St. Fechins advance to Leinster Club semi-final

St. Fechin’s secured their place in the AIB Leinster Club Junior Hurling Championship semi-final with a dramatic two-point win over Brownstown at Integral GAA Grounds on Saturday afternoon.

The Louth champions showed their mettle in a tense, back-and-forth encounter that wasn’t decided until the final moments. 

Playing on home turf in Drogheda, St. Fechin’s started with intent when Paul Mathews fired over in the opening seconds.

But the Westmeath outfit quickly showed they were up for the fight as Donal Lane and Robbie Dugdale led their scoring charge in the early exchanges.

The first major turning point came in the 8th minute when Fechin’s Ross Berkery rifled a low shot into the net to give his side a crucial early advantage and with Patrick Lynch on target from frees as the Termonfeckin men pushed ahead.

However, Brownstown stayed in contention and their resilience was highlighted by Robbie Dugdale’s well-taken goal in the 23rd minute to narrow the gap to just one point at 1-8 to 1-7.

St. Fechin’s led 1-11 to 1-9 at the halftime break but the game was far from over. Brownstown started the second half brightly as Jamie Fitzsimons, reliable from placed balls all afternoon, kept them in the hunt.

Drama struck in the 42nd minute when Brownstown’s Kenny Higgins was sent off after receiving a second yellow card. 

Despite being down to 14 men the visitors clawed their way back as Fitzsimons levelled the game at 1-13 apiece with just over ten minutes remaining.

St. Fechin’s showed their championship pedigree with extra-time looming as Patrick Lynch restored their lead in injury time before Seán Kerrisk and substitute Rory Morrissey added crucial insurance points.

A late score from Brownstown’s Brian Guerin kept the tension alive but it wasn’t enough to deny the Fechins a memorable victory.

The win marks the second time in three years that St. Fechin’s have reached the Leinster semi-finals and they’ll now face either Castletown Liam Mellows or Wolfe Tones at home in the next round.

Despite their gallant effort, Brownstown will rue missed opportunities and the red card that shifted momentum.

For Fechin’s, the focus now turns to preparing for what promises to be another tough test in the last four.

Full credit to both teams for serving up a thrilling game of hurling that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats right to the final whistle.

Scorers for St. Fechin’s: Patrick Lynch (0-8, frees), Ross Berkery (1-1), Paul Mathews (0-3), Seaghán Conneely (0-1), Ryan Walsh (0-1), David Stephenson (0-1), Seán Kerrisk (0-1), Rory Morrissey (0-1).

Scorers for Brownstown: Jamie Fitzsimons (0-7, frees), Robbie Dugdale (1-1), Donal Lane (0-2), Emmet Cunneen (0-2), Niall Leonard (0-1), Conor Shaw (0-1), Brian Guerin (0-1).

St. Fechin’s: Dan O’Neill, Danny Morgan, Oisín Byrne, Colin Griffin, Conor Mathews, Peter Fortune, George Allen, David Stephenson (0-1), Donal Ryan, Patrick Lynch (0-7, 5f), Ross Berkery (1-1), Seán Kerrisk (0-1), Ryan Walsh (0-1), Seaghán Conneely, Paul Mathews (0-3).

Subs: Rory Morrissey (0-1) on for Seaghán Conneely (0-1) (HT), Seán Hodgins on for Conor Mathews (44’).

Brownstown: James Moore, Oisín Kiernan, Philip Gilsenan, Kenny Higgins, Cormac Foley, Conor Shaw (c) (0-1, 0-1f), Anthony Mulvaney, Brian Guerin (0-1), Patrick O’Reilly, Donal Lane (0-2), Emmett Cunneen (0-2), Tiernan Purcell, Niall Leonard (0-1), Robbie Dugdale (1-1), Jamie Fitzsimons (0-6, 0-6f).

Subs: Shaun Smith on for Tiernan Purcell (42’), Tom Flynn on for Donal Lane (50’).

Referee: Dean Alford (Dublin).