Cuala come out on top against St Judes at O'Toole Park

PTSB DUBLIN SENIOR 1 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP 4

CUALA 1-15

ST JUDE’S 0-17

Con O’Callaghan proved to be the match winner at O’Toole Park on Saturday evening as his point deep into stoppage-time earned Cuala a comeback victory over St Jude’s in Group 4 of the PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship.

13 days earlier at the same venue, the ever-impressive O’Callaghan kicked a two-point free in the 63rd minute to ensure Cuala claimed a share of the spoils at the end of a compelling battle with Ballymun Kickhams. On this occasion, the Dalkey men also found themselves in arrears with their Tymon Park counterparts having established a three-point cushion heading towards the end of normal time.

Yet Cuala subsequently levelled matters and with just under 66 minutes gone on the clock, O’Callaghan once again came up with a big moment to swing the pendulum back in his side’s favour.

Whereas Cuala came away with a point to show from their first game of this year’s top-tier competition, Jude’s kick-started their own campaign by recording an impressive 1-19 to 1-11 triumph against Lucan Sarsfields. The level of performance delivered by both teams to date made it difficult to predict who were the more likely winners of this tie, but it was Cuala who initially hit the ground running.

Supplementing a magnificent two-pointer from play by O’Callaghan, single efforts courtesy of Cal Doran, Dublin senior footballer Eoin Kennedy and O’Callaghan himself left the Dalkey outfit five to the good with just three minutes played.

Jude’s did take their time to settle into the action, but they eventually found their feet in fine style. Following unanswered points from Eoghan Costello, Oisin Costello, Liam Toye (free) and Hugh O'Neill, Jude’s reduced their deficit to a minimum with the first-quarter mark fast approaching.

However, Cuala possessed one of the country’s most decorated footballers in the form of nine-time All-Ireland senior winner Michael Fitzsimons and the former Sky Blues player produced excellent build-up play before wing-back David O’Dowd rattled the net in the 15th minute.

This was a set-back for a Jude’s side that were beginning to grow into the game, but Lawlor (with his first of the day) and Tom Lahiff both raised white flags in response to O’Callaghan doing the same from a ‘45’. There was enough time left for Dublin senior stalwart O’Callaghan to kick a brace of pointed frees and this gave Cuala a commanding 1-9 to 0-6 buffer at the break.

Jude’s had shown enough in the opening period to suggest their opponents should be wary of a potential backlash on the restart and an Oisin Costello two-pointer was followed by a single contribution from raiding wing-back Eoghan Costello to bring them back into the reckoning.

Cuala appeared to settle back down with a point from Jamie Conroy on 37 minutes, but Jude’s continued to build confidence and turn the game on its head as the play wore on. After Tom Lahiff had bagged his second of the day, Lawlor kicked a brace of two-point frees to suddenly leave his team in the driving seat in the 43rd minute.

By this stage, Cuala had introduced the inter-county duo of Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne and Charlie McMorrow off the bench in a bid to stem the Jude’s tide and they both proceeded to have a strong influence on the play. It was a McMorrow point from the right-hand side that level matters once more with just 12 minutes of normal time left to play, but a determined Jude’s fired back to put themselves in another powerful position.

Supplementing a white flag score from Eoghan Costello, Lawlor posted his third two-point free of the game to leave the Wellington Lane brigade on the brink of a second consecutive group win.

Cuala have developed plenty of resilience in recent years though and a two-point free from O’Callaghan suddenly made things interesting during a long spell of injury-time. Despite the pressure being applied by the Jude’s defence, McMorrow registered his second point as a substitute to raise the prospect of another draw for his side.

Yet there was still some time to be played and after Cuala won the kick-out that directly followed McMorrow’s equaliser, O’Callaghan was ideally placed to fist the ball over the bar.

The spectre of another sharing of the spoils loomed large when Jude’s were awarded a free with just over 67 minutes played, but Lawlor’s eventual place-ball strike floated narrowly past the target on this occasion.

Scorers – Cuala: C O’Callaghan 0-9 (1 P2, 1 F2, 2f, 1 ‘45’), D O’Dowd 1-0, C McMorrow 0-2, E Kennedy, C Dunne, C Doran, J Conroy 0-1 each. St Jude’s: M Lawlor 0-7 (3 F2, 1f), O Costello 0-3 (1 P2), E Costello 0-3 each, T Lahiff 0-2, L Toye 0-1 (f), H O’Neill 0-1.

Cuala: Darragh O’Dowd; D Conroy, M Fitzsimons, E O’Callaghan; E Kennedy, D Drummond, David O’Dowd; C Dunne, P Duffy; D O’Sullivan, C Foran, C Mullally; C O’Brien, C O’Callaghan, J Conroy. Subs: P Ó Cofaigh Byrne for O’Sullivan (40), C McMorrow for Mullally (44), J Keenan for O’Brien, C Groarke for Conroy (both 51), L Treacy for O’Dowd (63).

St Jude’s: B Flynn; S Kirwan, A Hassett, P Keighran; E Costello, S King, T Lahiff; L Toye, K Doherty; D Kavanagh, K Bagnall, O Costello; H O’Neill, A Connolly, M Lawlor. Subs: K Lahiff for Bagnall (h-t), B Shouldice for Connolly (40), E Kenny for Kavanagh (45), S Noone for O Costello (55).

Referee: Colm McCarthy (St Vincent’s).