The Second Round of the Go Ahead Junior 1 Club Championship saw the St Brendan’s Football 1st XV, Sponsored by Dynamic Safety solutions make the short trip south of the Liffey to The Iveagh Grounds in Crumlin and a meeting with St James Gaels An Caisleán who had a surprising win over Crumlin in Round 1 of the Championship two weeks ago. 

Matters weren't helped when St Brendan’s were doing their warm up with a bootcamp taking place at a park nearly was belting out loudly an absolute belter of a song, L’Amour Toujours by Gigi D’Agostino. Amazingly the music stopped by throw in time. 

It took a while for the game to settle down with shots from Cillian Morrison and John Burns going wide and a 45 hitting the upright and the rebound resulting in a free out, which ended in a shot where Mr Twitter Eoghan Clogher punched out for a 45, which was converted for the opening score 7 minutes into the contest for St James Gaels an Caisleán. 

Matters weren't helped either with soccer pitch markings on the middle of the pitch and the 45 meter line was partly marked. Ritchie ‘Blackmore’ O’Hara saw a foul in the penalty area waved off for a legitimate tackle, but the turnover ended with the boot of Free Now Franklin O’Reilly booting the ball to Colm Harte. Both O’Hara and Diarmuid ‘Dempsey’ Cooney were involved in the move which set up The Return Of The Mack Cillian Morrisson to burst through the defense and take the shot for a goal 1-0 to 0-1. 

The home side then raced into the lead 0-4 to 1-0 with three points in the spin, the second of which was a free in which the referee gave advantage following a jersey tug by The Golden Mullet Conall Horgan. 

23 minutes gone and the sides were level again thanks to a Cooney free in after the referee gave advantage following another jersey tug this time off Burns. 

Another James point followed. John Burns picked up an injury close to the end of the first half but was still eager to run it off before half time and even was on hand in the build up that lead to Cooney kick an ostentatious shot into the wind and sail over the bar and a one point half time lead for The Dark Force 1-2 to 0-4. 

Morrison added a point at the start of the second half, after Conor ‘Tattenham Corner’ McGeough went on a swashbuckling solo run and pass to Morrison and with St Brendan’s playing with the wind in the second half, judged the wind perfectly. 

McGeough then put his hands where others put there feet with an absolutely vital turnover, Cooney soloed to the 45 meter line and passed to Morrison who found The Cavan Ironman John Maguire with the shot over the bar and a three point lead 1-4 to 0-4. 

Eoghan Clogher made two successive point blank saves and then won a free out, only for the free out to be snatched by St James Gaels and got the goal they craved and a level game 1-4 to 1-4. But despite the setback, Liam ‘Oisin Mullin’ Atkinson started the move which also involved The Bombscare Donal Clarke and Maguire and after successfully running off the ankle injury at half time, John Burns pointed and the lead back for St Brendan’s 1-5 to 1-4. 

The home side hit a brace of point to retake the lead but not for long after Conall Horgan won Clogher’s short kick out, then went on a solo run and pass to Kevin ‘76’ Berry, whose intended pass to Morrison bounced off his palm, but when retrieving possession was caught in a high tackle, the referee gave the free in which Cooney converted and a level game again 1-6 each. 

A St James Gaels attack was stopped for overcarrying. Harte took the free out towards Nicky McCafferty, then onto Cooney and Morrison and finally John Maguire with his second point and the lead again for The Dark Force. 

St James Gaels then retook the lead in bizarre circumstances when the forward tried to turn around and take his shot with Colm Harte defending, but then suddenly he back heeled the ball into the net which bamboozled Eoghan Clogher. 

But St Brendan’s did respond with a point from a free in from Diarmuid Cooney after Cillian Morrison was hit late when passing to Cooney. 1-8 to 2-6. 

Cooney thought he levelled the contest but his shot was caught in the wind and went wide. But then Conor McGeough won possession in the middle third and passed to Morrison who was brought down in the penalty area as he pulled the trigger. The James player got black carded as a result.  

Morrison dusted himself down, composed himself and blasted the O’Neill’s Size 5 into the top right hand corner of the net for the mother and father of all lifelines. 2-8 to 2-6, six minutes to go. 

St Brendan’s went down to 14 men with Kevin ‘76’ Berry given a second yellow card followed by a red card, but that didn’t worry Martin Ryan or John ‘Tesla’ Tuffy as Conor ‘Tattenham Corner’ Mc Geough opened up a three-point lead with a close-range point. 

But St James Gaels An Caisleán could have snatched a draw when their forward went one on one with Clogher but has shot rasped over the bar and a two-point game. St Brendan’s held on and got over the line with the win much to Tuffy’s relief and victory now over Crumlin in two week's time will guarantee a home Quarter Final in the Junior 1 Club Championship. 

Final Score from the Iveagh Grounds, St Brendan’s 2-9 St James Gaels An Caisleán 2-7.