Match Reports Adult

AIB Leinster Club Senior Football Championship, Semi-Final [24 November 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 0-12, BALLYBODEN ST. ENDAS (DUBLIN) 3-14

The Garrycastle dream of winning their second Leinster club title came to an end on Sunday in TEG Cusack Park in Mullingar when they lost comprehensively to Ballyboden St. Endas. Fielding without the injured Tom O'Halloran, an early point from a Dessie Dolan free was soon cancelled out and then a thunderbolt struck when the Ballyboden centre back ran through from the 45 meter line to score their first goal. The Dublin team, with their tails up, began to dominate in most positions and added 4 points before Dessie scored his second. A third Garrycastle point came from Eoin Monaghan in the 18th minute leaving the score at 1-5 to 0-3. But the Ballyboden dominance continued scoring 5 more points to one each from James and Dessie Dolan. The halftime score was 1-10 to 0-5. It was a bad half for the 'Castle and only for a brilliant block by John Gaffey when a goal looked on it would have been worse. Ballyboden had pushed up very far on the Garrycastle kickout and left Garrycastle struggling to win their own ball. In addition they were finding their inside forwards with ease.

Jason Nugent replaced Eoin Monaghan at halftime. The third quarter was Garrycastle’s best with Doron Harte, James Sheerin and James Dolan prominent in driving the team forward and Mark McCallon and John Gaffey cutting out many attacks. Three Dessie Dolan points reduced the lead to five after 36 minutes. Points were then exchanged (Dessie Dolan) before Ballyboden got 2 on the trot. A Jason Nugent blast for goal was deflected over the bar by the Ballyboden goalie. During this period of Garrycastle pressure a move set up by James Sheeran and Michael Monaghan saw another shot on the Ballyboden goal deflected clear. As well as the goals not going in some scorable point chances also drifted wide.

Six points adrift after 53 minutes and with the Garrycastle lads giving it their all, a period of keep ball by Ballyboden ended up with a ball in the Garrycastle net. Three minutes later the ball was in their net again which finally put the game out of Garrycastle’s reach. The game finished with another point for Ballyboden and two for Garrycastle. It was a step up in the quality of opposition for Garrycastle, which proved too much, but they fought to the end and can hold their heads high.

This team and management can be proud of their achievements this year which supporters are very appreciative of. It was a great run ended only by a quality team. Another milestone on the day was that this was Dessie Dolan’s last game in the green and red and the large crowd of Garrycastle supporters showed their appreciation for his great career by giving him a standing ovation when he was being replaced after 50 minutes.

Team:

Sean Brennan, Matthew Guiheen, Jack Donohoe, Mark McCallon, Doran Harte, John Gaffey, Gary McCallon, Justin Barrett, James Dolan (0-1), Andrew Monaghan, Eoin Monaghan (0-1), Michael Monaghan, James Sheeran (0-1), Alex Gardiner, Dessie Dolan (0-7).

Subs: Jason Nugent (0-1) for Eoin Monaghan, Conor Cosgrove for Dessie Dolan, Michael Greene for Andrew Monaghan, Eoin Mulvihill for Jack Donohoe, Ger Henaghan (0-1) for Michael Monaghan.

AIB Leinster Club Senior Football Championship, Quarter-Final [10 November 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 3-11 RATOATH (MEATH) 2-12

Garrycastle qualified for the semi final of the Leinster club championship when they defeated Meath champions, Ratoath, in a roller coaster of a game played in TEG Cusack Park last Sunday.

Fortunes changed a number of times during a pulsating second half which Garrycastle started with a 7 point lead to find themselves only two ahead after 5 minutes and 9 ahead with 10 minutes to go and finally win by two. The game ended after 5 minutes of injury time with the home team hanging on to a 2 point lead. Ratoath started strongly scoring the first two points when a high ball from Dessie Dolan was knocked down by James Sheerin to Alex Gardiner who netted with a fine shot. Points were shared in the next two minutes, after which Garrycastle scored 7 points without reply. The final minutes of the half saw Ratoath get 2 points to Garrycastle’s 1 to leave the halftime score at 1-9 to 0-5. Sean Brennan saved well from a shot by the Ratoath corner forward in the 28th minute when he got into a one-on-one.

