FIVE-STAR VINS FIND WAY PAST BALLINTEER
O’Brien and Lowry goals help Gilroy’s impressive Marino men over the line
DUBLIN U21 ‘B’ FINAL
ST VINCENT’S 5-13
BALLINTEER ST JOHN’S 3-12
Daire Walsh
CIAN O’BRIEN and substitute Sean Lowry bagged a brace of goals at O’Toole Park on Sunday afternoon to propel St Vincent’s towards the Dublin U21 ‘B’ Football Championship title.
O’Brien was scorer-in-chief for the Marino men, bagging an impressive haul of 2-6 over the course of the hour. Lowry also made a sizeable impact during his time on the field before a fifth goal courtesy of half-back Mark Sweeney finally put the tie beyond the reach of their resilient opponents, Ballinteer St John’s.
The southsiders played their part in an enthralling affair with Donnacha Carey (1-6) and Joseph Sweeney (2-0) in fine scoring form. They remained in contention for top honours until the Vins’ challenge pushed into overdrive either side of the third-quarter mark.
Pat Gilroy and Mickey Whelan have been familiar companions on the inter-county scene in recent seasons, most notably for Dublin’s breakthrough All-Ireland SFC success of 2011. Lifelong members of St Vincent’s, they were steering the ship for the club’s latest county final appearance.
It proved to be a dream start to the contest for the northside outfit as O’Brien’s opening-minute goal was supplemented by points from Conor Burke and James O’Donnell. Although Colm Fitzpatrick subsequently got Ballinteer up and running, Vins responded with another scoring blitz.
Full-forward Andrew Gilroy (son of Pat), O’Donnell and O’Brien (free) kicked unanswered points to create clear daylight between the teams. It was looking quite ominous for Ballinteer, who edged past St Mary’s, Saggart en route to this decider.
However, the longer the action developed, the more confident Colm O’Donnell’s charges became. After following up an Eoin Seoige point with a routine free, Carey rattled the back of the net at a tight left-hand angle.
Vins reasserted their authority through the industrious Gilroy, only for Ballinteer to once again display their mettle at the opposite end. A two-point salvo by dead-ball specialist Carey reduced the gap to the bare minimum and the dynamic full-forward traded scores with O’Brien as the interval approached.
When O’Brien and Gilroy found the target in quick succession, Vins looked set to establish a three-point cushion at the break. They managed to hold on to this advantage, but only after a dramatic conclusion to the opening period.
Having played a huge role in Carey’s earlier goal, Joseph Sweeney’s ambitious strike nestled into the top right-hand corner with two minutes of stoppage-time already played. Yet, there was enough time on the clock for Vins to deliver the perfect riposte.
Though Gilroy was unfortunate to see his latest effort crashing against the woodwork, O’Brien was on hand to finish off the rebound. Vins brought a 2-9 to 2-6 lead into the break as a result and with momentum behind them, they were in pole position to claim the second-tier crown.
Ballinteer dug deep on the resumption, however, and Vins had to wait a full nine minutes before adding to their tally. They lost Gilroy to injury in this period, leading to Lowry’s introduction.
An O’Brien free settled them back into their groove and Burke immediately released Lowry for a 39th-minute finish. This left Ballinteer with a mountain to scale and despite eating into their deficit thanks to Seoige and Carey, they received a fresh blow inside the final-quarter.
A fired-up Lowry broke through on goal and coolly struck beyond the reach of St John’s netminder Oisin Cronin. The Pairc Naomh Uinsionn brigade now had victory in their sights, but a second goal for Ballinteer midfielder Joseph Sweeney threw a spanner in the works.
Vins maintained their composure, however, and Sweeney’s namesake Mark placed the outcome beyond doubt with a three-pointer of his own on 55 minutes. O’Brien and Lowry had already bolstered their own personal tallies and with centre-back Sean Lambe (who featured regularly at the senior grade in 2019) driving forward at every available opportunity, they were easing towards a deserved triumph.
While Ballinteer ended the game with consecutive points by Liam Fenton, Carey and skipper Eoghan Fitzpatrick, it couldn’t dampen the spirits amongst the Vincent’s camp.
MATCH FILE
Scorers – St Vincent’s: C O’Brien 2-6 (0-5f), S Lowry 2-1, M Sweeney 1-0, A Gilroy 0-3 (1f), J O’Donnell 0-2, C Burke 0-1. Ballinteer St John’s: D Carey 1-6 (0-2f, 0-1 ’45’), J Sweeney 2-0, E Seoige 0-2, E Fitzpatrick (f), A Bradshaw, C Fitzpatrick, L Fenton 0-1 each.
ST VINCENT’S: J O’Neill; M Glackin, L Murphy, C Fogarty; M L’Estrange, S Lambe, M Sweeney; E O’Neill, S Gormley; J O’Donnell, C Burke, L McGovern; J Mulcahy, A Gilroy, C O’Brien.
Subs: M O’Keefe for L’Estrange (15), S Lowry for Gilroy (36), D Parker for McGovern, D Perry for O’Brien (both 59), C Dunne for Mulcahy (63).
BALLINTEER ST JOHN’S: O Cronin; J Kenneally, D O’Leary, M O Suilleabhain; R Merriman, N Cronin, P Watchorn; E Fitzpatrick, J Sweeney; C Barry, C Fitzpatrick, R Kennedy; A Bradshaw, E Seoige, D Carey.
Subs: I o hEithir for Merriman (h-t), L Fenton for Barry (37), S Mulvaney for Kennedy (45), G Fahy for Watchorn (53), C Morrissey for Seoige (60).
MENTORS – St Vincent’s: Pat Gilroy, Mickey Whelan, Damien Allen, Gareth Mulcahy, Richie Hession, Tony Dunne. Ballinteer St John’s: Colm O’Donnell, Fearghal Duffy, Brian Monaghan, Alan Garville.
Referee: Robbie Glennon (St Anne’s).
WIDES – St Vincent’s: 7 (3+4). Ballinteer St John’s: 5 (3+2).
CONDITIONS: Cold and breezy but with sunny intervals.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Cian O’Brien (St Vincent’s).