So close to SFC glory
November 27, 2011Nobody outside the club appeared to give them any chance of making an impression, but they proved the doubters wrong by making it all the way to the final where favourites Summerhill had to work their socks off to get the better of them after a replay which went to extra time.
After winning the intermediate championship in 1997, Dunshaughlin went on to become the undisputed best team in the county. They lost the 1999 SFC final to Skryne, but a golden spell lay in waiting as they claimed the senior crown on three successive occasions between 2000 and 2002 and also won a Leinster title.
Such phenomenal success takes its toll, both mentally and physically, yet as Dunshaughlin made their way back to the senior final this year there was a very healthy sprinkling of players who figured in those triumphs. There was also an encouraging array of youngsters who represent the future of the club at this level and add in tremendous character and the ingredients were there for a lengthy campaign.
Cavan native Gary Farrelly was their coach and he clearly helped to instil the necessary self-belief in the players. While practically everybody else in the county had reservations about their readiness to take the championship by storm, Farrelly obviously felt it was in them. He was right.
Yet, ahead of the start of the SFC their form in Division 1 of the A League wasn't overly encouraging as they picked up just one point from a possible six after losing to Blackhall Gaels and Wolfe Tones and drawing with Duleek/Bellewstown. But once it came around to the championship they possessed a ferocious appetite for hard graft and that was vital in their shock first round victory over Seneschalstown.
Apart from the champions of 2007 and 2009 and last year's beaten finalists, the other teams Dunshaughlin would have to face in group B were Donaghmore/Ashbourne, Navan O'Mahonys, Nobber and Rathkenny. It meant there were three sides in the section which figured on many shortlists for outright success. Dunshaughlin weren't one of them.
That rating appeared to be justified when they scored only a point in the first half of that opener against Seneschalstown at Pairc Tailteann. But they were creating plenty of opportunities, as 10 wides in that period proved, and they included goal chances which were passed up by Cathal O'Dwyer and Tommy Johnson.
Trevor Dowd notched their only point of the opening half from a free on eight minutes and Seneschalstown led by 0-6 to 0-1 at the interval. But Dunshaughlin were a transformed team in the second period and battled back to parity (1-4 to 0-7) nearing the end of the third quarter after Conor Devereux had fisted their goal.
Influential substitute Michael McHale had them ahead for the first time and they pushed on to win by 1-10 to 0-9. Goalkeeper Ronan Gogan made a vital late save from Petey Watters, but it was a deserved win on the strength of the great resolve they demonstrated to come from behind.
It represented a brilliant start to the championship and they made it back-to-back victories when beating intermediate champions Nobber by 1-12 to 1-7 at Simonstown where O'Dwyer was one of their star performers. Nobber led by 0-5 to 0-2 after 20 minutes, but Dunshaughlin recovered to be ahead by 0-6 to 0-5 at the break.
Brian Farrell goaled for Nobber in the first minute of the second half, but Dunshaughlin soon found their feet again and replied with a Dowd pointed free and an O'Dwyer goal. It was still all to play for when they led by the minimum with 10 minutes remaining, but points from Ray Maloney, Niall Murphy (two) and veteran substitute Richie Kealy secured a comfortable victory.
Donaghmore/Ashbourne had already lost twice when they faced Dunshaughlin in the third round at Pairc Tailteann, but with their qualification hopes barely alive Andy McEntee's team began a revival mission by earning a 0-14 to 0-8 win. Unlike their earlier appearance at the Navan venue against Seneschalstown, Dunshaughlin played their best football in the first half on this occasion.
They led by 0-5 to 0-2 thanks to points from Dowd (two), Devereux, O'Dwyer and Murphy, but had a let-off when Kevin Lanigan was wide from a penalty for Donaghmore/Ashbourne on 16 minutes. However, the Dublin-border outfit recovered to be on level terms (0-6 each) at the interval.
Dunshaughlin fell away badly in the second half when their only scores were two Dowd pointed frees in the third and 27th minutes. Donaghmore/Ashbourne had opened up a 0-11 to 0-7 advantage by the three-quarter stage and were six points to the good when the final whistle sounded.
It was back to Pairc Tailteann for a fourth round meeting with Rathkenny who had Tommy McKeever and Donal Curtis sent off in added time. Things weren't looking good for Dunshaughlin when Rathkenny opened up a 0-4 to 0-0 lead after 25 minutes and with John Donegan goaling late in the first half their interval advantage stood at 1-4 to 0-1.
Devereux saw his penalty saved by John Martin on six minutes and Dunshaughlin's only first half score was a Tadhg O Dushlaine point. A dramatic improvement was called for and it came as they won the second period by 0-10 to 0-1 to earn a victory which secured a quarter-final place.