On the resumption Tom O'Halloran had replaced Andrew Monaghan and Ger Henaghan for Dessie Dolan. Ratoath came out a different team and were pressurising the Garrycastle player in possession and scored 1-2 within 5 minutes to reduce the lead to 2 points, the goal coming after Sean Brennan was dispossessed when trying to clear a ball. But Garrycastle didn’t buckle under pressure and Tom O'Halloran knocked the ball into the Ratoath net after good work by Eoin Monaghan and Ger Henaghan. A Ratoath point followed when a long ball was played into James Sheerin who fed Michael Monaghan who hit the net from a tight angle. Two more Garrycastle points left the score 3-11 to 1-8 for the home side after 48 minutes and looking towards an easy win. However Ratoath had different ideas and typical of a Meath team fought to the end adding another 1-4 to their scoreline but time ran out on them and Garrycastle were in the semi final. The Ratoath goal arrived one minute into injury time and came from a high ball which was fisted to the net. Other high balls caused a lot of problems in the Garrycastle defence but luckily were scrambled away. Garrycastle supporters had their hearts in their mouths in those final minutes came away relieved but a little puzzled at some of the refereeing decisions in those final crucial minutes.

The team performance was excellent at times but they must remember to play to the end. Individual performances were in general very good with Alex Gardiner, James Dolan, Michael Monoghan, James Sheerin and the McCallon brothers excelling. The next opponents are Dublin champions, Ballyboden St Endas which is also a home venue for Garrycastle.

GARRYCASTLE: Sean Brennan, Mattie Guiheen, Jack Donohoe, Mark McCallon, Doron Harte, John Gaffey, Gary McCallon, Justin Barrett, James Dolan, Andrew Monaghan (0-2), Eoin Monaghan, Michael Monaghan (1-2), James Sheeran (0-2), Alex Gardiner (1-1), Dessie Dolan (0-3).

Subs Tom O’Halloran (1-0) for Andrew Monaghan; Ger Henaghan (0-1) for Dessie Dolan; Eoin Mulvihill for Eoin Monaghan; Jason Nugent, for Michael Monaghan; Conor Cosgrove for Alex Gardiner; Jonathan Maguire for Doron Harte.

Under 20 Football Championship (Mens) [3 November 2019]

Coralstown-Kinnegad 1-21 Garrycastle 2-14 (AET)

This was an epic encounter which provided great entertainment and drama for those fortunate to witness the game. There was little between the teams in the first half and with scores hard to come by, the home team led by 0-4 to 0-3 at the half time break, with Brian Ruane, Jason Nugent and Dylan Keegan contributing the Garrycastle scores.

Coralstown-Kinnegad upped their game at the start of the 2nd half and caused many problems for the Garrycastle defence. Robert Kelly cleared a ball off the line and shortly afterwards Goalkeeper Patrick McKiernan got down well to save a certain goal. Midway through the 2nd half, the score stood at 0-11 to 0-3 for the home team who looked like they would run out easy winners. Garrycastle needed to respond and they suddenly woke up and started playing with more belief and conviction. Led by Andrew Monaghan with Garrycastle's first score after a barren spell of 25 minutes, his score was cancelled out by a further point by Coralstown-Kinnegad. From then on, the remainder of the second half belonged to the visitors. Further scores from Andrew Monaghan who contributed 4 more points 2 from frees and with his brother Phillip getting a goal and Joe Carmody with a point, the game finished level on a scoreline of 0-12 to 1-9 after 60 minutes.

