Skryne give champions a scare
Skryne 1-05 Ratoath 1-10
Fairyhouse Steel Senior Football Championship. Group C – Round 2.
For 3 quarters of this game in Dunshaughlin, Skryne’s version of Jurgen Klopp’s ‘gegenpressing’ put them in pole position to win this game. But alas, they were unable to match the superb defensive tactics with cold hard scores on the scoreboard in a second half where they only managed to score a single point. Ratoath got the scores they needed in the last quarter to prevail over a spirited and resolute Skryne team.
Skryne had been written off in advance of this game with Ratoath dishing out heavy defeats in both the League and Championship since the resumption of football. Skryne meanwhile had an opening round defeat to Simonstown Gaels. There had been several hours of misty rain before the game today and consequently the conditions were quite slippery on the well appointed Dunshaughlin pitch.
Ratoath got off to a quick start in this game and Ian Gillett had to pull off an excellent save to parry away an early shot from the right hand side from David McGowan. Bryan McMahon opened the scoring for Ratoath on 5 minutes when he chipped over from close range. Ratoath pressed forward again but the Skryne defence hassled and harried and forced the Ratoathmen to shoot from distance without success. Skryne got the equalising point on the 10th minute when Mark Battersby tapped over. Skryne went ahead a minute later when Ian Davis picked up a short free from Darragh Campion. Davis passed to Conor O’Brien who slotted his left foot shot over the bar. Gavin McGowan added Ratoath’s second to level matters just before the water break.
Almost immediately after the resumption, a Ratoath defender was guilty of barging Niall Finnerty. Finnerty cooly tapped over the free to edge Skryne ahead. Mark Battersby extended this lead a minute later after he was tripped about 35 metres from the goal. Batts took the free from his hands and split the posts. A Bryan McMahon point, his second of the game reduced the deficit. McMahon equalised with 5 minutes remaining in the half. In first half injury time, Skryne won a kickout and worked the ball into Niall Finnerty who made a superb incisive run towards the Ratoath goal. With defenders descending on him, he managed to square the ball to Mark Battersby who somehow bundled the ball across the line for a goal to the Skrynemen. Half-time score: Skryne 1-04, Ratoath 0-04.
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Ratoath set about eating into Skryne’s lead immediately after the restart with Darragh Kelly pointing inside the opening minute of the half. A pointed free from Bryan McMahon followed immediately by a point from Daithi McGowan saw Ratoath draw level with 8 minutes gone in the half. Mark Battersby pointed superbly from the left hand side after receiving the ball from Shane Smyth to edge Skryne ahead once again. The second half water break paused play again and Skryne prepared themselves for the final push for a win. However a Cian Rogers point evened things up again before Jack Flynn surged forward for Ratoath to send the ball over to put them in the lead at a crucial time in the match. With 7 minutes remaining in the game, Conor Rooney got the all important goal for Ratoath that was to prove decisive when he blasted to the net after receiving the ball from Gavin McGowan. Skryne continued to press forward but wayward shots thwarted their efforts to regain a foothold in the game. An injury time pointed free from Conor Rooney saw them secure a flattering five point victory. Final score: Skryne 1-05, Ratoath 1-10.
Skryne – Ian Gillette; Andrew Moore, Robbie Clarke, Niall Lenehan; Eoin Smyth, Ciaran Lenehan, Stephen O’Brien; Harry Rooney, Ian Davis; Conor O’Brien(0-1) Darragh Campion, Paddy Carpenter; Niall Finnerty(0-1, 1f), Mark Battersby(1-3, 1f), Shane Smyth. Subs – Padraig Finnerty for Paddy Carpenter
Ratoath – Shane Duffy; Ciaran O Fearraigh, Conor McGill, Ben Wyer; Sean Brazil, Gavin McGowan(0-1), Andrew Gerrard; Ben McGowan, Darragh Kelly(0-1); Daithi McGowan(0-1), Cian Rogers(0-1), Conor Rooney(1-1, 1f); Cian O’Brien, Bryan McMahon(0-4, 1f), Jack Flynn(0-1). Subs – Emmet Boyle for Brazil, Padraig Byrne for O’Brien, Tom Fadden for D McGowan.
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