Reserve Shield quarter-final
St. Paul’s 0-8 All Saints 0-12
All Saints travelled to Shaw’s Road tonight and recorded a fine win over a strong St. Paul’s side whose cause wasn’t helped by the sending off of two players as things got a bit heated during the second half. Four points separated the sides at the final whistle with sharp shooter Diarmuid McNally leading the way with five points.
In a very even opening half it was visitors All Saints who edged matters and held a narrow one point lead at the break but it was St. Pauls who made the better start and went ahead through their full-forward in the opening minute.
Young mid-fielder, Conor Stewart levelled matters with two minutes on the clock and the All Saints Minor was to have a big influence as the game progressed.
St. Paul’s restored their lead before Diarmuid McNally replied at the other end to square the contest once more with only six minutes on the clock before the Shaw’s Road side wasted a number of opportunities to go ahead once more with one effort coming back of an upright.
Sharp shooter McNally showed how to do it when he fired over for his second point of the game in the 12th minute but two minutes later it was all square again when St. Paul’s McCartan pointed from a free.
Diarmuid McNally was then short from a couple of frees before Luke O’Rawe showed him how direct from a ‘45’ but both sides continued to waste chances before James McDonnell struck a 27th minute point for the visitors to leave them one ahead at the short whistle but all still to play for in the second half.
EXTENDED LEAD
Diarmuid McNally extended the All Saints lead from another free on the restart but St. Paul’s replied through McCartan to stay in touch. The scores dried up for a time after this but as Conor Stewart and Luke O’Rawe began to get on top at mid-field the opposition started to concede frees with Diarmuid McNally punishing those indiscretions with points in the 9th and 10th minutes.
McNally pointed another free at the end of the third quarter in response to one from play by the opposition but indiscipline was starting to creep into the home side’s play with their full-back yellow carded before they lost a player to Red for dissent with 13 minutes remaining.
They kept plugging away however hitting the next two scores but All Saints were beginning to get on top and responded through James McDonnell and Conor Stewart before St. Paul’s were reduced to 13 men with a second sending off.
The visitors pressed home their advantage in the closing stages and as the game went into injury time points from Eoghan Daly and the excellent Conor Stewart ensured that there would be no way back for a St. Paul’s side who battled all the way to the final whistle.
All Saints : Stephen McAvoy, Aidan O’Connell, Cormac Magill, Paghraig Magill, Eoin Walsh, Joe Rocks, Cormac lemon, Luke O’Rawe, Conor Stewart, James McDonnell, Matthew Downey, Mark Murchan, Eoghan Daly, Diarmaid McNally, Rhys O’Mullan Subs: Damian Casey for Eoghan Daly, Darragh Mussen for Rhys O’Mullan, Vinnie Esler for Padraig Magill, Lee Kirk for Matthew Downey, Phelim Killough for Aidan O’Connell
All Saints scorers: Diarmuid McNally 0-5, Conor Stewart 0-3, James McDonnell 0-2, Luke O’Rawe 0-1, Eoghan Daly 0-1