Both St. Colmcille’s and Gaeil Colmcille came into the Round 6 game of the Division 1 League in bad need for a win as both sat in the drop zone spots with two points as the sides locked battle in Piltown on Saturday evening.
The opening 5 minutes was frantic with both teams sharing the opening four points with Andrew Gormley and Oisin Walsh pointing for Kells. Two frees in a row for The Gaeils from Gormley and Seamus Mattimoe saw them lead 0-04 to 0-02 with 10 minutes on the clock.
One minute later and the home side regained the lead as a ball dropped short into the square and the full forward rose highest and caught and turned the ball into the net for the opening goal of the game.
As the first half ebbed and flowed, Gaeil Colmcille scored two points in a row with Mattimoe and Liam Barry pointing from play. Gaeil Colmcille were lucky that some of St. Colmcille’s shooting was off in the first half as the Cille’s racked up the wides from play and frees. They did however draw level again on 23 minutes but Mattimoe restored the lead just before the break.
St. Colmcille’s did manage to get an equalising score just on the stroke of half time as Gaeil Colmcille’s 0-07 was matched by St. Colmcille’s 1-04.
The Cilles got the opening score of the half but that was cancelled by a Barry Farrelly free. The home side were applying a lot of pressure and took the lead once again but two saves from Farrelly in the Kells goals kept The Gaeils in the game.
Those saves jeered Kells on and a monster free from that man again Barry Farrelly with a two pointer to give Gaeil Colmcille the lead. Kells hit a purple patch and points from Andrew Gormley, Liam Ferguson and a two pointer free from Gormley saw the lead stretch to its biggest of the game at 5 points.
With 12 minutes left it was all about keep ball for Gaeil Colmcille but the Seasiders never lay down and goals in the 54th and 55th minute stunned the North Meath men and led by one with five minutes remaining.
Credit to The Gaeils the never gave up and an excellently worked move with Beano Hanlon feeding through Oisin Walsh, who composed himself one on one with the keeper and sidestepped to tap into the back of the empty net as the lead changed once more.
St. Colmcille’s cut the lead in half but as they went in search for an equalising score, Ajay Tormey popped up with the insurance point and from the resulting kickout Referee Cormac Reilly blew for full-time to the relief of the Kells lad earning a hard earned win.
Gaeil Colmcille: Barry Farrelly (0-1-1), Adam Muldoon, Rian Early, Bruno Griffin, Dan Farrelly, Jordan Muldoon, Oisin Reilly, Ajay Tormey (0-0-1), John Gormley, Aaron Browne, Seamus Mattimoe (0-0-3), Liam Ferguson (0-0-1), Liam Barry (0-0-1), Andrew Gormley (0-1-3), Oisin Walsh (1-0-0)
Subs: Danny Muldoon, Brian Hanlon, Shane Callaghan, Fionn Smith
