Athlone withstand Caulry rally to claim vital victory
Athlone 0-12 Caulry 0-9
by Eamon A. Donoghue
Caulry’s championship ambitions suffered another blow as Athlone gave themselves renewed hope in this Westmeath Senior Football Championship second round game last Sunday evening.
Athlone laid the platform when wind assisted in the first half and eventually saw off their neighbours at Hogan Park.
Both teams came into this fixture after losses in the first round, and they both needed a win badly.
Athlone started off in whirlwind fashion, helped in no small part by the stiff breeze at their backs in Moate. The Shannonsiders kept Caulry on the back foot for most of the first half.
Driven on by Shane Allen, Athlone went into an early lead. Caulry’s short kickout was intercepted by Cillian Lynn and he played a one two with Daniel Reid before forcing a '45' which Kieran Colclough kicked over the bar. Then Ray Connellan kicked a score as Athlone's bright start continued.
They dominated a lot of possession and they huffed and puffed, threatening to tear the Caulry rearguard apart but they continuously over elaborated in scoring positions. They did gradually add to their total with Lynn, as he was falling backwards, miraculously kicking the ball back over his head and over the bar.
Daniel Reid and Stephen O’Connor kicked points and Connellan was unlucky not to add another, shooting just wide after a run inside.
The men in light blue and white stripes were showing far too much intensity for Caulry. Allen was covering every inch of the field. He was back sweeping when needed and then attacking with pace at every opportunity. His hard graft paid off when he kicked Athlone’s last score before the interval.
Caulry - who were again missing Westmeath star Kevin Maguire - scored just once in the first 26 minutes, a point from wing-back Tadhg Baker. They were struggling and, more worryingly for them, they were showing little desire to take on Athlone.
The Mount Temple outfit seemed like a side waiting for the second half and for the wind to be behind them. They did score once more before the interval and again it came from a defender, Damien Dolan the scorer. At half-time, it was Athlone 0-6 Caulry 0-2.
After the turnaround, Athlone seemed to sit back and they seemed to fear the wind too much. They invited a Caulry team that had looked devoid of ideas back into the game.
Caulry rolled off four scores in quick succession, with Alan Malynn showing great accuracy. He kicked three scores, including one from an outrageous angle, and Senan Baker added another.
The sides were level for the first time in the 49th minute. Caulry then went ahead for the first time when Stephen Connolly scored an outstanding individual point, making space for himself before kicking between the posts from 40 metres.
Caulry then stopped playing direct football, they became more conservative with the ball in possession and the error count started to rise.
As Athlone got back some momentum again, Westmeath player Connellan showed leadership by kicking his second point and the sides were level again. From there, Athlone started to get to grips with Caulry’s build up play and started to turn over possession. They pushed on and kicked the next four scores.
They introduced John Stapleton at midfield and with Allen going as strongly in the last quarter as the first, they overran the Mount Temple based side in the last ten minutes. Eamon Martin finally got a scoring return for his play over the previous 50 minutes. Martin kicked three points and Colclough added another to seal a deserved but hard earned win.
Caulry suffered the worst imaginable start and left themselves a mountain to climb. They face county champions St Loman's Mullingar in their next fixture and their manager Pat Flanagan has plenty to work on before then. They are bottom of the table and although four of the six teams in Section A will qualify for the knockout stages, they are now under pressure.
Eoin Jordan’s Athlone side will be happy with the win, and they have given themselves every chance of qualifying for the knockout stages with this victory.
Player of the match: Shane Allen (Athlone). Allen covered every inch of the ground and got on the scoresheet, while Ray Connellan also brought a lot of energy. Eamon Martin finished the game strongly and Daniel Reid was instrumental in winning vital possession. For Caulry, Damien Dolan, Conor McCormack and Tadhg Baker were among those to play well.
Scorers – Athlone: E Martin 0-3; K Colclough (1 '45) and R Connellan 0-2 each; D Reid, C Lynn, S Allen, S O’Connor and S Flaherty 0-1 each. Caulry: A Malynn 0-3 (1f); S Baker 0-2; T Baker, D Dolan, S Connolly and E Nally 0-1 each.
Athlone: Darren Costello; Matty Darling, Noel Mulligan, James Finlass; Michael Byrne, Diarmuid Martin, Shane Allen; Ray Connellan, Benny Martin; Stephen Flaherty, Kieran Colclough, Eamon Martin; Cillian Lynn, Stephen O’Connor, Daniel Reid. Subs used: Mark Egan for Lynn (h-t), John Stapleton for O’Flaherty (51 mins), Owen McNamara for Mulligan (injured, 56).
Caulry: Jack Connaughton; Darren Hynds, Tom Cloonan, Damien Dolan; Eoghan Grennan, Seán Clinton, Tadhg Baker; John Maguire, Stephen Connolly; Harry Stuart Trainor, Conor McCormack, Senan Baker; Alan Malynn, Olan Healy, Seán Doyle. Subs used: Emmet Nally for Doyle (44 mins), Sean Fox for Stuart Trainor (53) Colin Murphy for Maguire (55), Neil Clinton for Hynds
Referee: Pat Fox (Rosemount).