Blackhall Gaels 1-11 Gaeil Colmcilles 1-11

Gaeil Colmcilles made the long journey to Blackhall Gaels back garden on Sunday to battle for the spoils in the open round of the league last Sunday.

After a solid 60-minute performance by both sides they couldn't be parted and so the spoils were split. Blackhall started slow and although they had plenty of chances the shots fell short of the posts. On the other hand, Gaeil Colmcilles were fast and furious in their attacks, sweeping up the field and slotting over some serious scores. While some passages of play were superb, even more left a lot to be desired, with disastrous passing and some poor decision making. Blackhall lost Hugh Smith in the opening 20 minutes due to injury. Denis Byrne however, stepped up and slotted into the game, settling into his role as a running back with precision and speed. By the end of the half, while Colmcilles were in the lead, Blackhall were not even close to being dead and buried. At the half Gaeil Colmcilles led 0-8 to 0-5.

The second half started with Colmcilles continuing to dominate slotting over two points in quick succession. The Blackhall men were working hard, but the scores just weren't coming. It wasn't until the black card for Colmcilles did Blackhall start building momentum. The lads rallied and with the introduction of Niall Kelly saw a revival begin. Kelly slotted over a point within his first minute of play which was quickly followed by a lovely point from Robbie McGuinness after an impressive passage of play involving Alan Nestor and Donnacha Tobin. Blackhall were now only a point behind and when John Kelly was fouled in the square the supporters dared to hope. Newly introduced Kealon Dillon stepped up, nearly directly off the bench, to take the penalty. The confidence Dillon had in himself shone through as he fired the ball into the top corner, putting Blackhall ahead for the first time. Blackhall pressed on, but disaster struck however, when, after some sloppy play Colmcilles scored their own goal, putting them back in front. However, Blackhall dug deep and kept their heads. Dillon scored again, this time a crucial point leaving the smallest of margins. In the dying minutes of the game Blackhall won a free and Alan Nestor stepped up for the pressure shot. Calm, cool and collected Nestor slotted the ball over the bar to leave the sides level with 1-11 apiece at the final whistle.

While there are plenty the Blackhall men can improve on in the coming weeks they should be happy enough with their performance as a team. It is great to see the likes of James Kelly, Robbie McGuinness and the Kelly cousins playing well and making names for themselves around the field. Paul Kelly in particular played extremely well at wing back, winning kick outs and flying the ball up the field, as well as slotting over his share of the frees. The Brady and Dillon brothers are huge assets to the team, working well together as well as stand-alone players. However, it would be hard to pick a man of the match from Blackhall without mentioning John Kelly. Kelly's pace and ability to read the game is second to none and he is showing real leadership in the early games this year.

Next up Blackhall will face Na Fianna next Sunday at 2:30 in Enfield.

Blackhall Gaels: 1. Tommy Dalton, 2. Hugh Smith, 3. Donnacha Tobin, 4. James Kelly, 5. Paul Kelly, 6. Colum McEliggott, 7. Paddy Brady, 8. Patrick O'Brien, 9. Robert McGuinness, 10. John Kelly, 11. Alan Nestor, 12. Tom Delany, 13. Andy Brady, 14. Johnny Myler, 15. Graham Dillon Subs: Denis Byrne for H.S, Niall Kelly for T.D, Kealon Dillon for A.B

Tweet

Most Read Stories