Our senior footballers got off the mark on Saturday last with the first win of their league campaign. The men from the Continent put in a comprehensive display to defeat the Village by eleven points in St John’s Park. The first half proved to be a tight affair however.
Niall Bergin opened proceedings on six minutes with his trustee left boot. Conor Bergin added to the tally with a pointed free seven minutes later. The same Conor Bergin kicked a beautiful individual effort in the fifteenth minute and by this stage, the St John’s Parish Boys seemed to be relishing the brand of free flowing football that had given them an early three point advantage. Anthony Lawlor kept the Village in touch with a pointed free in the eighteenth minute. The game marked the return of Martin Comerford to the fold and his dominant presence in the middle of the field was evident from the outset. Martin was on the end of an intricate move that restored OLG’s three point lead, with ten minutes of the half remaining. That man from the Village - Anthony Lawlor had other ideas however and turned the game on its head – by blasting to the O’Loughlins net, as the half neared its end. Another James Stephens point gave them the lead for the first time but Martin Comerford finished the half by restoring parity once again.
The second half was all O’Loughlin Gaels. Jason Quan had made tireless runs down the wing in the opening half and had shown an ability to distribute intelligent ball to his teammates. Quan’s first half exploits were justly rewarded in the first minute of the second thirty. A neat passing move found Jason on the edge of the square - he blasted with his left and hit the top left corner of the net for a wonder score – Cul! It was this goal that set the tempo for the rest of the match. James Stephens would succeed in raising only two white flags for the remainder of the game, as the boys from the Continent hit a rich vein of form. Niall Bergin, Jason Quan and Martin Comerford each hit quick points in succession. Quan looked to be on a goal prowl at this stage and couldn’t be stopped – another blasted effort grazed the crossbar for yet another JQ point. Eoghan Grant and Niall McEvoy were sprung from the bench with fifteen minutes to go and both contributed well to the cause. Michael Hennebry, Conor Bergin and Stephen Tyrrell each hit points before it was left to Jack Nolan to bring proceedings to a close. The referee’s outstretched arms indicated that with time almost up, OLG had been awarded a penalty. The ball was handed to Jack and he duly dispatched it neatly to the bottom left corner of the Village net. The full time whistle was blown and O’Loughlins had bagged two league points at the expense of their city rivals.
F/T: O’Loughlin Gaels 2-12, James Stephens 1-04
Eddie Kearns, Kevin O’Brien, Stephen Murphy, Padraig Meaney, Shane Johnson, Alan O’Brien, Stephen Tyrrell (0-01), Mark Bergin, Martin Comerford (0-03), Jason Quan (1-02), Niall Bergin (0-02), Jack Nolan (1-0 pen), Michael Hennebry (0-01), Conor Bergin (0-03, 1f), Andy Cantwell. Replacements: Niall McEvoy & Eoghan Grant
Niall Bergin opened proceedings on six minutes with his trustee left boot. Conor Bergin added to the tally with a pointed free seven minutes later. The same Conor Bergin kicked a beautiful individual effort in the fifteenth minute and by this stage, the St John’s Parish Boys seemed to be relishing the brand of free flowing football that had given them an early three point advantage. Anthony Lawlor kept the Village in touch with a pointed free in the eighteenth minute. The game marked the return of Martin Comerford to the fold and his dominant presence in the middle of the field was evident from the outset. Martin was on the end of an intricate move that restored OLG’s three point lead, with ten minutes of the half remaining. That man from the Village - Anthony Lawlor had other ideas however and turned the game on its head – by blasting to the O’Loughlins net, as the half neared its end. Another James Stephens point gave them the lead for the first time but Martin Comerford finished the half by restoring parity once again.
The second half was all O’Loughlin Gaels. Jason Quan had made tireless runs down the wing in the opening half and had shown an ability to distribute intelligent ball to his teammates. Quan’s first half exploits were justly rewarded in the first minute of the second thirty. A neat passing move found Jason on the edge of the square - he blasted with his left and hit the top left corner of the net for a wonder score – Cul! It was this goal that set the tempo for the rest of the match. James Stephens would succeed in raising only two white flags for the remainder of the game, as the boys from the Continent hit a rich vein of form. Niall Bergin, Jason Quan and Martin Comerford each hit quick points in succession. Quan looked to be on a goal prowl at this stage and couldn’t be stopped – another blasted effort grazed the crossbar for yet another JQ point. Eoghan Grant and Niall McEvoy were sprung from the bench with fifteen minutes to go and both contributed well to the cause. Michael Hennebry, Conor Bergin and Stephen Tyrrell each hit points before it was left to Jack Nolan to bring proceedings to a close. The referee’s outstretched arms indicated that with time almost up, OLG had been awarded a penalty. The ball was handed to Jack and he duly dispatched it neatly to the bottom left corner of the Village net. The full time whistle was blown and O’Loughlins had bagged two league points at the expense of their city rivals.
F/T: O’Loughlin Gaels 2-12, James Stephens 1-04
Eddie Kearns, Kevin O’Brien, Stephen Murphy, Padraig Meaney, Shane Johnson, Alan O’Brien, Stephen Tyrrell (0-01), Mark Bergin, Martin Comerford (0-03), Jason Quan (1-02), Niall Bergin (0-02), Jack Nolan (1-0 pen), Michael Hennebry (0-01), Conor Bergin (0-03, 1f), Andy Cantwell. Replacements: Niall McEvoy & Eoghan Grant
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