Quinn’s goal crucial as Coralstown/Kinnegad retain U19 title

Westmeath U19 Division 1 football championship final: Coralstown/Kinnegad 1-8, Caulry 0-10

Gerry Buckley reports

Coralstown/Kinnegad retained their Westmeath U19 football title in TEG Cusack Park last Sunday afternoon, defeating a strong Caulry outfit by the narrowest of margins in a contest which was a disappointment for the neutrals in the good-sized crowd, despite a reasonably good day for football given the recent awful weather.

The fact that it took almost a quarter of an hour for the scoreboard operator to be troubled – ironically, an electrical malfunction had caused problems in listing the actual teams thereon – says a lot about the initial poverty of the football from both sides.

While matters did improve, overall it was a generally forgettable contest, not that this will unduly bother the victorious young men in their changed all-white strip with a red trim.

As expected, Caulry – themselves also in a different strip from normal, black their predominant colour on the day – relied heavily on Senan Baker for inspiration, but he mixed the very good with the ordinary despite ending up as the game’s top scorer with seven points to his name.

The opening quarter was not easy viewing, with wides abounding both from open play and placed balls. The aforementioned Baker, whose younger brother Tadhg also showed up well at centre half back, was off-target straight from the throw-in, and poor shot selection at both ends frustrated spectators until Senan Baker belatedly opened the scoring with a typically classy point in the 14th minute.

Callum Cruise responded in style, and it was a mere 0-1 apiece on the board midway through the first moiety.

Eoghan Kelly nudged Coralstown/Kinnegad ahead in the 21st minute, the referee allowing the score after playing a good ‘advantage’. A minute later, Podge Quinn scored what proved to be a vital goal, the midfielder finding the net after soloing goalward, with Conor Hynes unable to get near what was a well-struck shot.

Points from Baker (a tricky free taken from his hands), Oisín Shortall (a great finish after a needlessly-conceded lineball), and Baker (another free, this time from 40 metres and taken from the ground), brought the South Westmeath side to within a point of the winners (1-2 to 0-4) with 26 minutes elapsed.

Just one minute of added-time was played during which Stephen McNevin did well to keep out a goal attempt by Shane Lawless, and the ensuing counterattack yielded a well-taken point from the lively Cruise, thereby putting his team ahead at the interval by 1-3 to 0-4.

Cruise untypically missed a good chance in the 32nd minute, but he compensated some two minutes later by converting a difficult free from his hands. The same played stretched Coralstown/Kinnegad’s lead to four points (1-5 to 0-4) with a delightful point in the 38th minute, rounding off a patient move.

The Baker brothers both shot wides at the other end before Liam Daly pointed for Coralstown/Kinnegad via Hynes’ fingertips. Caulry sub Aaron Murphy pointed neatly just four minutes after his introduction, and Senan Baker showed his undoubted class with exactly 45 minutes on the clock with a great solo point to leave his side a goal in arrears (1-6 to 0-6).

The latter player soon slotted over another free and, from the resultant misplaced kick-out, Murphy pointed from the ground when a goal looked the easier option.

Donnacha Fleming settled Coralstown/Kinnegad nerves with a well-judged point in the 50th minute. Baker responded with another successful free. Shortall was black-carded with five minutes of normal time remaining and, having picked up a yellow in the first half – which had looked a little harsh at the time – his game ended prematurely when he saw red.

In the 57th minute, a Cruise free came back off the post and Brían Cooney was on hand to pop the ball over the bar from the rebound. The latter went on to spurn the ultimate ‘gimme’ of a goal chance after Hynes had initially saved a Daly shot, but the promising centre half forward, having gathered the ball into his hands, somehow managed to hit the crossbar from point-blank range when the net was gaping.

Baker converted another free in added-time, the ball having been moved forward for dissent, but Coralstown/Kinnegad were able to play ‘keep ball’ in the minute remaining and hang on to their slender advantage.

After the match, the assistant secretary of the Westmeath County Board, Brendan Shaw, presented the Darren Price Cup to the joint-captains of Coralstown/Kinnegad, Luke Leacy and Jack Cole.

Scorers – Coralstown/Kinnegad: C Cruise 0-4 (1f), P Quinn 1-0, D Fleming, L Daly, B Cooney and E Kelly 0-1 each. Caulry: S Baker 0-7 (5f), A Murphy 0-2, O Shortall 0-1.

Coralstown/Kinnegad: Stephen McNevin; Jack Quinn, Michael Leonard, Alex Ajeigbe; Luke Leacy, Brian McGrath, Donnacha Fleming; Podge Quinn, Liam Daly; Rory Cole, Brían Cooney, Jack Cole; Eoghan Kelly, Callum Cruise, Jazon Macken. Sub used: Eimhin Whelan for Kelly (58).

Caulry: Conor Hynes; Alan Lynam, Tom Cloonan, Adam Doyle; Brendan McCormack, Tadhg Baker, Harry Stuart-Trainor; Sean Murphy, Shane Lawless; Tiernan O’Donovan, Senan Baker, Oisín Shortall; Alan Malynn, Paul Hogan, Jimmy Buckley. Subs used: Aaron Murphy for Buckley (39), Cormac Murphy for Doyle (50).

Ref: Brendan Keena (Ballynacargy).

Footnote: Prior to the game, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of the recently deceased Tess Giles from Kinnegad.