Carroll goal seals victory as Garrycastle overcome Rosemount

Garrycastle 1-13, Rosemount 0-10

By Ronan Fagan

Aspiring for an immediate return to the highest echelon of Westmeath club football, Garrycastle cemented their status as favourites to attain the intermediate title with a merited six-point victory over Rosemount at TEG Cusack Park on Saturday evening.

Billed as the standout fixture in last weekend’s intermediate football championship, the game failed to reach levels of significant intensity and excitement, both teams entering the playing fray with two round robin victories garnered.

With both sides knowing a victory would virtually secure a place in the knockout phase, the opening half of this eagerly anticipated fixture was an evenly contested and low scoring affair. Players from both teams were striving for momentum, the victors assured of pivotal positioning with two games remaining to play in Section A of this year’s intermediate championship.

Played in conditions conducive to free flowing football, it was Garrycastle who impacted the scoreboard after just two minutes when a rare handling error from Boidu Sayeh resulted in a free being pointed by Conor Cosgrove.

Rosemount were swift to respond and, playing into a stiff wind, Declan Mullen pointed a placed ball on four minutes.

An injury to Rosemount’s Thomas Parker resulted in an early substitution for the black and amber clad club, Ciaran Maxwell entering the playing fray on eight minutes. Four minutes later, the vastly experienced Mullen pointed his second free, but the impressive Jason Nugent swiftly levelled for Garrycastle.

The pacey Nugent then had a glorious opportunity to raise a green flag when he pierced through the Rosemount defence but scuffed his opportunity as custodian Peter Elliffe advanced.

Michael Monaghan had the eventual victors ahead on 20 minutes, but Rosemount responded almost immediately when Matthew Cox availed of Padraig Nestor's pass to score. Rosemount’s Sean Conlon pointed a free from distance on 23 minutes prior to Monaghan once again levelling proceedings on 26 minutes following a foul on James Dolan.

Nugent had his second point of the contest as the opening moiety reached its conclusion, Garrycastle in the ascendancy by the minimum (0-5 to 0-4). An extensive period of first-half added time was played due to an injury to Garrycastle’s Anthony Larkin, who was replaced by Killian Redmond.

Having played against the strengthening breeze in the opening half, Rosemount were well placed to achieve a positive result as the second period commenced but Garrycastle were in no form to relinquish their one-point interval lead which was added to when Cosgrove pointed impressively.

Conlon’s second free of the game reduced arrears, but Cosgrove soon gave cause for the raising of a white flag when he pointed once again on 35 minutes. Arguably the score of the game arrived when Padraig Nestor pointed on the run from an acute angle on 37 minutes as Rosemount maintained a presence in the contest.

A goal would prove crucial in this fixture and Garrycastle almost netted on 39 minutes but Nugent’s opportunity struck a post. The victors did not let this chance go to waste, however, as Dolan picked up the loose ball before placing substitute James Sheerin in for a point.

The margin was reduced to one on 40 minutes when Rosemount wing-forward Padraig Geoghegan pointed, with Monaghan responding moments later with a placed ball score. The accurate Cosgrove had Garrycastle’s lead out to three points on 45 minutes as Gary Dolan's charges began to exert their dominance on proceedings.

Cosgrove was once again impacting the scoreboard on 48 minutes when pointing on the loop, before a penetrating run from Sayeh saw the resulting free being scored by full-forward Mullen. When Liam Maxwell pointed following a jinking run on 51 minutes only two points were between the teams, but Monaghan extended Garrycastle's lead on 53 minutes.

The introduction of Garrycastle substitute Jamie Carroll on 54 minutes was to prove pivotal to the contest. On 56 minutes, in his first meaningful action in the game, he pounced on a short Cosgrove free before netting to put six points between the teams as the fixture edged towards its conclusion.

Mullen and Cosgrove traded points in injury time, the shrill blast of referee Declan Nugent’s final whistle confirming that Garrycastle had maintained their unbeaten start to this year’s championship.

SCORERS – Garrycastle: C Cosgrove 0-6; M Monaghan 0-4; J Carroll 1-0; J Nugent 0-2; J Sheerin 0-1. Rosemount: D Mullen 0-4; S Conlon 0-2; M Cox, P Geoghegan, P Nestor and L Maxwell 0-1 each.

Garrycastle: Sean Brennan, Jack Mulvihill, Jack Donohue, Gary McCallon, Mark McCallon, Eoin Mulvihill, Anthony Larkin, Andy Monaghan, Conor McKiernan, Michael Monaghan, Conor Cosgrove, Jason Nugent, Cathal Mannion, James Dolan, Ben Donegan. Subs: Killian Redmond for Larkin (30 mins); James Sheerin for Donegan (36); Rory McGowan for McKiernan (42); Jamie Carroll for Mannion (54); Ger Heneghan for Carroll (60).

Rosemount: Peter Elliffe, Cathal Byrne, Adam Keane, Lorcan Daly, Plunkett Maxwell, Padraig Nestor, Boidu Sayeh, Andy McCormack, Thomas Parker, Liam Maxwell, Declan Mullen, Padraig Geoghegan, Sean Conlon, Ben Cox, Matthew Cox. Subs: Ciaran Maxwell for Parker (8 mins); Cillian Lawlor for Conlon (40); David Tone for B Cox (47).

Referee: Declan Nugent (Maryland).