Rathnew end reign of St Patrick’s in Aughrim battle

Champions St Patrick’s crashed out of Wicklow’s senior football championship in sensational fashion in their first-round qualifier match at Aughrim on Saturday.

This was a derby against parish rivals Rathnew and the teams were deadlocked at 0-2, 0-4 and 0-6 points apiece in the first half.

With the wind, Rathnew raced into a 0-10 to 0-6 lead in the second half, with county star Leighton Glynn on target moments after he was introduced.

It was Glynn’s first competitive action in over 15 months following his ankle injury picked up in the Leinster SFC match against Meath.

Another of the points, at the end of a well-worked attacking move, was struck by Nicky Mernagh, who successfully appealed a one-month suspension days before the game.

Rathnew were down to 14 men for the last 20 minutes after Adam Merriman picked up a second yellow, as their opponents went 27 minutes without a score.

Eventually Brian Coen ended that scoring famine nailing two points and putting the game back in the melting pot, leaving just two points between the sides.

As injury-time approached Rory Marron floated a high ball into the Rathnew square, it broke to Coen who drilled to the net for what St Patrick’s players and supporters thought was the decisive score (1-8 to 0-10).

But incredibly Rathnew swept back up field from the kick out with midfielder James Stafford ghosting past the defence for a sensational match-winning goal (1-10 to 1-8).

Three other teams also bit the dust at the weekend with Shamrocks, An Tochar and Stratford-Grangecon losing out to Kiltegan, Arklow Geraldines-Ballymoney and Abhainn Dála respectively in their first-round qualifier matches.

Meanwhile St Mary’s, winners of the senior title in 2011, and Bray Emmets must meet again to decide their second-round game after the sides finished level on 0-10 apiece yesterday afternoon.

Bray had taken a 0-10 to 0-8 lead as this match entered the last five minutes but St Mary’s struck for two late points, by midfielder Don Jackman and super sub Cathal Rossiter, to put this contest to a replay.