Anchor Tours SFC Group 3 – Round 1

St Fechins 0-14 : 2-6 Geraldines

Venue: The Grove, Castlebellingham | Referee: Ultan McElroy (Kilkerley Emmets)

St Fechins held off a spirited Geraldines comeback to claim the points in Group 3 of the Anchor Tours Senior Football Championship, edging an enthralling battle played out in wet and testing conditions at The Grove.

With champions Ardee St Mary’s lurking as the third team in this group, both sides knew the importance of landing an early blow — and the contest almost had the feel of a knockout tie.

First Half

Fechins started brightly, with Ronan Holcroft and Aaron McGlew striking the opening points inside the first minute. Gers responded through Brian Cafferty, and after Michael Rogers converted a 45, the game came to life.

Joe Corrigan lit up the first half with a sublime long-range 2-pointer, while Jim McEneaney and Cafferty kept the Gers in touch. But Fechins looked sharper up front — Colm O’Neill and John O’Connell found the target, while McGlew added a classy dummy-and-score to send the Termonfeckin men in at the break 0-9 to 0-5 ahead.

However, Fechins can thank Niall McDonnell in their goal for their lead at the break. The county ’keeper twice denied goalbound efforts, first from Dan Corcoran and then from Ben Gartlan.

Second Half

McGlew stretched the lead with a quick point after the restart, but Gers roared back into it. Michael Rogers got the faintest of touches to a high ball for a goal, and moments later David O’Connell buried a brilliant finish to suddenly put the Haggardstown side in front.

Joe Corrigan responded with another fine score, but as the rain poured down the game became a battle of wills. Gers wasted some good opportunities late on, while Fechins steadied through points from McGlew and Holcroft.

Cafferty’s late effort gave Geraldines hope, but Fechins closed it out thanks to dogged defending, a superb all-round midfield display from Paul Matthews, and the brilliance of McDonnell between the posts.

Final Score

St Fechins 0-14 : 2-6 Geraldines

Scorers

• St Fechins: Joe Corrigan 0-6, Aaron McGlew 0-4, Ronan Holcroft 0-3, John O’Connell 0-1.

• Geraldines: Michael Rogers 1-1, David O’Connell 1-0, Brian Cafferty 0-3, Jim McEneaney 0-1, Neil Gartlan 0-1.

Teams

St Fechins:
Niall McDonnell; Robert McCarthy, Niall McCabe, Ciaran McGinty; Aaron McGlew, Shane Reilly, Danny Burnell; Dan Reilly, Colm Hackett; John O’Connell, Paul Matthews, Colm O’Neill; Ryan Walsh, Joe Corrigan, Ronan Holcroft.
Subs: Lee Grifferty for D. Reilly (37), Mark Holohan for McGlew (62).

Geraldines:
Cian O’Dononghue; John McCrohan, Dara Ó’Grádaigh, Jack McGailey; Neil Gartlan, Dan Corcoran, Gareth Neacy; Matt Corcoran, Michael Rogers; Brian Cafferty, Jim McEneaney, David O’Connell; Jack Traynor, Ben Gartlan, Jamie Callan.
Subs: Shane O’Hanlon for D. O’Connell (44), Beanón Corrigan for Ó’Grádaigh (50).

Player of the Match

Paul Matthews (St Fechins) – Nudges it ahead of McGlew, an immense engine all over the field, Matthews covered ground, won turnovers, and drove his team forward when the game was in the balance. His aerial dominance was extremely prevalent at times.

Other Standouts:

• Niall McDonnell (St Fechins): Pulled off two vital first-half saves and made a crucial late intervention.

• Aaron McGlew (St Fechins): Constant attacking threat, chipped in with three excellent points. Limped off late on, Fechins need him fit.

• Shane Reilly (St Fechins): Rock solid in defence throughout, extremely clever ball-player.

• Joe Corrigan (St Fechins): Quick and extremely accurate in tough conditions to play football.

• Brian Cafferty (Geraldines): Carried the fight with three points from play.

• Jack Traynor (Geraldines): Worked tirelessly and broke lines at times when attacks got slow.

Featured Image courtesy of Michelle Mooney of St Fechins. Check their Facebook page out for more images of today’s game!