Dunshaughlin do enough for another chance

Dunshaughlin produced an improved second-half display and sent Blackhall Gaels crashing out of the SFC in this preliminary quarter-final at Ashbourne on Friday evening. Victory was achieved at a price and manager Gordon Ward will have to plan without Michael McHale for next Sunday's showdown against reigning champions Navan O'Mahonys. McHale was red-carded along with Blackhall's Steven Nally close to the interval following what seemed to be a mild enough bit of wrestling in which about eight players were involved. "I thought all the red cards were over the top, it was a game that certainly didn't reflect three red cards," Dunshaughlin manager Gordon Ward told the Meath Chronicle. "We had to raise our game in the second-half and I'm glad to get over this hurdle, I'm looking forward to the game against Navan O'Mahonys. "If we are going to win the Keegan Cup we have to beat the best, O'Mahonys are the best in Meath at the moment and we will have that opportunity next Sunday, we will have to tray and match them," he concluded. Apart from the first-half red cards, Blackhall also lost Mark Mullally when he collected a second yellow card in the space of two minutes midway through the second-half. Blackhall Gaels also managed to miss the same penalty twice as they laboured towards a 1-4 to 0-4 interval advantage. Referee Cormac Reilly awarded the penalty after Mullally was fouled, but Alan Nestor's first attempt was superbly saved by Dunshaughlin 'keeper Ronan Gogan. However, the referee awarded a re-take and this time Nestor drove his shot wide of the target, but the Gaels eventually found the net when Denis Beirne finished at the far post three minutes later. The opening quarter was fairly timid as Nestor got Blackhall Gaels off the mark with a fifth minute pointed free. Paddy O'Brien increased that margin soon after despite strong pressure from the Dunshaughlin rearguard. Conor Staunton managed an opportunist point from play in the ninth minute which got Dunshaughlin on the scoreboard, but by the end of a low-key opening quarter the Gaels were ahead by 0-3 to 0-1 after Paddy Brady sent over a close-range free. There was a reasonably good duel at midfield during that opening quarter, but the standard deteriorated alarmingly for the remainder of the half and culminated with those two red cards on the stroke of half-time. Apart from Beirne's goal, Blackhall also managed a Nestor point close to the interval while Martin Reilly (two) and Niall Kelly kept Dunshaughlin in contention. Kelly reduced the deficit from a pointed free within 20 seconds of the resumption and it was down to the minimum a minute later when Caoimhin King surged forward and split the posts from a tight angle. There was much more urgency about Dunshaughlin after the resumption and Reilly's free drew the sides level soon after, but parity seemed to impede Dunshaughlin and they were unable to forge ahead until the end of the quarter. Staunton rifled to the net after Denis Kealy and Trevor Dowd combined to make the opening and then Mullally collected his second yellow card. Numerical superiority was sufficient to give Dunshaughlin the upperhand and the points flowed form Kelly and substitute Conor Devereux (two each) and David Crimmins. This certainly wasn't a confidence-inspiring performance from Dunshaughlin, but O'Mahonys manager Sean Kelly, who was present, will adopt a cautious approach when his side put their title on the line at Pairc Tailteann next Sunday, 2.0. Dunshaughlin - R Gogan;T Johnson, K McTigue, A Johnson; D Kealy, M McHale, C King (0-1); J Crimmins, R Maloney; N Kelly (0-4, three frees), T Dowd, M Reilly (0-3, three frees); R Kealy, D Crimmins (0-1), C Staunton (0-1). Subs - C Devereux (0-2) for Reilly 32 mins; M Johnson for R Kealy 50m; M Ahearn for Dowd 53m; C Farrelly for Staunton 55m Blackhall Gaels - T Dalton; D O'Neill, D Dalton, D O'Brien; J Kelly, N O'Hora, D Tobin; P O'Brien (0-1), M Mullally; P Brady (0-1, free), S Nally, D Beirne (1-0); M Crampton, A Nestor (0-2, one free), A Brady. Subs - S Whelan for Crampton 44 mins; I Kennedy for A Brady 48m; L Rattigan for Kelly 56m; C McElligott for O'Brien 56m. Referee - Cormac Reilly (St Mary's).