North Leinster Juvenile Football "A" Final

The young men of St. Joseph"s, Rochfortbridge were standing on the brink of a sensational North Leinster Juvenile title in Springfield, Mullingar last Tuesday only to see their hopes dashed late on.A Paddy Kennelly goal, just over four minutes from time, transformed the outcome and resulted in Meath kingpins, St. Pat"s of Navan coming away with a two point victory.It was heartbreaking for the "Bridge boys who had battled solidly for the full hour but once Kennelly had managed to beat David Rigney, the boys in sky blue simply could not muster a positive response and when Terry O"Dowd sounded the long whistle, defeat was their lot.Playing with the aid of a slight breeze in the opening moiety it was the Royal county boys, who had Mullingar native Enda Monaghan in their backroom team, who looked the sharper outfit early on but Luke Dempsey"s charges are made of stern stuff and they kept themselves very much in contention with positive play, with a teak tough half back line providing a solid platform.The "Bridge picked off the opening score in the very first minute when a telling ball from Robbie Greville, who partnered twin, Gary in the middle of the park, found Shane Murtagh and he sliced a path through the defence to fire over.After Cathal Burke had brilliantly blocked St. Pats Niall Lyons, Barry Dardis tied up the game with a decent point on three minutes and right from the kick out he split the uprights to add his second. St. Pats really had the bit between the teeth at this juncture and centre back, Eamon Ferris sallied forth to point.And when Dardis found eventual match winner Paddy Kennelly in space, to add another minor, the signs were ominous for St. Josephs. They did bounce back however, and a couple of goal chances were created. The best of them fell to Luke Gallagher but unfortunately he blasted the ball the wrong side of the upright. Moments later, as the game entered the second quarter, Brian Dowling played a one two with wing back, Jason Gorman before thumping the ball off the upright.Shane Murtagh, with another trademark surging run, halved the deficit on 19 minutes but Barry Dardis was to kick one of the points of the game shortly afterwards when he struck a free off the ground like an arrow through the posts.A splendid move from the "Bridge boys, with Dowling and Gorman once again the lynchpins, saw Robbie Greville move in to a good position and he duly popped the ball over. Dowling was most unlucky moments later to see a thunderous goal bound drive rebound off the upright after Shane Murtagh had worked the opening. Just before the break, St. Josephs pegged back the deficit to the minimum, when Robbie Greville kicked his second point after Wayne Leavy had been impeded.Trailing by just a single point, 0-5 to 0-4 at the interval, Dempsey"s charges were in a happy enough position with the prospects of the breeze blowing on their backs.Unfortunately it was not to pan out for the "Bridge side, who were caught somewhat cold at the beginning of the second half. Just as they themselves had done in the opening period, St. Pats drew first blood when corner forward, Nathan O"Brien stole a march on the defence and fired over a neat point. The advantage was stretched to three when substitute Conor Murphy picked up a Barry Dardis pass to signal his arrival.Within a minute St. Josephs had two good, goal chances with Luke Doyle spurning the first one before Wayne Leavy fisted a Robbie Greville centre just the wrong side of the upright. It must be said that the Westmeath based students were a little wasteful with Gary Greville, Brian Dowling and then Robbie Greville all failing to find the target. The trend was reversed when Shane Murtagh popped over a point and when Robbie Greville was fouled, Murtagh reduced the leeway to a single point, from the resultant free.It was now all to play for and the goal the "Bridge boys had been hoping for duly arrived on eleven minutes. The ball was worked in to Luke Gallagher and the St. Marys clubman had only one thing on his mind. Unfortunately, his effort cannoned ball of the upright but luckily Brian Dowling, look a good poacher, was in just the right spot and he slipped the rebound beyond Cian Farnan.One would have hoped the goal would have given St. Josephs the impetus to move on but, as it transpired, it was to prove their final meaningful effort of the game as the scores simply dried up. It was the Meath men who upped the ante in the final quarter and indeed it took a good defensive effort to keep them at bay. After Cian Farnan made a smart save following a Wayne Leavy effort, Barry Dardis pulled back a point from a free before Paddy Kennelly spoiled the Rochfortbridger party with that very late effort.Chances were to go abegging at either end short of the full time whistle but when Terry O"Dowd called a halt to proceedings, St. Pats had just managed to hold on for a deserved victory.At the game"s end, it was the Navan men who wore the smiles and it was their captain, Barry Dardis who stepped forward to accept the cup from Leinster Council representative, Fergal Giles.Scorers: St. Pats - B. Dardis 0-4, P. Kennelly 1-1, E. Ferris, N. O"Brien and C. Murphy 0-1 each. St. Josephs - S. Murtagh 0-4, B. Dowling 1-0, R. Greville 0-2St. Pats, Navan: Cian Farnan; Niall Keane, James O"Malley, Dale O"Kane; John Smith, Eamon Ferris, Colm O"Reilly; Eunan Sheridan, Barry Dardis; Niall Lyons, Paddy Kennelly, Robbie McDonnell; Nathan O"Brien, Graham Nelson, Ruairí Ó Coileán. Subs. Conor Murphy for G. Nelson, Conor Doyle for J. Smith,St. Joseph: David Rigney; Tomás Muldoon, Cathal Burke, Liam O"Reilly; Jack Gorman, Bryan O"Sullivan, Jason Gorman; Robbie Greville, Gary Greville; Brian Dowling, Shane Murtagh, Luke Gallagher; Paul Metcalfe, Wayne Leavy, Shane Corcoran. Subs. Luke Doyle for T. Muldoon, Aaron Glynn for L. Doyle, S. Fitzsimons for P. Metcalfe.Referee: Mr. Terry O"Dowd, Mullingar Shamrocks.