Mon, 22nd April 2024
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For the second round running, Templeogue Synge Street produced late heroics to earn a share of the spoils in Group One of the Go Ahead Dublin Senior One Football Championship.
In their opening game of the campaign against Ballinteer St John's at O'Toole Park on August 6th - which was also the club's first appearance in the top-tier since 2017 - inter-county star Lorcan O'Dell struck a superb score deep into stoppage-time to secure Templeogue a dramatic 1-10 to 0-13 draw.
At Parnell Park on Friday evening, it was the turn of Killian O'Gara to secure a valuable point for Mike Fitzpatrick's side in a tricky encounter with Raheny.
Standing over a free just inside the opposition '45', O'Gara (the younger brother of multiple Celtic Cross winner Eoghan who has featured at the senior inter-county grade himself in the past) split the uprights in confident style to complete a remarkable TSS comeback.
The signs had looked ominous for the Dolphin Park outfit at the midway stage in the action, given Raheny had built up a 0-7 to 0-1 lead.
Indeed, their northside counterparts appeared on course for a convincing win after Patrick Reid flicked home a high ball shortly after the resumption and moved his side into a nine-point cushion.
However, TSS fired back with much-needed goals from Lorcan O'Dell and Gerry Canavan to give themselves a fighting chance of coming away with a positive result.
A second Canavan major on 54 minutes left the bare minimum between the teams, before an outstanding O'Dell point suddenly had TSS on level terms.
Raheny had looked set to squeeze home when Sean McCarthy found the range, only for O'Gara's 65th-minute intervention to leave the sides tied at 3-7 to 1-13 at the end of an enthralling affair.
In the group's other game at O'Toole Park on Saturday, defending champions Kilmacud Crokes held off a spirited showing from Ballinteer St John's to claim a 0-12 to 0-8 triumph.
Remarkably, Robbie Brennan's side are the only team in Group One to have won a game thus far after two rounds of fixtures.
This ensures they are already safely into the quarter-final stage of the competition, although the Stillorgan men aren't guaranteed top spot just yet.
Their forthcoming clash against Templeogue Synge Street will determine where last season's All-Ireland finalists will finish in the overall standings.
This will add considerable intrigue to that game, as well as the showdown between Raheny and Ballinteer St John's. Outside of Crokes, the remaining three teams are in contention for a knockout spot, the safety net of third-place or a relegation play-off.
There were goals galore in Group Two on Saturday, with 13 goals spread across a brace of fixtures played in different venues.
At Parnell Park, there wasn't initially any sign of a green flag being raised as Ballymun (who squeezed past Clontarf in the opening round) led 0-7 to 0-6 at half-time.
Familiar faces like Dean Rock, Paddy Small and Philly McMahon found the range for 'Mun, while Colm Basquel and Ross McGarry were on target for 'Boden.
Kenny Naughton's southsiders shared the spoils with Cuala on their first day out, but settled into an attacking stride during the second half of this contest.
After 'Mun had created further daylight between the teams, Basquel bagged the opening major of the tie on 38 minutes.
Eventhough Rock expertly converted a penalty, Basquel's brother Ryan, Warren Egan and James Holland all rattled the net to drive Ballyboden home.
The Firhouse Road side are currently joined on top of Group Two by Cuala, who built upon their draw with 'Boden in a 4-11 to 3-7 victory over Clontarf at O'Toole Park.
The fit-again Con O'Callaghan and his brother Niall ran riot for the winners as they ended the proceedings with an extraordinary combined tally of 4-7.
Credit must go to Clontarf for keeping themselves in the running with three goals in the space of just eight minutes late on, the last of them dramatically reducing the gap to two points.
Yet Cuala had enough left in the tank to record their first win since returning from the Senior Two Championship.
Thomas Davis bounced back from an opening day defeat to Na Fianna by getting the better of Skerries Harps at St Margaret's on Friday.
While Fionn Murray bagged a goal for Davis' in a dream start, Skerries kept their composure and subsequently turned the game on its head.
Courtesy of three-pointers from Eoin Wilde, Westmeath footballer Jack Smith and Stephen Smith (penalty), Harps brought a 3-3 to 1-5 buffer into the interval.
Davis' didn't panic, however, and Dublin panellist Cian Murphy released Eoin Kirby for a goal in the early moments of the second half.
A second Stephen Smith major was the springboard for Skerries to take a five-point advantage in the final-quarter, but it was at this juncture that Thomas Davis took the bull by the horns.
While substitutes Sean Farrelly and Conor Guilfoyle chipped in with fine scores, the likes of Murphy, Ryan Deegan and Chris Sallier were also to the fore in an eventual 2-17 to 4-9 win.
This success gives the Tallaght side a fighting chance of reaching the last-eight, with 2021 Dublin SFC runners-up St Jude's also on two points following their 2-8 to 0-9 reversal to Na Fianna at Parnell Park on Friday evening.
At the end of a cagey opening period in Donnycarney, the sides were inseparable at 0-3 apiece.
Jude's attacker Darragh Rooney and Na Fianna ace Conor McHugh registered a brace of points, while Liam Connerton (Jude's) and Brian O'Leary (Na Fianna) also raised white flags.
Daylight was finally created by Na Fianna on the resumption with a 35th-minute James Doran goal, but Jude's kept themselves in the reckoning.
With the likes of Tom Lahiff, Niall Coakley and Pat Spillane all on target, the Templeogue-based side reduced their arrears to a single point on three different occasions.
Yet it was Doran who had the midas touch as his second goal on 56 minutes ultimately swung the pendulum in Na Fianna's favour.
Two wins from two means the Glasnevin men are now in pole position in Group Three, but the upcoming clash of neighbours St Jude's and Thomas Davis is set to have major implications on the final weekend of this preliminary phase.
There was the most dramatic of finales to the Group Four meeting of Whitehall Colmcille and Castleknock at Parnell Park on Saturday.
Both teams had recorded wins in the opening round and for much of the play, it looked like either of them were capable of preserving their 100% record.
Castleknock came into the championship on the back of some impressive results in Adult Football League Division One and goals from Eoin Sawyer (two) and Kevin Stephenson had them in the ascendancy heading towards the final whistle.
Eight points from Dublin star Costello played a major part in keeping Whitehall in the frame, however, and his injury-time free found its way to the back of the net to earn the Collins Avenue men a 3-16 to 3-14 triumph.
They will now switch their attention to a final group game against Lucan Sarsfields, who responded to an earlier defeat at the hands of Castleknock by claiming a 14-point win (1-21 to 1-7) over Round Tower Lusk at Balgriffin on Saturday.
