U-21 Championship Preliminary Round

Seneschalstown 3-11 Walterstown 0-13

Dunshaughlin was the venue on this occasion for the latest meeting at the U-21 grade between neighbours Seneschalstown and Walterstown.  On a glorious autumnal morning for football with the dew glistening in the morning sun the young talents from each club went toe to toe serving up a very entertaining encounter.  Following a match in which both sides had their periods in the ascendancy it was the side clad in yellow who were to emerge victorious by a relatively comfortable seven point margin. 

The opening exchanges of the game though were dominated by Walterstown who surged into a three point lead after only five minutes as they played some very enterprising football and capitalised on any mistakes made by Seneschalstown.  Central to this impressive opening for them was Ruairí O'Dowd who wore the number nine jersey but lined out on the forty to great effect. 

Corner forward Sean Noonan picked off Seneschalstown's first score in the seventh minute when pointing from out on the right after good work from Adam Carey back in his own defence.  Noonan soon added a second when pointing off the left hand upright after capitalising on a quickly taken free kick from Brendan Lynch.  With Seneschalstown beginning to settle to the task at hand a goal and with Noonan and Carey to the fore they soon grabbed a goal to move into the lead.  After Carey won a free the ball was quickly worked to Noonan who burst past his marker before passing across the square to Ross Howard to stroke the ball into the back of the net. 

James Meade soon added a free kick to push his side into a three point lead after the Seneschalstown forwards had forced a Walterstown defender into over carrying as he came out of defence.  Walterstown hit back with a point from play which clipped the post on its way over before Seneschalstown hit back with their second major of the game.  After a cleverly worked David Gordon kickout Carey sent a long delivery into the full forward line.  Niall Lyons gathered possession and displaying a poacher's instinct sent a fantastic shot into the left corner of the goal.  Noonan soon added another point from play as he continued his impressive form and Meade then clipped over a free. 

Tean Cummins who was having a large influence around the middle of the field as Seneschalstown dominated the aerial exchanges sent over a fine point of his own before Walterstown kicked their fifth point of the match.  Carey then raced onto a Noonan ball over the top before sending over an exquisite point off the outside of his left boot before Walterstown ended the half the better when kicking two points from play in the twenty sixth and twenty seventh minutes to leave six points between the sides, Seneschalstown 2-07 Walterstown 0-07. 

After Walterstown had picked off the last couple of scores in the first half Seneschalstown would have been looking to get a good start to the second and with only fifty eight seconds on the clock centre forward Meade provided it by getting a point.  Noonan got on the ball out in the left corner and when he sent a high ball into the centre it broke back out to Meade who sent it over the bar from twenty five metres.  O'Dowd who had been a thorn in the Seneschalstown side from the outset hit back with another score two minutes later before the Dunbia sponsored Seneschalstown team struck for home with a goal and a point. 

Meade hit his fourth point of the game and second from play after capitalising on good work from Lynch and Noonan before five minutes later Lynch grabbed a somewhat controversial goal.  With the ball pinging around in the Walterstown goalmouth one of their defenders appeared to be brought to ground.  But as referee Brendan Darby allowed play to continue Lynch reacted quickest to send a sweetly struck left footed effort through a thicket of bodies into the net and send his side into a commanding ten point lead. 

The margin was reduced to nine three minutes later before Meade split the posts with another free kick.  Two points in a row from Walterstown, one of these from a forty five hinted at a late comeback before Meade continued his excellent second half form when pointing after a fine team move.  Ross Howard reacted quickest to hoover up a breaking ball in the middle of the field before spotting Carey bursting forward.  Carey carried the ball on and the delivered a diagonal pass across to Lyons who then laid off to Meade to fire over. 

As both sides began to empty their benches the match began to lose some of its shape and just as they had done in the first half Walterstown kicked the final two points, one from play and one from a free before Darby sounded the full time whistle. 

In what was a good team display from the youngsters from the banks of the Boyne they were well served in defence by John Smith, Eamon Sheridan and Carey while at midfield Cummins and Darragh Keogh laid a good platform while up front Meade, Lynch and Noonan led the charge.  Next up for Seneschalstown is a quarter final match versus Navan O'Mahonys. 

Seneschalstown Scorers:  James Meade 0-06 (0-03 Frees), Niall Lyons 1-00, Brendan Lynch 1-00, Ross Howard 1-00, Sean Noonan 0-03, Tean Cummins 0-01, Adam Carey 0-01.

Seneschalstown:  David Gordon, Niall Hickey, John Smith, Eamon Sheridan, Adam Gargan, Mark Fox, Adam Carey, Tean Cummins, Darragh Keogh, Ross Howard, James Meade, Brendan Lynch, Sean Noonan, Niall Lyons, Ronan Conneely. 

Seneschalstown Substitutions:  Daire Geraghty for S. Noonan, Darren Johnson for R. Conneely, Hugh Maguire for B. Lynch and Cormac Mullen for E. Sheridan.

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