The 15th and final round of matches in the Go Ahead Adult Football League took place on Sunday June 30th. The St Brendan’s Football 1st XV, Sponsored by Dynamic Safety Solutions needed just one more win to secure Division 5 Football for 2025, and faced bottom of the table Wanderers. With Wanderers already relegated, one would sense that the team from the Dublin Mountains will play with more freedom now that their fate has been sealed.
St Brendan's started the game in typical St Brendan’s fashion with a point in the first minute from Cillian Morrison following a turnover from Diarmuid ‘Dempsey’ Cooney.
Morrison made it 2 points with another point from play this time from a turnover by The Golden Mullet Conall Horgan. Morrison completed his hat trick of points after 5:22 with a final pass from Andy ‘The Kei Truck’ Kelly.
The score became 4 points this time it was the Antrim Adventure Man Nicky McCafferty with the free in. Kelly had a goal opportunity but passed instead to Ritchie ‘Blackmore’ O’ Hara but palmed the ball wide, it was later revealed that Kelly was carrying a hamstring injury and was looking to see out the rest of the first half with Biofreeze, Votirol, Voodoo spells or indeed anything he could get his hands on to keep the hamstring intact.
Morrison hit points 5 and 6 with Niall Pender supplying the passes for both. McCafferty then landed an ostentatious shout to make it 7 points to no score. Martin Ryan was satisfied with the sweet hands from Kevin ‘76’ Berry and Kelly to supply the pass to Morrison who turned on a sixpence to take his shot to make it a personal tally of 0-6 and 0-8 overall.
If The Kei Truck was going to leave the action, he wanted to do so by leaving a marker with a super goal 17 minutes into the first half, even got a point as well a minute later after Donall ‘Bombscare’ Clarke was fouled, referee moved the free 10 meters which allowed an easy kick pass from Clarke to Kelly. McCafferty got his third point in a move which started with a turnover from Liam ‘Oisin Mullin’ Atkinson.
We have seen a lot of own goals at Euro 2024 and we saw one today here in Longmeadows, when an initial shot from Kevin Berry was parried by the Wanderers keeper, but only to his own corner back to deflected the ball into his own net for the most comical of own goals.
Mr Twitter Eoghan Clogher's bid for a first half shut out ended when the away side got their 1st point of the evening 5 seconds into injury time. Niall Pender made it 2-11 with a point from a result of Clogher’s kick out. But then Wanderers ended a forgettable first half on a high note with a goal with the last kick of the first half.
Half Time Score St Brendan’s 2-11 Wanderers 1-1.
Kelly made way for The Cavan Triathlete John Maguire in the second half. Also Fintan Culhane came on in place of O’Hara and Connor Hallissey went in goals in place of Clogher
The away side doubled their tally after three second half minutes, the goal coming from a penalty, the manner in which the penalty was given was a bit dubious. But such was the unassailable lead, Martin Ryan won't be losing sleep over the penalty and the above three substitutes all contributed to the first St Brendan's score of the second half courtesy of Nicky McCafferty.
Micheal ‘The DJ’ Cahill set up Diarmuid ‘Dempsey’ Cooney to take a shot from the outside of the right and score a beauty of a point 2-13 to 2-2. Both players swapped roles two minutes later for the 14th point from Cahill, followed by a fist pump. Point 15 came from McCafferty from open play.
In the middle of the second half Wanderers played with the sense of freedom this writer predicted by hitting four points on the spin, but one would sense they played with way too much freedom as they had goal shot go wide when their forward, with Hallissey in no man's land, palmed the ball to the wrong side of the post.
Fintan Culhane thought he had a point on the scoresheet, but will go down as an own point as the shot deflected off the boot of one of their backs.
Despite that, a fourth victory of the league was secured and an 11th place finish, there is no relegation play off to worry about so St Brendan's can now focus on the Junior 1 Club Championship, starting on August 11th, safe in the knowledge that AFL5 football has been secured for 2025.
Final Score from Longmeadows, St Brendan’s 2-17, Wanderers 2-7.
