Junior Football Championship – Round 1
Wolfe Tones 1-4 St Malachy’s 2-13
St Malachy’s got their Junior Football Championship off to a great start when they travelled to the Valley Leisure Centre on Friday evening and beat Wolfe Tones by twelve points. The scoreline might suggest this was a very one sided game but to be fair it was a tougher challenge than the scoreline would suggest. The Greencastle men trailed by five at half time, but a goal six minutes into the second half breathed new life into the Tones challenge. They had the gap down to two points at one stage but St Malachy’s found their form again and pulled away to win convincingly in the end.
Wolf Tones started with a point from half back Kieran Maloney in the third minute and it was seven minutes later before St Malachy’s got their first score on the board through Criostoir Devlin. The home team went back in front a minute later when midfielder Martin Connor sent one over from a free, but the men from the Markets were starting to find their range and they dominated the remainder of the half, hitting six points without reply through midfielder Ciaran Vernon (2), Anthony Dobbin, Devlin, Jack McGivern and Devlin again to lead by 0-7 to 0-2 at the interval.
Vernon got the first point of the second half to stretch the Mal’s lead to six, but Wolfe Tones grabbed a lifeline when corner forward Aodhan Maloney cut in from the right and fired low to the St Malachy’s net in the 36th minute. The goal breathed new life into the Tones and although St Malachy’s replied with a point from McGivern, the home side grabbed the next two scores through substitute Declan Madden to close the gap to just two.
That was as close as they would get however as St Malachy’s, brilliantly led by right half forward McGivern, they dominated the final quarter. Centre forward Anton McGreevy started the run with a point from play on 47 minutes and McGivern added another a minute later. Patrick McDairmuid made it three points in as many minutes when he slotted over a free, McGivern grabbed another two minutes later while substitute Gavin McManus and the excellent Vernon grabbed late goals to wrap it all up.
St Malachy’s face St Comgall’s at home next time out with the winners almost sure of a semi-final spot in what should be a real cracker.
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