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BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S 4-18
BALLINTEER ST JOHN’S 1-14
Image courtesy Paul Lundy
Ballyboden St Enda’s moved into top spot in Group 1 of the Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship when defeating near neighbours Ballinteer St John’s by thirteen points at Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams eased to opening round wins against Na Fianna and St Vincent’s respectively a fortnight previously but it was Ballyboden that seized control in the opening half through a brace of Ryan O’Dwyer goals as they led by 2-10 to 1-6 by the interval.
The concession of two goals in as many minutes to Daire Sweeney towards the end of the third quarter ensured there was no way back for St John’s as Sweeney took his personal tally to 2-9 by the final whistle.
The influential O’Dwyer opened the scoring for Ballyboden inside forty seconds and that lead was doubled in the 3rd minute as Sweeney popped over a facile score.
Sweeney added a free soon after before St John’s opened their own account through their captain Eoghan Fitzpatrick in the 6th minute.
While O’Dwyer cut inside once again to double his tally a minute later, Ballinteer were gradually coming to terms with the task in hand, as reflected in Luke Breathnach’s 8th minute point.
However, they proved powerless in preventing O’Dwyer from slicing through their defence three minutes later with his low finish from ten yards leaving Aodhán Clabby helpless in the St John’s goal.
While both Fitzpatrick and Jack Lundy (free) managed points by way of riposte, St Enda’s put further distance between the teams as the rampant O’Dwyer raced clear with his low finish a mirror image of his previous goal.
On this occasion, Ballinteer couldn’t muster a response as St Enda’s pulled further clear courtesy of points in quick succession by Sweeney, Céin Darcy and Ross McGarry.
A superb two-pointed score from Fitzpatrick allowed Ballinteer to regroup and they reduced their deficit entering added time as John McGuire deflected the ball into his own net following an intelligent delivery from Lundy.
Any possible momentum those late scores could have generated was lost in the early stages of the second-half as Ballyboden resumed on the front foot through early scores from McGarry, Colm Basquel and Sweeney.
While Luke Cullen and Joseph Sweeney clipped over scores at the opposite end, the contest was effectively settled in the 41st minute as Clabby was dispossessed twenty metres from goal and Sweeney took full advantage with a precise lobbed effort.
Matters deteriorated even further for St John’s a minute later as Sweeney netted once again, this time from close range, as the floodgates creaked under incessant St Enda’s pressure.
The final quarter was played at a pedestrian pace with Lundy offering the St John’s support some crumbs of comfort with a brace of two-pointed scores in the closing minutes.
Scorers – Ballyboden St Enda’s: D Sweeney 2-9 (1 F2, 0-3f); R O’Dwyer 2-2; C Darcy, C Basquel, R McGarry 0-2 each; C O’Dwyer 0-1. Ballinteer St John’s: J Lundy 0-6 (1 P2, 1 F2); J McGuire 1-0 (o.g); E Fitzpatrick 0-4 (1 P2); L Smith, J Sweeney, L Cullen, L Breathnach 0-1 apiece.
Ballyboden St Enda’s: D Gogan; B Bobbett, S Clayton, H Donaghy; A Gavin, C Flaherty, K Kennedy; J Holland, C Darcy; D O’Reilly, R O’Dwyer, J McGuire; D Sweeney, C Basquel, R McGarry. Subs: M O’Gara for O’Reilly (half-time), L O’Donoghue for McGuire (43), C O’Dwyer for Basquel (48), R Baines for Gavin (52), R Basquel for McGarry (52).
Ballinteer St John’s: A Clabby; F Nolan, M Gardiner, L Smith; Johnny Quirke, D O’Leary, D Devereux; E Fitzpatrick, J Sweeney; M McNally, J Lundy, L Fenton; L Cullen, G Whelan, L Breathnach. Subs: S Fenton for McNally (25), B Millist for O’Leary (half-time), Joseph Quirke for L Fenton (43), C Fitzpatrick for Johnny Quirke (45), D Murray for Cullen (50).
Referee: Dave Feeney (Pobal Parnell).