Impresive St Loman's cruise past Dunshaughlin

St Loman's, Mullingar 2-17, Dunshaughlin 2-4

By Gerry Buckley

The very good record of Westmeath senior football clubs against their Meath counterparts in the Leinster championship was maintained in scintillating fashion by St Loman’s, Mullingar in absolutely perfect conditions in Páirc Tailteann on Sunday afternoon, with Paddy Dowdall’s fit, focused and disciplined charges full value for their 13-point hammering of Royal County standard-bearers Dunshaughlin.

St Loman's now meet Castletown (Wexford) at Lakepoint Park on Tuesday November 12 (7.30pm) in the quarter-final.

The Mullingar blues would have been expected by most pundits to emerge victorious from Navan, but he would have been a brave man or woman who would have predicted the ease with which they did so. The visitors played some fantastic football all through, and they certainly laid down a marker that they will take a bit of stopping this campaign. Their attacking prowess is well documented, but their defence was outstanding last Sunday also, with Darragh O’Keeffe among those who always seemed to take the right option under pressure.

The next step on what could be a momentous journey now looks likely to take place at an unusual time and in an unusual setting for a prestigious provincial quarter-final, with Tuesday week in either Homestead Lakepoint Park or Kinnegad – both floodlit venues – the only obvious options, given the dual commitments of some players in the Castletown ranks. Of course, the Wexford champions are now suitably forewarned.

The Flanagan Cup holders were dominant from the throw-in, but they kicked four wides before Fola Ayorinde – who went to have arguably his best game ever in blue and white – pointed in the eighth minute after bearing down on the Dunshaughlin goal. After Conor Duke kicked the losers’ first wide, Jack Geoghegan doubled his side’s lead in style, and three further points followed from Sam McCartan (two - a superb ‘45’ and a classy score from open play) and Ronan O’Toole (with Sam McCartan the provider). Mathew Costello, Dunshaughlin’s marquee player, opened his team’s account from a 14th-minute free, but he was largely anonymous thereafter due to excellent St Loman’s defending.

Wonderful leadership from John Heslin near the stand sideline instigated their sixth point in the 16th minute, Danny McCartan pointing after clever interplay with Shane Dempsey. Jason Daly did very well to fist the ball to safety at the end of a probing delivery by Ben Duggan before Sam McCartan was untypically short from his second ‘45’ of the contest. However, he quickly made amends with a terrific point from play (after great work by David Whelan). Richie Kealy’s troops got an unexpected lifeline in the 23rd minute when a rare break by Costello saw his shot almost cross the goal line with Aaron Murphy ensuring the green flag was raised from point-blank range.

Crucially, however, Danny McCartan responded with a fine point within 30 seconds. Heslin was narrowly wide from a difficult opportunity and his opposite number Costello was then penalised for overcarrying as he tried to take on a massed St Loman’s rearguard. With two minutes of normal time remaining in the first moiety, Ayorinde brought the away supporters to their feet with a marvellous individual goal, and he soon availed of good work by Rory Sheahan to add a point. O’Keeffe’s eye-catching defending was the highlight of the one minute of added-time, leaving St Loman’s ahead by 1-9 to 1-1 at the interval.

The winners were slightly sloppy by their high standards in the first eight minutes of the second half and were perhaps fortunate to just concede one score – Ciaran McCarrick’s 32nd-minute point at the end of a patient move. Any nerves in the Mullingar camp were settled, however, in the 39th minute when Danny McCartan scored a great goal after initially looking like he might opt for a point. The lead was now ten points (2-9 to 1-2).

McCarrick then doubled his tally, with Sean Flanagan quickly replying with his first (Sam McCartan again was the provider). In the 43rd minute, skipper Jared Rushe scored the second goal for the men in red and black before Heslin (who had been outstanding in and around midfield with his distribution) opened his account from a tricky free. He followed up with a superb mark from the 45-metre line and another converted free (via the post).

Danny McCartan brought his tally to 1-3 from play as Ayorinde was receiving the best ovation of the afternoon having been replaced. Murphy fisted a point when the losers craved a goal. Heslin was the central figure in the closing stages, kicking a brace of majestic points either side of Flanagan’s second.

Indeed, St Loman’s could afford to spurn a great goal chance on the hour mark when sub TJ Cox set up Heslin who shot tamely at a grateful Tim O’Sullivan.

Scorers – St Loman's: D McCartan 1-3, F Ayorinde 1-2, J Heslin 0-5 (2f, 1m), S McCartan 0-3 (1‘45’), S Flanagan 0-2, J Geoghegan, R O'Toole 0-1 each.

Dunshaughlin: A Murphy 1-1, J Rushe 1-0, C McCarrick 0-2, M Costello 0-1 (f).

St Loman's, Mullingar: Jason Daly; Darragh O'Keefe, Jack Geoghegan, Oisin Hogan; Eoghan Hogan, David Whelan, Sam McCartan; John Heslin, Sean Flanagan; Kelvin Reilly, Ronan O'Toole, Rory Sheahan; Fola Ayorinde, Shane Dempsey, Danny McCartan. Subs used: TJ Cox for Dempsey (h-t), Kevin Regan for Sheahan (44), Enda Gaffney for O Hogan (45), Peter Foy for Ayorinde (54), Conor O'Donoghue for Whelan (55). Dunshaughlin: Tim O'Sullivan; Niall Byrne, Jared Rushe, Adam Kealy; David Fildes, Daryll McKenna, Ciaran McCarrick; Charlie O'Connor, Conor Gray; Conor Duke, Ruairi Kinsella, Ben Duggan; Aaron Murphy, Mathew Costello, Luke Mitchell. Subs used: Fursey Blake for McKenna (22), John McDonagh for Kinsella (30), Fiach Hartigan for Fildes (h-t), Neil Byrne for Duggan (44), Tadhg Ó Dushlaine for Niall Byrne (60+4).

Ref: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).