Nov 18,2024
St Loman's 3-11 Castletown 0-07
It was a historic day in Mullingar as St Loman's hosted Wexford's Castletown Liam Mellows in the Leinster Club SFC quarter-final and the home side produced an impressive display to record an emphatic 13-point victory.
Dashing corner forward TJ Cox scored 2-03 as the midlanders dominated the second half, restricting the visitors to just two points, one from play. Having won the first round so impressively against Dunshaughlin, St Loman's backed up that performance and they can look forward to a home semi-final against St Mary's, Ardee, next weekend.
The victors led by 1-04 to 0-05 at the end of a keenly contested first half, with rain making for challenging playing conditions. Cox pounced to score a wonderful second-half goal after Sam McCartan tore through the heart of the opposing cover to propel St Loman’s into a commanding eight-point lead, and the result was never in doubt thereafter. Cox was gifted a second goal in the 57th minute when a Castletown kickout went astray.
The visitors found it extremely difficult to make headway against the breeze after the break and Loman's could afford to sit deep and play on the counter attack which they did with ruthless efficiency.
Brendan Halpin's fine free into the teeth of the breeze after 45 minutes was the Wexford side's final score of the game and they finished with 14 men when Jack Higgins was dismissed on a second yellow card late on.
Playing against the strong breeze, St Loman’s got the ideal start when Ronan O’Toole showed good composure to slot home a penalty to 'keeper Darragh Brooks’ right side after Fola Ayorinde was fouled in the square.But at the end of the first quarter, just a point separated the sides as the visitors pressed with serious intensity, troubling the St Loman’s defence on more than one occasion.
Jack Higgins kicked a terrific point from 40 metres in the tenth minute, and wing-back Killian Pierce showed great accuracy to kick their fourth point in the 22nd minute.
TJ Cox, who started in place of the injured Shane Dempsey, kicked a brace of St Loman’s points in the 19th minute, and O’Toole got the final score of the first half.
St Loman's hosted a Leinster club SFC game for the first time, and the home team was afforded a guard of honour as it entered the pitch at the start.
St Loman’s Mullingar: J Daly; D Whelan, D O’Keeffe, O Hogan; K Reilly, E Hogan, S McCartan (0-01); J Geoghegan, F Ayorinde; R Sheahan, R O’Toole (1-03, 1pen), S Flanagan (0-02); D McCartan, J Heslin (0-02 1f), TJ Cox (2-03).
Subs: E Gaffney for Reilly (42), P Foy for Ayorinde (53), N Lally for O’Keeffe (55), R Matthews for Daly (58).
Castletown Liam Mellows: D Brooks (0-01, '45); J Ahern, D Gardiner, R Cody; F Roche, C Kennedy, K Pierce (0-01); R Heffernan, J Gardiner; J Higgins (0-01), C Carty, D Holmes; G McNulty, R Brooks, B Halpin (0-04, 3fs).
Subs: Gavin for McNulty (43), J O’Shaughnessy for Pierce (54), M Wallace for Holmes (54), D Daly O’Toole for Ahern (56), S O’Hagan for Gardiner (56).
Referee: David Hickey (Carlow).
