GROUP A | Gers deny Joe's and Máirtín's edge Plunkett's in Paddy Sheelan Cup

Paddy Sheelan Cup Group A

Geraldines 0-12 St. Joseph's 1-2

Geraldines made a winning start to the new season when they defeated neighbours St. Joseph’s in Group A of the Paddy Sheelan Cup at Darver on Sunday night.

Gers dominated the scoring with the aid of the storm force conditions, hitting eight unanswered points, with four coming from the boot of Jim McEneaney, while Seamus Quigley had to dive full length on 22 minutes to deny a well-placed McEneaney shot. 

Joe’s created few chances in that opening period to leave the half-time score 0-8 to 0-0 for the Haggardstown side.

Geraldines, who showed greater composure all through in front of goal, added a ninth point on the restart. Joe’s created two good goalscoring chances that they did not convert and they finally opened their scoring when Conall McCaul skimmed the crossbar on 39 minutes. 

The McGeough Park side added two further points to lead by 10 with 15 minutes to play and the teams then exchanged points with Alan Quigley on target from a free for Joe's. 

The Cluskey Park men finally hit the net when a Quigley pass was palmed to the net by the inrushing Jack Barron on 54 minutes. In conditions that were definitely not suitable for free flowing football the sides were unable to add to their scoreline in the final stages and Geraldines ran out deserving winners.

Geraldines: Seán McEneaney; Jack Traynor, Paddy Hoey, Tiarnan Hand; Ben Mooney, Gareth Neacy, Fearghal McDonald; Matthew Corcoran (0-1), Shaun Callan; Conor McGowan, Jack Reid (0-5), Liam Cafferty (0-1); David O’Connell, Jim McEneaney (0-4), Shane Rogers (0-1)

Subs: Gerard Hoey, Feidhelm Joyce for O’Connell, Darren O’Brien for Callan, Johnny Kierans for Corcoran

St. Joseph’s: Seamus Quigley; Alan Lynch, Michael Staunton, Stefan Potts; Gabriel Bell, Killian Staunton, Conall Smyth; Jack Mulligan, Peter Brennan; Alan McKenna, Dáire Smyth, Ciarán Johnston; Alan Quigley (0-1), Ben Collier, Conall McCaul (0-1)

Subs: Aidan Shaw, Oran  McParland, Jack Barron (1-0), Jack McNamee

Referee: DJ McArdle (St. Bride’s)

Oliver Plunkett's 0-8 Naomh Máirtín 1-9

Naomh Máirtín came out on top in a closely contested Paddy Sheelan Group A encounter at Mell on Sunday morning with a goal from Stephen Campbell proving decisive.

The centre-half forward pounced for the only goal of the game with 10 minutes remaining to see off the determined challenge of Plunkett’s.

There was little to choose between the teams in the opening period and that was reflected on the scoreboard as the teams turned around level at five points each.

The sides continued to trade points in the second half, but with the game in the balance it was Campbell who struck the knock-out blow when he found the net in the final quarter.

Oliver Plunkett’s: Colm Duffy; Cillian Matthews, Seán Rice, Ricky Bateson; Barry Reynolds, Cian Matthews, Tadhg O’Brien; Robbie Brodigan (0-1); Dean Carolan; Hugh Conaghy, Cian Brady (0-5), Seán Callaghan (0-1); Andy Morgan, Stephen Beirth, Niall Murtagh

Sub: Luke Haggans (0-1) 

Naomh Máirtín: Jamie Mulholland; Mark Whelan, Michael Fanning (0-1), Eoin Wright; Conor Healy, Thomas Sullivan, Jack McCarville; Joe McGrane, Conor Smyth; Jack Murphy (0-1), Stephen Campbell (1-0), Mark McCullough (0-2); Bryan McQuillan (0-1), Conor Whelan (0-2), Thomas Clarke (0-2)

Subs: Seán Healy, Evan Whelan, Paul Berrill, Shane Morgan, Robert Smyth 

Referee: Noel Hand (Ardee St. Mary’s)