O'Mahonys hold on to win against Summerhill
Hosts Navan O'Mahonys shaded the A FL Div 1'verdict tonight with a hard-earned 3-11 to 2-13 victory against Summerhill.
This was a hugely entertaining encounter for the big crowd as Summerhill shaded the first-half exchanges due mainly to a 28th minute John Lavelle goal that boosted them to a 1-7 to 0-6 interval advantage.
The goal arrived following a pitch-long move that started after Tony McDonnell's smart save denied Dylan Regan a goal for O'Mahonys.
The Summerhill points arrived from a brace of Liam Shaw frees, two from play by David Larkin and one each by Diarmuid McCabe, Conor Lyons and David Dalton.
O'Mahonys played some good football in that opening half but only had points on the board from Shane Gillespie (three), Ruairi O Coileain (two, one free) and Stephen Bray.
However, all that changed after the resumption and in a blistering third-quarter the Navan men scored three goals.
Oisin O'Brien made the openings for both Cathal Smyth and Gillespie and then Bray did the needful and Gillespie finished to the net for his second goal.
Points from Bray and Smyth augmented the tally as Summerhill laboured seriously with only a Ross Ryan point to their credit and all that left O'Mahonys with a 3-8 to 1-8 advantage.
But the Summerhill men found a response in the form of a fisted Lyons goal and a Shaw point that reduced the deficit to a goal.
Points from an O Coileain '45' and O'Brien eased O'Mahonys into the comfort zone again, but not for long as Shaw and Lavelle replied for the 'Hill.
O'Mahonys were hanging on in the closing minutes as Summerhill kept the scoreboard ticking over with points from Padraig Geraghty and substitute Eamonn Ryan, but the visitors also wasted some chances and were caught out by the full-time whistle.
Both managers agreed that there was a championship type of intensity to the game and will now plan for the opening round of the SFC.
"Summerhill kept coming back at us and I would not have expected anything less from them," stated O'Mahonys manager Kevin Reilly.
Summerhill's Declan McCabe felt his team could have made better use of some late chances.
"If we were a bit smarter there at the end we might have got something out of it, but I was happy enough with the performance," stated McCabe.
SFC FIRST ROUND
Group A - Seneschalstown v Navan O'Mahonys; Skryne v St Patrick's; Gaeil Colmcille v Dunshaughlin.
Group B - Moynalvey v Rathkenny; Longwood v Ratoath; Donaghmore / Ashbourne v Summerhill.
Group C - Dunboyne v Curraha; Na Fianna v St Colmcille's; Simonstown Gaels v Wolfe Tones.