Ballyboden see past Castleknock to secure place in Semi-Final

Image Courtesy Shay Hogan

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S 0-11 

CASTLEKNOCK 1-5

Daire Sweeney kicked eight points in helping Ballyboden St Enda’s get the better of Castleknock by three points in their Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship quarter-final at Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon. 

In what was a disappointing first-half, the pivotal moment arrived in the 14th minute as Darragh Warnock netted for Castleknock, helping them to a narrow but wind-assisted 1-3 to 0-5 interval advantage. 

The second-half remained tense with the precision of Sweeney proving the difference between the sides as he kicked two precious two-pointers to get his team over the line. 

Despite playing against the stiff breeze, it was Ballyboden that made an instant impact on the scoreboard through an excellent Ryan Basquel point inside fifteen seconds. 

Their opponents enjoyed plenty of possession in the early stages without creating any chances of note and they fell further behind in the 10th minute as Daire Sweeney jinked inside for a smart point. 

Sweeney added a free two minutes later to extend the St Enda’s lead but Castleknock managed to restore parity by the 14th minute as Warnock rose above Hugh O’Sullivan in the Boden goal to palm home from a Rob Shaw attempt that had dropped short. 

The Dublin 15 outfit edged in front through an individual score by corner-back Rob O’Shea at the end of the first quarter only for Galway’s Céin Darcy to level matters within an instant for Ballyboden. 

The contest left a lot to be desired in terms of entertainment but Ciarán Kilkenny provided amuch-needed highlight as he cut inside before curling a trademark point midway through the second quarter. 

Despite Sweeney kicking a straightforward free in the 29th minute, there was sufficient time on the clock for Kevin Stephenson to restore the Castleknock lead in added time.

The contest resumed with Kilkenny orchestrating matters from behind his midfield with Shaw desperately unlucky to see his ambitious point attempt cannon to safety off the upright. 

That miss proved costly as Sweeney converted a two-point free in the 39th minute to regain Ballyboden’s marginal lead and he soon doubled that advantage with another tidy effort from play.  

While Ger McDermottroe popped over a free for Castleknock at the end of the third quarter, St Enda’s made a decisive push for home as Sweeney’s two-pointer was augmented by Darcy’s second score of the game. 

Shaw eventually gained reward for his enterprising display with a deserved point in the 54thminute but the goal required to salvage their season proved elusive as Ballyboden held on for an unconvincing but deserved win.    

Scorers – Ballyboden St Enda’s: D Sweeney 0-8 (1 F2, 1 P2, 0-2f); C Darcy 0-2, R Basquel0-1. Castleknock: D Warnock 1-0; R O’Shea, R Shaw, G McDermottroe (f), K Stephenson, C Kilkenny 0-1 apiece. 

Ballyboden St Enda’s: H O’Sullivan; B Bobbett, S Clayton, C Flaherty; A Gavin, P Healy, H Donaghy; J Holland, M McDonald; J Madden, C Darcy, R Basquel; R O’Dwyer, C Basquel, D Sweeney. Subs: J McGuire for McDonald (39), K Kennedy for Healy (42), M O’Gara for Madden (50), D O’Reilly for R Basquel (53), L O’Donoghue for O’Dwyer (63). 

Castleknock: S Maloney; R O’Shea, T Quinn, C Murphy; R Shaw, D Clarke, C Chawke; L Swan, K Stephenson; D Leonard, C Kilkenny, E McSherry; B Galvin, D Warnock, G McDermottroe. Subs: S Forker for Leonard (43), E O’Brien for McSherry (50), A Hughes for Galvin (61), E Walsh for Stephenson (63).    

Referee: Barry Tiernan (O’Dwyer’s).