There then followed a period of 20 minutes extra time. It was during this period that Garrycastle led for the first and only time in the game when points from Dylan Keegan and Jason Nugent put Garrycastle 2 points up only for the home team to respond and leave the score at half time in extra time level at 0-14 to 1-11. The home team continued to build on their scoreline and they again pulled away in the second half of the first period of extra time and were leading by 4 points when Daragh Kenna finished the ball to the net from a narrow angle to draw the game again and cause a second period of extra time of 10 minutes duration to be played. At half time in the second period, Coralstown-Kinnegad led by 1 point. They held this lead into the second half of the second period with both teams trading points. Then in the last attack the home team got a vital goal and the fulltime whistle blew to end this extended battle between the two teams.

Full credit is due to both teams who produced a very entertaining and exciting game from the start of the second half of normal time. It was tough on the losers who now bow out of the 2019 Under 20 Championship, however all 17 Garrycastle Players who made the trip to Coralstown-Kinnegad can hold their heads high for the heroic way they performed and the manner in which they fought hard to eliminate a 7 point deficit to keep the game alive and then continue through the periods of extra time to never give up. Those supporters in attendance were proud of how well they represented their club. Although they lost, hopefully the team can look back on this game with pride for having given their all in a memorable game of football.

GARRYCASTLE: Patrick McKiernan, Daniel Guinan, Oisin Langan, Robert Kelly, Unity Oviawe, Eoin Mulvihill, Cillian Lyons, Tommy Stephens, Dylan Keegan (0-2), Brian Ruane (0-1), Philip Monaghan (1-0), Darragh Kenna (1-0), Andrew Monaghan (0-6, 3f), Joe Carmody (0-2), Jason Nugent (0-3).

Subs: Cathal Redmond, Tommy Devery.

AIB Leinster Club Senior Football Championship, Round 1 [27 October 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 0-15 EMMET ÓG KILLOE (Longford) 0-06

Our senior team had a comfortable over Kiloe in the first round of the Leinster club championship on Sunday last in TEG Park. Garrycastle took the lead at the end of the first quarter and led all the way to the end. Management selected Andrew Monaghan to replace the injured Tom O'Halloran which meant the three Monoghan brothers were in the half forward line.

It was the veteran, Dessie Dolan who stole the early limelight by dominating Garrycastle ‘s attack and, scoring the first five points. An early goal chance for James Dolan was well saved by the Killoe keeper. After 15 minutes Jason Nugent had a half chance for a goal but unfortunately didn’t get a good connection and it was saved. Alex Gardner scored the first two of three excellent points that he scored in the game, late in the first half to leave the halftime score 0-7 to 0-4 in favour of Garrycastle.

The second half continued with a sweeping Garrycastle move which ended with Mark McCallon pointing. The lead was increased to 6 when Alex Gardiner pointed a free from almost the sideline. Eoin Monoghan pointed after doing a lot of the hard work himself. Killoe began to run at the Garrycastle defence and were rewarded with two points. However, two points each from substitutes James Sheeran and Conor Cosgrove completed the Garrycastle scoring.

Killoe’s attack found it very hard to make any headway against the Garrycastle defence in which John Gaffey and Jack Donohoe were outstanding. It was a workmanlike efficient display by a Garrycastle team who were on top in most sectors and maintained their form for the full hour and never really looked like losing. The second round is versus Meath champions, Ratoath also in Mullingar.

GARRYCASTLE:- Sean Brennan, Mathew Guiheen, Jack Donohoe, Mark McCallon (0-1), Doran Harte, John Gaffey, Gary McCallon, Justin Barrett (0-1), James Dolan, Andrew Monaghan, Eoin Monaghan (0-1), Michael Monaghan, Jason Nugent, Alex Gardiner(0-3), Des Dolan (0-5).

Subs James Sheeran (0-2) for Jason Nugent; Conor Cosgrove (0-2) for Andrew Monaghan; Ger Henaghan for Des Dolan; Eoin Mulvihill for Gary McCallon; Cathal Mannion for Michael Monaghan; Mickey Greene for Eoin Monaghan.

