Relegation Play-off Victory:
The Doheny senior footballers ended the
season on a high by defeating St. Nicks on a score-line of 1-10 to 1-07 in a championship
relegation playoff last Friday night in Ovens thus securing senior football
championship status for another 2 years.
This takes the pressure off the Club & the new incoming management
structure who will have time to work with this very young team that has been developed
this past season due to mass emigration, retirement & injury. The raw
material is there but there’s no magic wand. A lot of hard graft, commitment & focus is
required, mainly from the players themselves, to get this Club back up competing
in the higher echelons of the senior division.
It was a fantastic result last Friday but in
truth the Dohenys made hard work of it.
Similarly to the drawn game the men in green were the dominant side
& had their chances to put the game to bed on several occasions but a number
of gilt-edge opportunities went a begging.
In fairness to St. Nicks they are a dogged side & had opportunities
of their own to stake a claim on the game.
It was a tentative first half performance from both sides but the all
important score came midway through the first half from a speculative high ball
into the St. Nicks square which the Dohenys full forward Daniel O’Donovan latch
onto. He managed to get a shot away
under pressure & the ball trickled in over the line. Dohenys had a massive opportunity for a
second goal minutes after to go 6 points up but the ball grazed the outside of
the St. Nick’s post. St. Nicks rallied just before half time kicking 3 points
to leave the minimum between the sides at half time. Dohenys 1-02 St. Nicks 0-04.
The Dohenys hit the ground running in the
second half kicking 5 unanswered points before St. Nicks registered their first
score in the second half, which was a goal, to reduce the difference to 3
points with 10 minutes remaining. This
wasn’t St. Nicks first effort for goal in the second half though. Dohenys goal keeper Darren Kelly expertly
saved a penalty early on which gave the Dohenys a great boost at the time. Dohenys to their credit never panicked &
kept the scoreboard ticking over & ran out deserved victors in the end.
Team: Darren Kelly, Barry O’Donovan, Sean
Daly, Kevin Cotter, Cathal O’Donovan, Donal Rice, Jamie Carroll, Eoin Lavers
0-01, Johnny Kelly 0-01, Declan O’Dwyer, Mark Quinn 0-01, Daniel McSweeney,
Jerry McCarthy, Daniel O’Donovan 1-01, Mark Buckley 0-06 (0-04fs). Subs used:
Maurice Murphy & Patrick McCarthy
Lotto:
There was no winner of the Doheny/Sam
Maguire Lotto which took place on Sunday nigh last. The numbers drawn
were 05, 06 & 09. Consolation prizes went to Marie Christy
O’Mahony, Ardcahan, Susan O’Donovan, Woodbrook & Cian Enright, Ros Gael.
The jackpot now stands at €1,800 and the next draw will
take place in the Euro Bar this Sunday night.