Brendan Boylan Column: A week is a long time in Meath!
On a Monday evening recently, Duleek’s Keane Barry represented local darting interests in the draw for the PDC World Darts Championship.
Unfortunately for him, though, the much heralded luck of the Irish must have been taking a day off for the draw.
Because, if he is fortunate enough - if that is the way one would put it - to overcome the cantankerous Gerwyn Price in his first encounter, he will then have the ‘pleasure’ of tackling the barrel of laughs that is Kim Huybrechts of Belgium.
Then, later in the week, it emerged that it seems very likely that Evan Ferguson may be about to depart Brighton in the January transfer window for a spell on loan.
In these pages last week, my colleague Jimmy Geoghegan extolled the virtues of such a development. Understandably so, too, as the Meath lad could definitely benefit from getting first team football.
However, my only concern would be if he were to step down a division to get said starting slots. A step sideways - i. e. to another Premier League club - would naturally be a decent move or, even more so, going to somewhere in Europe. The last thing the lad needs is to resemble a judge from sitting on the bench for so long!
Next stop on a busy week for local sports stars plying their trade overseas was at the bottom end of the world when the magnificently gifted Vikki Wall not only won an AFLW Grand Final winners medal with the North Melbourne Kangaroos, but played a key role in the annexation of same, kicking two ‘goals’ - which are worth six points in Australian Rules Football.
The second of which came about after the Dunboyne woman produced a beautiful piece of aerial fielding before replicating the ‘shuffle’ which made John Aldridge such a reliable taker and tagged on another half dozen.
You’d have thought that would’ve been enough overseas headlines generated by natives for one day, but that was only half the story.
Now, when Antonio Conte was in charge of Tottenham, it was known he was a genuine admirer of Josh Keeley, and sources close to things in north London indicate Ange Postecoglou is equally enamoured. Despite the fact that the gargantuan goalie was again dispatched to the benefit of others last season with Barnet and presently with Leyton Orient.
The following may only be my opinion, but, all the moving about may have led to the colossal custodian his place at international level. Not likely to have done the lad’s confidence much good either.
In any sport or indeed any other facet of life, a reminder that a clap on the back is only six inches from a boot in the rear is never far away. Even allowing for the above, big, raw ‘keeper Keeley must surely have needed sickness tablets after a week that would make the Cuchulainn roller coaster in Emerald Park seem like a speed bump in the road.
Having firstly saved a penalty in Orient’s 0-2 defeat by high-flying Wrexham only for an unfortunate slip whilst taking a kick out culminating in the Welsh side filling Orient’s onion bag again.
So to Saturday. The FA Cup. If you ever thought the magic thereof was balderdash or at the very least over-hyped, fasten your seatbelts because your head will be spinning like a top after the type of conclusion only the grand old competition can throw up.
NINE minutes into injury time, the Os still a goal down. Everybody - Keeley included - plus the postman, the Parish priest and the sheep farmer’s dog pile into the box of the Boundary Park outfit, but it was the Dunboyne lad who soared highest, headed his side towards the salvation of extra time and himself into the history books.
Lack of FA Cup - or any other type of - replays, however, ran the risk of Keeley’s heroics being all for nothing as there was still the live possibility of the tie ending up going to penalties and - outstanding ‘keeper though Josh absolutely is - that situation brings no guarantees. Thankfully for all concerned, however, the dreaded tie breakers weren’t called into action as a goal three minutes from the end of extra time saw Orient home and ensured that their custodian’s heroics were the headline news of the day.
In another sporting code on Saturday - and Sunday as well to be honest - for decorated practitioners thereof from this locality it was a mixture of the two words this writer used as the title of my first book - heroics and heartache.
On one hand you had Noel Meade - thought to be a predominantly Flat trainer nowadays - proving he can still be a potent force over jumps when landing a decent Novice Hurdle courtesy of Big Chou and Gordon Elliott winning the concluding Bumper with what was notionally his third string - William Butler - under promising 7lb claiming jockey Josh Halford - son of dual purpose trainer Mick.
Retired jockey Mick Fitzgerald once suggested that, as a jumps rider, if you can go a dozen mounts without a fall you can consider yourself lucky.
That said, I would venture if somebody offered Jack Kennedy 12 months without breaking a leg, he’d take your hand off for same. The cursed Kerryman having incurred the dastardly injury for the sixth time in his still relatively young but success laden career.
I would imagine for any rider - but especially in a top yard like Gordon’s - the real kick in the guts must be seeing others winning on mounts that should be yours. But, as a genuinely upset Gordon said on Saturday evening, all the good horses will still be in Cullentra House for him when he returns. They will be as glad to see him as he is them.