O'Dwyer's win local battle
O'DWYER'S................ 3- 8 GARRISTOWN........... 3- 4
Action from the IFC back-door clash between O'Dwyer's and Garristown on Saturday night. O'DWYER'S:
GARRISTOWN centre back Niall ' Babsy' McGrath has called time on an illustrious 19-year career after dislocating his collar bone in four places in this back-door clash played at Naul on Saturday evening.
The much respected defender suffered the injury shortly before the half-time whistle, with O'Dwyer's defender and physio Robert Rooney applying the strapping for his besieged opponent.
It was an unfortunate ending for McGrath and Garristown's woes didn't end there either, with Niall McLoughlin also picking up an injury.
However, they really put it up to an O'Dwyers team who played the last quarter with fourteen men after Emmet Sheridan had been sent to the line for a red-card offence.
O'Dwyers had defended well in the first half, with Dean Buckley impressive at wing back. And although they conceded two early scores, the Balbriggan men were soon back in front following a hat-trick of points from Liam Prout.
They then opened up the Garristown defence on eleven minutes when Coman Burke's pass into Sean Garvan saw the centre forward dispatch the ball into the far corner. However, an excellent run upfield from Darragh Shanahan saw the Garristown midfielder drill the ball past Michael Brady before Prout put two points between the sides again.
Then came the McGrath injury and after the break - it was 1-4 to 1-2 at the interval - the prolific Prout sent over another score.
However Garristown were then back on level terms when Shanahan's angled effort crept into the top corner, but O'Dwyers responded courtesy of a 42nd-minute Prout penalty after Burke had been fouled inside the square.
Emmett McCarroll, on in the second half as part of a two-man inside line, then raised the white flag as O'Dwyer's, courtesy of some good wing back play from Dermot Coyle, began to up the tempo.
And although David Shanahan managed to catch out the O'Dwyers keeper with a long-distance effort, O'Dwyers replied with a goal from Coman Burke after the impressive Prout had collected possession 15 metres out.
Garristown did manage two late scores from Darren Kinsella and Pat Reynolds before McCarroll rounded off the scoring following another good lay-off from Coyle as O'Dwyers recorded their first win over their near neighbours in five years.
Michael Brady, Robert Rooney, Niall Tuckey, Emmet Sheridan, Dermot Coyle, Paul Quinn, Dean Buckley, Ronan O'Reilly, Stephen Richardson, Johnny McGarry, Sean Garvan 1-0, David Smyth, Coman Burke 1-0, Liam Prout 16 ( 1-0 pen, 5f), Ciaran Cawley. Subs: Emmet McCarroll 0-2 for Cawley, Stephen O'Donoghue for Smyth, Ian Howley for Garvan. GARRISTOWN: Martin O'Brien, Sean Traynor, Brian Dunne, Mark Kinsella, Darragh Sheridan, Niall McGrath, David Sheridan 1-0, Pat Reynolds 0-2, Darragh Shanahan 2-0, Joey Quinn, Niall McLoughlin 0-1f, John Mangan, Ian Kavanagh, Brian O'Connor, Niall Fitzpatrick. Subs: Niall Sheridan for Niall McGrath, Darren Kinsella 0-1 for McLoughlin.
- Rory KERR
