Donaghmore/Ashbourne hold their nerve and stay in the hunt

Donaghmore/Ashbourne...2-3-9 (21)

Simonstown Gaels... 0-4-8 (16)

Minutes after referee Patrick Coyle blew the final whistle to end this entertaining SFC encounter at Skryne on Saturday evening the Donaghmore/Ashbourne players gathered in a huddle in front of the dugouts.

Someone had a phone receving up-to-the-second updates on the tie in Pairc Tailteann between Na Fianna and Wolfe Tones. That game was still in progress.

When the news came through that the Tones had won by the narrowest of margins, a loud, joyful cheer emerged from the Donaghmore/Ashbourne huddle.

Some supporters on the grassy bank on the opposite side of the well-maintained Skryne ground also cheered. It all meant that Donaghmore/Ashbourne were through to the quarter-finals. They were still contenders, along with group-toppers the Tones.

With only one point in the bag going into this game (from the first round draw with Na Fianna) Donaghmore/Ashbourne needed things to go their way both in Skryne and Navan.

They upheld their side of the arrangement with the major help of a high-octane performance, especially in the third quarter. It was then they generated a gap Simonstown Gaels were unable to bridge.

The sides were level 1-7 to 0-10 at the interval and if anything the Gaels looked the better side. Yet something seemed to happen in the respective dresssing rooms at the interval because Donaghmore/Ashbourne, who lost two players to injury in that opening half, came out for the second-half really fired up and focused while Simonstown looked heavy-limbed and distracted.

After 39 minutes, when they scored their second goal, Donaghmore/Ashbourne led 2-11 to 0-10. That particular major arrived after a swift, deadly, pincer attack with Evan Kelly and Michael Deegan combining to create an opening for Zach Thornton who fired emphatically to the net.

The first Donaghmore/Ashbourne goal had arrived on 13 minutes when a lengthy, well-constructed attack was finished off by Andy Tormey. who cleverly fisted the ball to the net while he had his back to the Simonstown goal.

Timmy O’Regan’s side were a less imposing side physically than the Gaels but were adapt at finding space. The also have a high proportion of players who have pace to burn. They can switch defence into menacing, threatening attack in a flash.

One of those speed merchants is Thornton who ended up with 1-3 and another is Evan Kelly who lofted over three points, with Conor Carton, Kevin Cully, Darragh McGovern, Michael Deegan, Andy Colgan and Kevin Fenton others to contribute scores.

For the most part O’Regan’s troops were able to convert their chances, although they will be concerned too in the way they wasted some good openings in the second-half, as they should.

Simonstown Gaels generated some well-constructed, neatly-taken points themselves but they lacked the cutting edge in attack to get the goal or two they really required.

The closest they came to making the breakthrough was in the closing minutes when a Padraig McKeever, rushed, soccer-style effort was brilliantly saved by Colgan.

They had, however, in McKeever a player with his radar switched on over the hour, something clearly seen in the way he secured 11 points including three two pointers.

Brían Conlon also landed a booming, inspiring two-pointer from distance in the opening half with Arron Farrelly and Sean Tobin the only other Simonstown players to trouble the scorekeeper.

While they often weaved pretty patterns in working the ball into dangerous areas the Gaels couldn't land a big punch and now face a relegation scrap. Instead it was Donaghmore/Ashbourne who secured a place in the quarter-finals, something that was greeted with a heartfelt shout of joy by their players and supporters.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne – Andy Colgan (0-1 free); Conor Carton (0-2 two pointer), Sean Curran, Cillian Hegarty; James Crumlish, Shane Melia, Evan Quinn; Kevin Cully (0-1), Aidan Mackey; Jamie Browne, Darragh McGovern (0-2 two pointer), Zach Thornton (1-3 one free), Evan Kelly (0-3), Michael O’Sullivan, Andrew Tormey (1-0). Subs – Kevin Fenton (0-2 two pointer) for Melia 14m, Oisin Daly for Mackey 19m, Michael Deegan (0-1) for Cully 46m, James Redmond for Hegarty 53m.

Simonstown Gaels - Ben Hoey; Aaron Chinchilla, Michael Gavin, Shane Gallagher; Eddie Nash, Brían Conlon (0-2 two pointer), Brian McGrath; Mark Gardiner, Sean Conlon; Shane McEnery, Padriag McKeever (0-11 three two points, three frees), Conor Sheridan; Tadgh Hanrahan, Aaron Farrelly (0-1), Sean Tobin (0-2 one free). Subs - Niall Kane for Hanrahan half-time, Oran Meade for Nash 53m, James Heaney for McEnery 57m, Mark Devlin for Conlon 58m.

Referee - Patrick Coyle (Curraha).