DOGGED SYLS ABLE TO FIND THAT BIT EXTRA
ST SYLVESTER’S…………………………..1-16
LUCAN SARSFIELDS………………………1-12
Lucan battle back bravely but Malahide men recover
Daire Walsh
FOLLOWING an engrossing encounter in Fingal last night, St Sylvester’s booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Dublin Senior Football Championship with a hard-fought extra-time victory over Lucan Sarsfields.
Despite Lucan being behind for the majority of normal time, a late free from Thomas Brennan ensured that there was two additional periods of 10 minute each at Erin’s Isle GAA. However, with substitutes Shane Doyle, Conor Meaney and Alan Foy all getting their names on the scoresheet, Syls ultimately booked their spot in the last eight.
The Malahide outfit (who are managed by former Lucan Sarsfields star Jack Sheedy) enjoyed a dream start to the action, as Glen Hazley palmed to the opposition net with just 15 seconds gone on the clock. This was a major confidence boost for Syls, and they opened up an early eight-point advantage with subsequent scores from Ed Walsh, Ross Hazley, Dylan Connolly (two) and Jack Hazley.
Lucan finally opened their account through full-forward Brendan Gallagher in the 12th minute, and even though Syls replied through the industrious Niall Coughlan, unanswered points from Brennan (free), U21 county star Darren Gavin and Emmet O’Conghaile moved Sarsfields back into contention.
Goalkeeper Philip Greene also converted a ’45’ in the latter stages of the half, but thanks to points by Andrew Cunningham and Connolly, Sylvester’s brought a 1-8 to 0-5 lead into the interval. The influential attacking duo of Brennan and Gallagher reduced Lucan’s deficit to four points with quickfire scores after the restart, but a 0-2 salvo by Walsh kept Syls in the driving seat.
Indeed, after Gallagher and Jack Hazley traded points, the northsiders remained six points to the good with just nine minutes of ordinary time left to play. Yet, it was at this point that Lucan increased the pressure on the Syls defence, with the outstanding Brennan finding the target in the 52nd and 55th minutes respectively.
A coolly-converted penalty by Brendan Gallagher cut the gap to a bare minimum heading towards second-half stoppage-time, and Brennan’s coolly-struck 63rd-minute effort meant that extra-time required.
Momentum appeared to be with Lucan at this point, but either side of Brennan’s sixth score of the contest, Doyle and Walsh (’45’) split the posts to give Syls a slender advantage on the stroke of 70 minutes (1-13 to 1-12). Slowly but surely, the Church Road men were re-discovering their high intensity levels, and courtesy of consecutive contributions from Foy, Meaney and Walsh, they finished with four points to spare.
Scorers – St Sylvester’s: E Walsh 0-4 (1 ’45, 1f), D Connolly 0-3 (3f), G Hazley 1-0, J Hazley 0-2, S Doyle (f), A Cunningham, R Hazley, N Coughlan, R Palmer, C Meaney, A Foy 0-1 each. Lucan Sarsfields: T Brennan 0-6 (3f), B Gallagher 1-3 (1-0 pen, 0-1f), P Greene (’45), E O’Conghaile, D Gavin 0-1 each.
ST SYLVESTER’S: M Shiels; A Cunningham, C McIntyre, C Quinn; B Sexton, G McArdle, J Peacock; R Hazley, J Hazley; G Hazley, N Coughlan, R Palmer; E Walsh, G Sweeney, D Connolly. Subs: S Doyle for Connolly (46), C Ryan for Sexton (58), C Meaney for Coughlan, A Foy for Sweeney (both 61), F Carney for Cunningham (69).
LUCAN SARSFIELDS: P Greene; O Ennis, D Gallagher, C Smith; D Gallagher, S Cleary, C O’Conghaile; K Moran, E O’Conghaile; S Newcombe, S O’Shaughnessy, D Gavin; T Brennan, B Gallagher, P Casey. Subs: D O’Shaughnessy for D Gallagher (h-t), J Carey for Newcombe (42), J McCormack for S O’Shaughnessy (46), Newcombe for Carey (61), J McCormack for C O Conghaile (62).
Referee: J King (Garda/Westmanstown Gaels).