Rochfortbridge just hold on in battle of the Saints

On a bitterly cold afternoon, in sodden conditions, the footballers of St. Marys and St. Paul"s treated the large attendance in Rochfortbridge to a fine game of football.Played on a sodden pitch after all the rain of the last few weeks it was always going to be hard to maintain any sort of flowing game but both teams are due great credit for the way they tried to play football throughout.Aided by a common sense referee in Jim Rock, the game was thoroughly entertaining if strewn a little with basic errors.St. Marys were just the better team but they struggled in the final moments, largely due to their heroics in the Leinster club championship, and a rejuvenated St. Paul"s almost caught them but it was the first half domination of the Rochfortbridge side that laid the foundation for this win. Aided by the slight breeze they picked off some wonderful scores and despite a second half rally by the Clonmellon side, they just held on for a memorable win.St. Paul"s too will take comfort in the way they battled manfully right to the very end and under the tutelage of Eugene Dolan they will have a major say in this year"s Junior Championship while Marys will certainly fancy their chances in the Intermediate grade when they get back to full training.The game was barely 30 seconds old when the first score came from the boot of the impressive Robbie Kenny after a superb through ball from Alan Gavin and after an initial flurry from St. Marys, in which they hit a couple of dreadful wides, St. Paul"s came right back into the game. Their midfield axis of the Gilsenan brothers, Paul and Phillip were causing serious damage to the "Bridge pair and if the forwards had any sort of shooting boots on then they could have made serious inroads but they struggled to raise a flag.St. Marys then rose from their apparent slumbers and when Ciaran Geraghty kicked a marvellous score from a tight angle it seemed to lift the entire team. Eoin Gorman added another super score from play before the defining moment of the half and indeed the game came on 15 minutes when a St. Paul"s attack broke down after a block on Micky Travers and after a field long move involving Adam Nolan, Damien Gavin and Robbie Kenny it fell to John McNamara who unselfishly laid the ball off to Ken Gunning on the edge of the square and he blasted the ball to the net for a well constructed goal.After that the green and whites took over and laid siege to the St. Paul"s goal with McNamara pointing after an earlier miss and then another from Kenny who was a major thorn in the St. Paul"s side. Kenny kicked another massive score from long range and at this stage it looked as if this game would be a complete rout with the "Bridge leading by nine points and St. Paul"s failing to register a flag at all.The game needed a St. Paul"s score and after a good move involving Phillip Gilsenan and Stephen Reilly, Dara Brady was on hands to strike for their opening score but it had taken 26 minutes and was scant reward for all their efforts.St.Pauls again were in the ascendancy but when an attack broke down Kenny was on hand to restore St. Marys eight point cushion with another well taken score. The half finished however with a super strike off the ground by Johnny McGuinness for St. Paul"s after Reilly had been fouled and after a breathless and thoroughly entertaining first half it was 1-7 to 0-2 in St. Marys favour.If the first half belonged to St. Marys then the second certainly belonged to St. Paul"s and they started as they meant to go on with two goal chances in the opening minutes both from full forward Stephen Reilly and both fisted efforts. The first went harmlessly wide but it took a good save from Declan Hogan to deny Reilly the second time. Dara Brady did add a point for St. Paul"s from a long range effort but almost immediately that was cancelled out by a fine score from Robbie Kenny after a through ball from Alan Gavin.This however, was to be St. Mary"s last score of the game and they visibly wilted beyond this point as the fitter St. Paul"s boys took over. After a rash of yellow cards for some mistimed challenges, Phillip Gilsenan got St. Paul"s back on track with a marvellous score after being found by Gary Gilsenan and the same player doubled his tally with a long range effort from a move that started on their own 14 yard line and included some wonderful interplay. He looked to have added another but it was waved wide by the umpire but this did not deter the Clonmellon men and when McGuinness pointed from a Dara Brady pass, the comeback was really gaining momentum and when Brady then wrangled a close in free McGuinness stepped up but his effort was well wide of the posts.Conor Sleator did add a wonderful individual score on 48 minutes but St. Paul"s could just not narrow the gap. Another couple of yellow cards for some handbags stuff slowed the St. Paul"s momentum and when a Kenny Higgins effort came off the post one felt it just was not going to be their day. Time was ticking by and the efforts and the heavy pitch were beginning to take their toll on the players as weary legs and minds began to wilt but through some sterling defending by Ken Delaney, Cian Kinsella and Paul Carey, St. Marys were coping comfortably with anything St. Paul"s could throw at them and apart from a very late Dara Brady free in injury time the result was never in doubt despite a goal line clearance from Damian Gavin being the final act of a most enjoyable contest and when the final whistle blew it was certainly to the relief of the St. Marys faithful.After the match Robbie Kenny accepted the Cup for St. Marys after an entertaining game of football that warmed the hearts of the attendance on a biting cold day.Scorers: St. Marys - Robbie Kenny 0-5, Ken Gunning 1-0, Eoin Gorman, John McNamara, Ciaran Geraghty 0-1 each. St. Paul"s - Dara Brady 0-3, 1 free, Johnny McGuinness and Philip Gilsenan 0-2 each, Conor Sleator 0-1.St. Marys: Declan Hogan, Thomas Giles, Ken Delaney, Colm Conroy, Cian Kinsella, Adam Nolan, Paul Carey, David Mitchell, Damian Gavin, Eoin Gorman, Alan Gavin, Robbie Kenny, John McNamara, Ken Gunning, Ciaran Geraghty. Subs: David Cleary for Kenny 46 mins, Ian Cunningham for McNamara 52 mins, Thomas Geraghty for Mitchell 56 mins, Robbie Kenny for Gorman 59 mins.St. Paul"s: Ollie Mulvaney, Ronnie Higgins, Ray Flynn, Johnny Fitzpatrick, Jimmy McQuaid, Gary Gilsenan, Kenny Higgins, Phillip Gilsenan, Paul Gilsenan, Johnny McGuinness, Dara Brady, Conor Sleator, Micky Travers, Stephen Reilly, Leo Farrell. Subs: Robert Dugdale for Fitzpatrick 44 mins, Darren Noone for Travers 54 mins, David Whelehan for Farrell 56 mins, Micky Murphy for Ronnie Higgins 59 mins.Referee Jim Rock, Coralstown/Kinnegad