc Ui Murchu last Thursday evening, when the Coolock outfit overcame Ballyboden St Enda’s by 15 points in their Dublin MFL3 encounter.
This game presented Ballyboden with a golden opportunity to progress up the third-tier table, but with Thomas Davis and Craig Lynch leading by example, it was the visitors who ultimately triumphed on the night. Owing to a series of factors, both sides were depleted for this game, and as a result this proved to be a 13-a-side encounter in the south Dublin venue.
While this wasn’t necessarily an ideal scenario, it did offer players time and space to execute their various attacking moves – and it was Boden wing-back Ciaran Cashman who opened the scoring with a second minute free from 30 metres.
Parnell’s responded with a well-worked score from the industrious Lynch, and even though corner-forward Cillian O’Connor was on target for Boden, excellent approach work by the marauding John Keegan enabled Lynch to kick his second point of the contest on seven minutes.
Boden inside forward Jack Basquel subsequently added his name to the scoresheet, before the talismanic Davis opened his own personal account with an expertly-converted placed-ball effort in the ninth-minute.
The dynamic centre-forward was already making life difficult for the home team’s defence, and he cancelled out a Michael O’Brien point for Boden by splitting the posts at the end of a memorable run.
Further swapped scores between Daniel O’Riordan and Davis meant that the teams were on level terms at the end of a highly-entertaining first-quarter, but Boden did attempt to create some daylight between themselves and Parnell’s when Basquel and Eoghan Buckley added unanswered points in the 18th and 23rd minutes respectively.
The temporary loss of midfielder O’Brien to injury did upset the balance of the Boden line-up for the rest of the half, however, and Parnell’s enjoyed a significant purple patch prior to the interval.
Points from Keegan and Josh O’Connor restored parity to the proceedings, and after Ryan O’Shea clinically fired beyond the reach of Boden netminder Ruairi Hennessy, another Davis point provided the northsiders with a 1-8 to 0-7 cushion at the mid-way point.
Boden were still in contention when the action resumed, though, and they were boosted by the return of O’Brien for the start of the second period. Indeed, despite conceding another point to Lynch from the opening attack of the half, O’Riordan claimed his second point of the tie from a routine free.
O’Shea added to his earlier major with a fine point for Parnell’s, but it was the busy O’Connor who helped to keep Boden in touch with a 38th-minute score from play.
AUTHORITY
O’Shea was marginally wide of the mark from another three-point opening, but with Lynch finding the target in impressive fashion from a ’45’, Parnell’s were beginning to exert their authority.
Boden almost received a lifeline heading into the final-quarter of the play, but O’Brien’s goal-bound strike was superbly turned away by Parnell’s custodian Lee Croghan. There was a sense that this could be a pivotal moment in the game, and after Glen Power was brought down inside the Boden square 12 minutes from time, Parnell’s were presented with an opportunity to effectively place the outcome beyond doubt. The excellent Lynch stepped forward to negotiate the resulting penalty, and he fired confidently past the helpless Hennessy. With eight points now separating the teams, Parnell’s appeared to be odds-on to secure their third league win of 2016.
Centre-forward Davis continued to cause problems for the Boden rearguard – both as a creator and a scorer – and his fifth point of the outing was supplemented by similar scores from Josh O’Neill, Lynch, Cian Lumsden and Power.
Boden finally disrupted this scoring sequence with a much-needed point from substitute Luke Bolger, but following another point courtesy of the exceptional Lynch, incisive build-up play by Davis and O’Neill offered the platform for Josh O’Connor to register a third Parnell’s goal on 57 minutes. O’Brien’s second point arrived from Boden’s resulting attack, but it proved to be a mere consolation on a night when Parnell’s were deserving victors.
MATCH FILE
Scorers – Parnell’s: C Lynch 1-6 (1-0 pen, 0-1 ’45′), T Davis 0-5 (1f), R O’Shea, J O’Connor 1-1 each, J Keegan, C Lumsden, G Power, J O’Neill 0-1 each. Ballyboden St Enda’s: D O’Riordan (f), R Hester, C O’Connor, J Basquel 0-2 each, C Cashman (f), E Buckley, L Bolger 0-1 each.
PARNELL’S: L Croghan; J Keegan, K Kelly; D Dowling, C Lynch, S Mangan; D Griffin, C Lumsden; R O’Shea, T Davis, G Power; J O’Connor, J O’Neill.
BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S: R Hennessy; M Agnew, R Keegan; C Cashman, R Bradshaw, R Hester; L Kennedy, M O’Brien; E Buckley, D O’Riordan, J Kinsella; C O’Connor, J Basquel.
Subs: L Bolger for O’Brien (15), O’Brien for Kinsella (h-t), Kinsella for Agnew (40).
MENTORS – Parnell’s: K Heron, A Kinsella. Ballyboden St Enda’s: F Basquel, I Clarke, C Bolger.
REFEREE: Seamus Farrelly (Ballinteer St John’s).
WIDES – Parnell’s: 7 (4+3). Ballyboden St Enda’s: 5 (2+3).
CONDITIONS: Mostly dry conditions and a gentle breeze, with the odd spot of light rain.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Thomas Davis (Parnell’s).