Gaeil Colmcille bounced back to winning ways in the Fairyhouse Steel Meath Senior Football Championship with a seven-point victory over Curraha. The win keeps The Gaeils hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive when they’ll take on St. Peter’s, Dunboyne in the final group game.
The game didn’t go according to the final script as The Ha started the brightest and found themselves two points to the good after just four minutes of play. Shooting into the town end and with the breeze behind their backs Kells got their first score to settle them in thanks to a point of the left boot of Seamus Mattimoe.
A Barry Farrelly free levelled things up and three minutes later The Gaeils were two clear thanks to an Andrew Gormley mark and an Oisin Reilly point from play. Gormley added a second point of the half, this time it was a 14-yard free after he was initially fouled.
The score of the half came in the 18th minute after Mattimoe called an advanced mark in the Corner of the pitch under the stand and from the acute angle sent Kells four points clear. Farrelly added his second point just before Curraha got their third with a well worked breakaway move.
With four points between the sides, it was Kells who finished the half the stronger as Brian “Beano” Hanlon got a point from play and on the stroke of half time, Gaeil Colmcille found the back of the net for the game’s opening goal. A great run through the Curraha defence by Ryan Farnham and as the ball ended in Jonny Quigley hands, he made no mistake and punted the ball beyond the Curraha keeper to see Gaeil Colmcille lead 1-08 to 0-03 at halftime.
Kells couldn’t have asked for a more perfect start to the second half as Referee David Coldrick awarded The Gaeils a penalty after Gormley was fouled inside the large rectangle. Up stepped Beano who made no mistake to convert. Hanlon added a free and with 34 minutes played Kells led by 12 points.
Credit to Curraha they never lay down and in a three-minute period the rattled Gaeil Colmcille with an unanswered 1-02 to keep Kells honest for the remainder of the game. A Ryan Farnham point in the 47th minute was cancelled out by a Curraha point in the 50th minute.
With the game entering its final 5 minutes, Gaeil Colmcille substitute Ajay Tormey pointed to leave 8 between the sides and a final score from Curraha in the 57th left The Gaeils seven to the good on the full-time whistle.
Gaeil Colmcille: Barry Farrelly (0-02), Adam Donnelly, Rian Early, James Reilly, Adam Muldoon, Jonny Quigley (1-00), John Gormley, Evan Sheridan, Liam Ferguson, Seamus Mattimoe (0-02), Barry Tormay, Oisin Reilly (0-01), Andrew Gormley (0-02), Brian Hanlon (1-02), Ryan Farnham (0-01).
Subs: Ajay Tormey (0-01), Aaron Browne, Oisin Walsh, Bruno Griffin, Fionn Smith.
