Ballyboden heap more semi-final misery on St Jude’s

In what was St Jude’s seventh semi-final appearance in eight years, it proved their sixth defeat at this heart-breaking stage

Sat, 12 Sep, 2020 - 22:20

Rónan Mac Lochlainn

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S 2-11 ST JUDE’S 1-11

Holders Ballyboden St Enda’s heaped further Dublin SFC semi-final misery on near-neighbors St Jude’s with goals in either half from Robbie McDaid and Simon Lambert proving pivotal in their three-point success at Parnell Park on Saturday evening.

In what was St Jude’s seventh semi-final appearance in eight years, it proved their sixth defeat at this heart-breaking stage with their inability to turn generous amounts of possession into scores proving their downfall by the final whistle.

Boden, in contrast, were far more economical and clinical when the opportunities arose with their decisive goals coming via the unlikely sources of centre-back McDaid and hurling captain Lambert.

Their contributions were especially vital given the absence through injury of both Colm Basquel and Michael Darragh Macauley with McDaid, in particular, maintaining his excellent recent form with another majestic performance around the middle third.

His 8th-minute goal left the holders four points to the good and while Tom Devlin, Kevin McManamon, and Brian Coakley replied with points for St Jude’s, late frees from the lively Ross McGarry and Ryan Basquel helped ensure a healthy 1-7 to 0-6 interval lead for the 2019 Leinster champions.

However, a black card received by Declan O’Mahony approaching the break allowed St Jude’s to control matters upon the resumption and they halved their deficit by the 37th minute thanks to scores from Kieran Doherty and Niall Coakley.

Far from building on this encouraging platform, some old failings up front resurfaced while a more fluid Ballyboden availed of their opponents’ hesitancy to restore their four-point lead with McGarry and Basquel once again finding their range.

Successive points from Diarmuid McLoughlin and Devlin restored St Jude’s hopes as we entered the final quarter but some poor marking at the back was punished emphatically by Lambert in the 55th minute, as he put the finishing touches to a smart run from deep by Brian Bobbett.

Simon King managed a consolation goal for St Jude’s three minutes later but that’s all it proved as St Enda’s, who had goalkeeper Darragh Gogan dismissed in added time after an altercation with McManamon, held on with a fair degree of comfort.

Scorers for Ballyboden St Enda’s: R McGarry 0-5 (3fs), R McDaid 1-1, S Lambert 1-0, R Basquel 0-3 (1f), A Flood, T Hayes 0-1 each.

Scorers for St Jude’s: S King 1-0, B Coakley (1f, 1 ‘45), N Coakley (2fs) 0-3 each, T Devlin 0-2, D McLoughlin, K Doherty, K McManamon 0-1 each.

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S: D Gogan; K Kennedy, S Clayton, C Flaherty; B Bobbett, R McDaid, D Nelson; A Waters, D O’Mahony; A Flood, W Egan, D O’Reilly; R McGarry, R Basquel, C Keaney.

Subs: J Holland for Waters (21 inj), S Lambert for Flood (51), D McCabe for McGarry (57), T Hayes for O’Reilly (57), J Turley for Egan (63).

ST JUDE’S: P Copeland; O Manning, J McGuire, C Fitzpatrick; M Sweeney, R Martina, R Wallace; T Lahiff, K Doherty; T Devlin, C Guckian, D McLoughlin; N Coakley, B Coakley, K McManamon.

Subs: C Murphy for Martina (ht), S Ryan for Wallace (44), S King for Doherty (44), P Spillane for Guckian (46), P Clarke for B Coakley (57).

REF: B Tiernan (O’Dwyers)