Martin Reilly was Dunshaughlin's top scorer with six points, five of which came from frees, and the 0-11 to 1-5 victory meant the pressure was off when they faced Navan O'Mahonys in the last round of group games many weeks later. O'Mahonys had also secured knockout football ahead of the clash at Dunsany, but that didn't stop them from producing their best performance of the campaign.
An Alan Forde goal late in the first half helped O'Mahonys to a slender 1-6 to 0-7 interval lead, but they ran riot in the second period when Dunshaughlin's only point was scored by Reilly. Further goals from Darragh Smyth and Gary O'Brien pushed the Navan men on to a 3-14 to 0-8 victory.
Heading into the quarter-finals O'Mahonys would have been expected to be the team brimming with confidence, but football is a funny old game! They were eliminated by Summerhill and Dunshaughlin battled their way past Simonstown Gaels after extra time to reach the last four.
Dunshaughlin demonstrated tremendous character in the additional 20 minutes to carve out a victory which was gained in dramatic fashion when Fergus Toolan scored a brilliant winning point. The standard of football wasn't always great, but this was still a pulsating contest.
Dunshaughlin led by 0-5 to 0-4 at the interval in normal time thanks to points from Dowd (two frees), Devereux, Caoimhin King and O'Dwyer. They had a great chance to push further clear on the restart, but Dowd's penalty went wide off a post after O'Dwyer was fouled.
Points from O'Dwyer (two) and O Dushlaine edged them 0-8 to 0-5 ahead, before it was Simonstown's turn to miss a penalty when Eanna Donoghue's kick went wide. They reduced the deficit to the minimum, but Dunshaughlin kicked on again as points from King, Murphy and Dowd put them four clear.
They looked to be on their way to the semi-finals, but the drama intensified as Sean Tobin pointed a free for Simonstown and then Shane Carr goaled to leave the teams level (1-8 to 0-11) and force extra time. Dunshaughlin could have been forgiven if they felt like throwing in the towel after surrendering their lead, but they didn't.
Inspired by Shane O'Rourke Simonstown edged three points ahead during the first period of additional time, but two Dowd frees left Dunshaughlin one adrift (0-13 to 1-11) at the midway point. The influential King levelled the scores three minutes into the second half, but O'Rourke edged the Gaels ahead again.
The match finished in a welter of excitement as Dunshaughlin bravely came back to win it. Maloney levelled things up again and Toolan had the last word in injury time as he scored a great winner after a wonderful pass from substitute Niall Kelly. It finished 0-16 to 1-12 and battling Dunshaughlin were still in the race.
Donaghmore/Ashbourne defeated Dunshaughlin by six points when they met in the third round of group matches and had recovered from a disastrous start to the championship to reach the semi-finals. This time, outsiders Dunshaughlin got their revenge with a 1-9 to 1-8 victory.
Dunshaughlin missed chances in the first half, but points from O'Dwyer and Toolan (two each) and a Devereux '45' meant they trailed by the minimum (0-5 to 1-3) at the interval. David Morgan had goaled in the sixth minute for Donaghmore/Ashbourne who also notched the first two points of the second period to edge three clear.
However, they didn't hit the target again for almost 20 minutes as Dunshaughlin took over. Murphy goaled following an O'Dwyer run and pass six minutes into the half and then Dowd scored three brilliant points to open up a useful advantage. When Devereux pointed they were five clear and that was enough to safeguard them against a late Donaghmore/Ashbourne rally.
Looking back on it now, Dunshaughlin must still be wondering how they didn't finish the job during the two games it took to decide the final. The drawn match was the better of the two and Dunshaughlin looked to have done enough to shade the verdict until Brian Ennis rescued Summerhill with an injury time equaliser as it finished 0-10 each.
Summerhill started best and held leads of 0-3 to 0-0 and 0-4 to 0-1, but Dunshaughlin settled and hit the front (0-5 to 0-4) for the first time on 23 minutes when O'Dwyer pointed. The best of their scores in that recovery spell was a fine effort by Murphy after a Johnson assist.
They also led by 0-6 to 0-5 at the break, by which stage 11 different players had scored, and they doubled their advantage two minutes into the second half with the best score of the game. Mick Ahern, Toolan and Dowd were involved in the move which resulted in O'Dwyer's second point from play.
Ennis pulled a point back for Summerhill and then goalkeeper Gogan and King deprived them of a goal when thwarting Ennis and David Larkin. O'Dwyer edged Dunshaughlin two clear again, but the 'Hill found a purple patch which yielded three points in succession and put them ahead.
