'Relief' for Naomh Aban as St Vincent's face drop
JOB DONE: “We could have dropped our heads but after a tough season we knew the lads would give this game one mighty effort," coach Cathal Quill said afterwards.
Naomh Aban secured their Bon Secours Premier Intermediate football championship status following a hard-earned win over St Vincent’s at Cloughduv on Saturday.
The city side had a chance to bring the game to extra time but Blake Murphy missed a 40 metre free straight in front of the posts that would have forced extra time.
The sound of the final whistle was greeted with elation by the Naomh Aban players and supporters as coach Cathal Quill praised his troops.
Quill said: “We could have dropped our heads but after a tough season we knew the lads would give this game one mighty effort from start to finish and to say I’m relieved would be an understatement.”
How times have changed for the Saints having lost their Senior status in 2014 and for next season it will be competing in the second tier of Intermediate football.
In a poor opening half one could see sense the tension of both sides as they went long periods without registering a score.
Blake Murphy did edge the Saints ahead in the second minute but the Ballyvourney side only took two two minutes to bring the sides even courtesy of a Niall Kelly white flag.
Both sides were conscious of keeping the ball and despite Vincent’s getting their share of possession their forwards lacked any ideas of how to break Naomh Aban’s stringent defending.
The one player that stood out for Naomh Aban was Aodhan Lucey who kicked three consecutive points that gave his side a 0-5 to 0-3 lead with seven minutes remaining to the interval.
Blake Murphy reduced the deficit in the 27th minute with Naomh Aban leading by the minimum at the break.
On the restart the trend of the game didn’t change with Naomh Aban registering the opening two points in the fourth minute.
Indeed Vincent’s can thank the agility of Paddy O’Shea who made two point-blank saves a minute later that kept his team in the game.
Blake Murphy continued to be the Saints go-to man and after opening his account in the 36th minute he was denied a goal by a superb Finley Walker save.
The Ballyvourney side looked in pole position despite not scoring for the closing 22 minutes and with the final kick of the game Blake Murphy had a chance to level proceedings with a 40 metre free straight in front of the posts.
In the end Vincent’s dismal season came back to haunt them.
: A Lucey 0-4 (0-1f), D Kelly 0-2, N Kelly, M Lyons (0-1 each).
B Murphy 0-5 (0-4f), B Long, P O’Sullivan (0-1 each).
: F Walker; T Keane, T Hallissey, R Hyde; D Lynch; E Creedon, C Roche; K O’Donoghue, M Lyons; S O’Riordan, A Lucey, N Kelly; P Lyons, D O’Leary, D Kelly.
Subs: D Kelly for D O’Leary (inj 10), W McCarthy for J O’Riordan (55), C Lucey for M Lyons (60).
P O’Shea; A Gould, A O’Callaghan, C Murphy; C Sorensen, G McCarthy, S Duggan; P O’Sullivan, W Long; M O’Leary, G Kelleher, B Hornibrook; B Lynch, D O’Regan, B Murphy.
Subs: K O’Connor for G Kelleher (50),J Price for A Gould (52), E Fleming for B Long (54).
A O’Connor (Ballygarvan).
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