St Brigi’ts made the long journey to Summerhill for the 7th round Division 3B on Thursday evening. The visitors were in search of the two points to maintain their challenge at the top of the table.
Summerhill got off to a great start racing into a 4 points to 1 lead after 5 minutes with scores from Liam Shaw, Conor Lyons, Eamonn Ryan and Connie McGrath. The Ballinacree men settle in to thee game and hit 4 unanswered points of their own level up the game on the 20 minutes mark. The lead was exchanged a number of time with Summerhill just getting their noses in front by the minimum at the break 9 points to 8.
Summerhill would have been disappointed going in at the break only a point up. Through a combination of poor finishing and the excellent of the Brigit’s keeper they spurned 5 or 6 decent goal chances. In the last play of the half the Brigit’s keeper saved point blank from a Summerhill forward. He picked himself up on the ground to again save the follow up shot. Yet again the ball finished up in a Summerhill forwards hands but his shot into an empty net hit a retreating Brigit’s defender and deflected over the bar.
The second half began as the first finished with the lead exchanging hand an numbers of times but the visitors were slowly gaining the upper hand. On the 20th minute Brigit’s struck for what was to be the defining score of the game when despite all the goal changes created by the home side it was the visitors who got the goal. A free from distance dropped short in the Summerhill square and a Brigit’s man was quickest to react to dispatch the ball to the net. This finally put some daylight between the sides and as the home side pressed forward in search of scores Brigit’s added some fine scores on the break. With the very last kick of the game the visitors got their second goal to give them a hard fought victory y 2-15 to 0-11. The winning margin hide what was a much closer game that was keenly contested throughout with the story of the game been Brigit’s took their chances and Summerhill didn’t. Special mention must go to Brigit’s keeper Darragh Moore who who had a great game.
Team: Sean Muddiman, Darren Chapman, Eoghan Jennings, Paddy Troy, Donal Matthews, Iarla Hughes (0-1), Conor Summerville, Eamonn Ryan (0-2), Gavin McVann, Adam Larkin, Conor Lyons (0-3, 2f) Liam Shaw (0-2, 1 45) Sean Hughes, Connie McGrath (0-3) Mark Donoghue.
Subs: Luke Moran for Adam Larkin. Eamonn McDonnell for Mark Donoghue. Mark Donoghue for Donal Matthews.