They led by 0-9 to 0-8 by the 51st minute, but points from Devereux and Dowd (free) had Dunshaughlin back in front. They looked capable of staying there, but after substitute Richie Kealy was adjudged to have handled the ball on the ground, Ennis slotted over the equaliser in added time. It might have got a great deal worse, but Richie Hatton was off target with an even later chance.
The very lively O'Dwyer was Dunshaughlin's top marksman with three points, Dowd scored two from frees, Devereux got a brace from play and there was one each from Murphy, Toolan and Denis Kealy.
Dunshaughlin again looked set for victory in the replay two weeks later. Favoured by the wind, they led by two points with seven minutes of normal time remaining, but Summerhill battled back courageously and 'man of the match' Adrian Kenny pointed from play in the 54th minute to give them hope. Then, two minutes into injury time, Micheal Byrne forced extra time when converting a 25 metre free.
There was controversy shortly before Byrne's leveller when Murphy looked set to restore Dunshaughlin's two-point cushion, but just as he was about to shoot Caolan Young applied the pressure and the kick went wide. Appeals for a free were turned down by referee David Gough.
It was a turning point in the replay, but it was Summerhill who kicked on in injury time as if energised by their escape at the end of normal time. They scored four points in the first period and with Dunshaughlin getting only two in the second it finished 0-14 to 1-9.
Summerhill had the aid of the wind in the first half of normal time and Kenny scored three points from play in the opening nine minutes. Byrne and Toolan traded scores, but then Dunshaughlin struck for a goal which had them level (1-1 to 0-4) by the end of the first quarter.
Murphy surged forward and passed to Tommy Johnson who finished brilliantly, but Summerhill added points from Kenny, David Larkin and Ennis (free) to lead by 0-7 to 1-1 at the interval. The three-point gap was still intact eight minutes into the second period after Byrne and Dowd had exchanged frees, but Dunshaughlin then took over.
Dowd (free) and Johnson cut the deficit to the minimum and they were level when the hard-working John Crimmins pointed at the three-quarter stage. They were soon ahead for the first time after Dowd converted his third free and the lead stretched to two on 52 minutes when Maloney pointed.
But Kenny and Byrne rescued Summerhill as it finished 1-7 to 0-10 at the end of normal time. Points from Kenny, Larkin, Byrne and Conor Gillespie gave them control with a 0-14 to 1-7 advantage midway through extra time and all Dunshaughlin managed in return were scores from substitute Eoin Hegarty and O'Dwyer.
They relied on Gogan to make a brilliant save from Stephen Kennedy after 74 minutes, but had a late half chance to snatch a dramatic victory when O'Dwyer's shot from a difficult angle was saved by Tony McDonnell. Dunshaughlin had suffered a blow six minutes from the end when King had to retire injured.
To put it mildly, the defeat was heartbreaking, but manager Gary Farrelly wasn't complaining as he spoke after the final whistle.
"It comes down to a battle and somebody had to win it today," he said. "You send out a team and you just want them to give everything and that's exactly what our fellas did. They gave absolutely everything they had to the cause. It will happen for you some days and some days it won't.
"Summerhill deserved it after going four points up in the first period of extra time. That left us with a steep hill to climb. We did manage to get it back to two points and you can't ask for any more."
But he must have thought that Dunshaughlin were on the verge of victory late in normal time.
"We had other chances in the second half to stretch our lead, but Summerhill's name was obviously just on the cup this year and we'll take it on the chin," he added. "I thought our name was on it up until today as we got this far and scraped through a couple of games to get here. I thought we had a real chance to win it, both in the drawn game and today, but it wasn't to be and I would just like to congratulate Summerhill. They finished strong and drove on when they got their chances.
"It has been a great year and I couldn't possibly have asked for any more from the players. We pushed and we pushed them for the whole year and they came along with us."
Losing the final was a huge disappointment for all concerned, but Dunshaughlin can look forward to a very bright future. After all, it's only two years ago that they won the Minor Championship and those players are still learning and maturing.
The Dunshaughlin team in the final was: R Gogan; A Doyle, K McTigue, M Ahern; A Johnson, C King, D Kealy; J Crimmins (0-1), R Maloney (0-1); F Toolan (0-1), T Dowd (0-3), C Devereux; T Johnson (1-1), N Murphy, C O'Dwyer (0-1). Subs - N Kelly for T Johnson, T O Dushlaine for Dowd, E Hegarty (0-1) for Toolan, R Kealy for A Johnson, K Ward for King. Tweet
