McCabe goal seals it as Dalton’s fend off Cullion

Fr Dalton's 3-14 Cullion 2-12

Fr Dalton’s claimed their third victory of the senior ‘B’ championship when they proved too strong for a resurgent Cullion side at TEG Cusack Park on Saturday.

The result keeps them firmly in contention in what is a competitive championship.

In an exciting first half, Fr Dalton's enjoyed a four-point lead at the interval, 2-5 to 0-7, following goals from Sam Maxwell and Enda Kincaid, scores which ultimately proved crucial.

The match began with a bright start for Fr Dalton's, as Ronan McLoughlin displayed his accuracy by pointing a free in the opening minute. McLoughlin was on target again just two minutes later, converting another free to put Fr Dalton's two points ahead. However, Cullion responded swiftly, with Kevin Regan slotting over a fine point from play to get his side on the scoreboard.

The game then took a significant turn in the fourth minute, as Fr Dalton's Sam Maxwell embarked on a powerful run, breaking through the Cullion defence before finding the back of the net for the first goal of the match. Cullion looked to reduce the deficit quickly, with Jack Gillen pointing a free in the sixth minute. However, Fr Dalton's struck again almost immediately, with Owen McCabe making a storming run before setting up Enda Kincaid for their second goal, leaving Cullion with a mountain to climb.

Cullion's Kevin Regan came close to grabbing a goal of his own in the ninth minute, but Fr Dalton's goalkeeper Eoin Moran produced a crucial save, deflecting the ball out for a '65’, which Jack Gillen duly pointed. Gillen continued to lead the charge for Cullion, adding another point from play in the tenth minute.

In the 12th minute Fr Dalton's were penalised for overcarrying, handing Cullion a 20-metre free. Jack Gillen stepped up to take it, but his shot at goal was bravely blocked by Brian McCabe, who required treatment following the incident.

Cullion kept pushing, and in the 14th minute, Kevin Regan looked set to make a breakthrough after collecting a long ball from Rob Gillen, but Eoin Ryan's perfectly timed hook denied him, and the ball went wide.

As the first quarter concluded, Fr Dalton's held a 2-2 to 0-4 lead. In the 20th minute, Brian McCabe sent a precise ball forward to Owen McCabe, who displayed excellent skill before firing over a point for Fr Dalton's. However, the opportunity to extend the lead even further was missed just two minutes later, as Owen McCabe, after some dazzling footwork, failed to convert a goal chance.

Fr Dalton's continued to build their advantage, with Jack Duncan pointing in the 23rd minute. Cullion responded with a pointed free from Jack Gillen after Jack Kearney was fouled, and Gillen made a crucial block on Kearney immediately afterward to prevent a potential score.

Jack Gillen continued to be Cullion's talisman, landing a spectacular point from a 75-metre free in the 26th minute. A contentious moment occurred in the 28th minute when Ivan Smyth of Fr Dalton's appeared to be fouled, but the referee awarded a free to Cullion for a technical infringement instead.

Tensions rose, resulting in yellow cards for both Pearse Corroon and Ivan Smyth.

In the closing minutes of the first half, Fr Dalton's added to their tally with a point from Enda Kincaid in the 30th minute.

However, Cullion had the final say of the half, as Shane Broughan pointed in injury time to leave the Ballymore side four clear as the teams headed to the dressing rooms.

The second half was action-packed, with both teams showing determination. Fr Dalton's had a shaky start, with three early wides, but Cullion's Conor Regan settled his side with a well-taken point from midfield after three minutes.

Fr Dalton's Ronan McLoughlin responded quickly, pointing a free in the fourth minute. Tensions flared when McLoughlin reacted to a challenge from Cullion's Anthony Kelly, leading to yellow cards for both players.

With the breeze behind him, Jack Kearney then pointed a long free from inside his own half in the seventh minute courtesy of a superb strike. McLoughlin added another point from a free after ten minutes, but Cullion struck back with a goal from Kevin Regan, who fired a low shot into the net at the 11-minute mark.

Fr Dalton's responded immediately with a point from Sam Maxwell, followed by two more from Owen McCabe, one from a free. Padraig Nestor's angled delivery set up McCabe for another point after 17 minutes, pushing Fr Dalton's into a 2-13 to 1-8 lead.

Cullion were dealt a blow when substitute Jimmy Kelly was shown a straight red card after 18 minutes, with Kevin Regan also picking up a yellow card in the ensuing sideline incident. Cullion's Jack Gillen tried to narrow the gap, pointing a free in the 21st minute.

Fr Dalton's Jack Kearney extended his side's lead with a free in the 25th minute, but Gillen kept Cullion in the hunt with two more points, one from a free and another from a '65'.

As the clock ticked down, Gillen struck again, this time with a powerful free that found the net after 60 minutes, giving Cullion hope. However, Fr Dalton's sealed victory in added time when substitutes Brian Finerty and Sean McCabe combined for McCabe to score a goal, ensuring a hard-fought win. The final score reflected Fr Dalton's strong overall performance and their determined response at the end.

Scorers - Fr Dalton’s: R McLoughlin 0-5 (5f), S Maxwell and E Kincaid 1-1 each, O McCabe 0-4, S McCabe 1-0, J Kearney 0-2 (2f), J Duncan 0-1. Cullion: J Gillen 1-9 (1-6f; 0-1 ‘65’), K Regan 1-1, S Broughan and C Regan 0-1 each.

Fr Dalton’s: Eoin Moran; Eoin Ryan, Kenneth Kincaid, Jack Kearney; Ronan Hanley, Brian McCabe, Liam O’Neill; Ivan Smyth, Padraig Nestor; Sam Maxwell, Owen McCabe, Ronan McLoughlin; Enda Kincaid, John Tumelty, Jack Duncan. Subs: Kieran Martin for O’Neill (48), Brian Finerty for E Kincaid (48), Conor McNeill for McCabe (inj., 54), Sean McCabe for Maxwell (59), Dylan Murtagh for Duncan (59).

Cullion: Conor Kelly; Dan Connaughton, Rob Gillen, Liam Shaw; Shane O’Connor, Conor Shaw, Conor Gilhooley; Pearse Corroon, Conor Regan; Marc Watters, Kevin Regan, Anthony Kelly; Shane Broughan, Jack Gillen, Pierce Shaw. Subs: Jimmy Kelly for Watters (39), Damien Golden for Kelly (39), Mark Tunney for O’Connor (47).

Ref: Bernard Heeney (Clann na nGael).