By Daire Walsh

After edging an eight-goal thriller against Skerries Harps at Dolphin Park on Sunday morning, Templeogue Synge Street hold onto top spot in Division Two of the Adult Football League.

With only score difference separating the two sides prior to the proceedings, it had all the makings of a crunch second-tier encounter. Both teams came into this encounter hoping to secure a third consecutive league triumph – and create some daylight at the summit of the table in the process.

There was little to separate them during a keenly-contested opening period – played out in testing conditions on the Crumlin Road. Despite conceding a goal to in-form TSS attacker Ger Vickery, Skerries entered the break on level terms with the hosts (1-5 apiece).

This left the tie delicately poised for the second half, when both sides continued to vigorously pursue scores. While Skerries displayed a ruthless streak of their own, it was Templeogue who ultimately held the edge.

In addition to an Alex O’Toole three-pointer, Vickery completed a hat-trick of goals to bring his final tally up to 3-3. Killian O’Gara (younger brother of Dublin footballer Eoghan) kept the scoreboard ticking over with four points and there was also impressive contributions from Luke O’Brien and Kevin Hughes.

Former Dublin star Denis Bastick (a five-time Celtic Cross winner with the Sky Blues) also chipped in with a point – helping Templeogue to record an eventual 4-12 to 4-8 triumph. This provides them with some breathing space over Skerries in the table – they are now two points clear of the Harps with a game still in hand.

Yet, despite only dropping four points from a maximum of 20, TSS are facing a fresh challenge from Fingallians. Indeed, after the Swords men squeezed past St Patrick’s, Palmerstown at Glenauline Park (1-9 to 1-6), they leap-frogged Skerries into second.

They are now just a point behind Templeogue with the same number of games played and have an away clash at Dolphin Park pencilled in for the end of this month (July 28). Round Tower Clondalkin will also feel they have a realistic shot at promotion, as they currently lie just three points adrift of Templeogue in fourth place.

Following recent reversals to Fingallians and Raheny, they had the measure of Whitehall Colmcille at Monastery Road – 4-12 to 1-11 the final score. Although they suffered an early set-back when Dublin senior hurler Eoghan O’Donnell rattled the net for the Collins Avenue outfit, Towers recovered sufficiently to take a slender cushion into the break.

Thanks to a brace of Micheal Walsh goals, they found themselves in the box seat on the half-hour mark. Alongside impressive netminder Gary Cleary, Chris Berry and the vastly-experienced Derek Murray significantly curbed the influence of the Whitehall attack in the second period.

Conor Flannery was also a dominant figure in midfield, which in return afforded the Towers forwards the platform to enhance their side’s advantage. Owing largely to Jason Joyce’s two-goal salvo, Towers had 10 points to spare over their northside opponents on the final whistle.

O’Toole’s are still searching for their opening win of this year’s league, after they were comprehensively defeated away to St Mary’s Saggart on Sunday (2-16 to 0-6). Along with Mary’s, Fingal Ravens and St Anne’s moved eight points clear of Larriers with respective triumphs over Scoil Ui Chonaill (3-10 to 0-10) and Raheny (2-10 to 0-10).

Na Fianna ‘B’ climbed into the top-six by shading a tense clash against Clontarf at St Mobhi Road by the minimum of margins (1-10 to 1-9) and Ballyboughal also enjoyed a productive weekend – beating Naomh Mearnog by 1-15 to 1-12 on Saturday morning.