DULEEK/BELLEWSTOWN…3-19
WALTERSTOWN…3-12
“Oh sweet Jesus what a point from Eamonn Armstrong”
Davy Rispin – Clubber TV
It is said that goals win games, but, when both sides accumulate commensurate quantities thereof, what splits the atom? Well, in the humble estimation of this neutral observer, it was the sum of the contributions of Oisin Miland, Eamonn Armstrong, Robin Clarke, Shane Crosby, Kyle Doherty and the introduced duo of Eoghan Heaney and Alan Bowden which got Anthony Malone’s charges over the line in this outstand Meade Farm IFC semi final on Sunday evening last.
Even having taken in the weekend’s marathon of action here in the office via the now indispensable Clubber TV, one wondered by the time the travelling circus moved to Boliden Tara Mines Park in Simonstown was the enough fuel reserves in the tank to get the one seeing eye here through one more match.
Any such fears were allayed within seconds as the energy levels were hooked to a drip by the lightening quick start engineered by those in green and gold. The undoubted highlight of which was “Sweet Jesus what a score from Eamonn Armstrong” in the dulcet tones of he who is now the voice of Meath GAA, Davy Rispin.
The glorious exclamation coming after the mercurial midfielder – sadly adrift from the Royal County at the bottom end of the world did his thing. That is to say, majestically grappled possession at centre field before getting out of dodge quicker than Jim Gavin’s Presidential hopes were sabotaged.
From there, the prodigiously talented Armstrong sent over a spiral kick swiveling over John Davis’ crossbar. In absolutely any other Armstrong’s arrow-like accuracy would’ve been the highlight of the entire game.
But on this occasion, it was only ingredients in an overall sumptuous feast.
So to the filler he – brilliant goals from Cianan Byrne and Kyle Doherty at one end and two of them from Walterstown’s Adam Quinn at the other.
All of which meant that at the end of a whirlwind first half Duleek/Bellewstown took a 2-10 to 2-05 buffer up the Simonstown steps.
As with the first half, it was the leaders who got away to the brighter start as Eoghan Heaney netted within minutes of entering the fray and, when Miland and Crosby tagged on points thereafter it pushed the Louth border club’s lead out to 3-13 to 2-08.
The Jim Gavin rules – they’re hardly new at this stage – notwithstanding, in many matches that would be enough to consider it case closed. But this classic cracker was different.
Again, however, the power of black magic came to the fore as the Mighty Quinn (three), Ruairi O’Dowd and a player yours truly has long been an admirer of – Barry O’Connell – dragged the folks from Garlow Cross back into contention.
A goal was all that separated the sides at that stage and, even after the fresh faces of Alan Bowden and Kyle Callaghan also pointed, Walterstown again hit back with a rocket of a goal from Lorcan O’Connor.
That, somewhat unbelievably, got the deficit between the sides back to the minimum. Though in the end the oft spoken about influence of that man Armstrong was ultimately the deciding factor as late points from the two Johnny’s – Flood and McDonnell – saw the representatives of Crocafotha into their third Mattie McDonnell Cup final in five years.