Senior Men Championship FINAL [13 October 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 2-13 ST. LOMANS MULLINGAR 3-06

Garrycastle are the comeback kings!

Garrycastle won their 8th senior title in an extraordinary game in Cusack Park last Sunday. In a first half in which Garrycastle were ponderous, Lomans looked very sharp and opened up the Garrycastle defence very easily, scoring three goals and only for an excellent save by Sean Brennan could have been four. In attack the Garrycastle build up was slow and they found scores hard to come by with Lomans making many turnovers. In one of their better attacks Alex Gardiner burst through and blasted over the bar when a goal chance was on. In another attack on the Lomans goal Tom O’Halloran made a good break and was fouled for a penalty which was taken by Alex Gardiner and well saved by the Lomans keeper.

The score at halftime was 3-4 to 0-5 with things looking bleak for the green & red. However after management had their words with the players, Garrycastle looked a different team in the second half. Two points were shared in the first minute of the half before Garrycastle went on a scoring spree with four points followed by an Alex Gardiner goal from a penalty in the 14th minute. A lull in the scoring followed until Conor Cosgrove levelled with 11 minutes remaining. Lomans retook the lead again with a point before a good Garrycastle move left Eoin Monaghan winning possession on the edge of the square, spinning and burying it in the net. Two more Garrycastle points followed to leave the margin of victory at 4, a 12 point turnaround in the second half.

The performances of the Garrycastle boys in each half were as different as chalk and cheese. They went from a lethargic first half to a brilliant exhilarating second half. Defenders who were behind their men in the first half were first to the ball in the second and frequently turning over ball. When Lomans did succeed to get into dangerous positions a Doron Harte block or a John Gaffey interception put an end to the danger. At midfield and up front, player movement was back and the ball was being moved quickly, kickouts were being won consistently at midfield. The placing of James Sheerin at full forward had a huge effect on the performance of the team as he won ball after ball kicked in and the introduction of Conor Cosgrove also worked well. Many a team would have buckled after being outplayed on the scoreboard in the first half but credit to the lads, they took great heart and pride in the jersey to do the club very proud. Well done to team and management.

The man of the match was awarded to Alex Gardiner for his fine performance. The Flannagan cup was presented to captain Doron Harte by Co chairman Billy Foley. In his speech Doron thanked management, sponsors, backroom team and supporters. Doron also took time to remember people close to the club who passed away in the last two years, in particular his good friend Brian Carty who he felt was on his shoulder during that second half.

GARRYCASTLE: Sean Brennan, Mattie Guiheen, Jack Donohoe, Mark McCallon, Doron Harte, John Gaffey, Gary McCallon, Justin Barrett, James Dolan (0-1), Tom O’Halloran (0-1), Eoin Monaghan (1-2), Michael Monaghan (0-1), Jason Nugent, Alex Gardiner (1-4), Dessie Dolan.

Subs: James Sheeran for Dessie Dolan; Conor Cosgrove (0-4) for Jason Nugent; Ger Henaghan for Michael Monaghan; Eoin Mulvihill for Tom O’Halloran; Cathal Mannion for Eoin Monaghan.

Senior Championship (Men) Semi-Final [21 September 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 1-09 MULLINGAR SHAMROCKS 0-06

Our seniors qualified for the county final for the first time since 2014 on an overcast evening in Cusack Park on Saturday last. They say that semi finals are for winning and so it turned out for Garrycastle as they overcame the county champions without being overly impressive.

Shamrocks’ main threat came in the first minute when a swift attack was eventually driven into the side netting from a very threatening position. James Dolan, despite having the job of marking Denis Corroon, got the first score for the Castle after 3 minutes which was followed by 2 points for Shamrocks. Jason Nugent levelled after 7 minutes and then followed Garrycastle ‘s best patch scoring three more points without reply from Justin Barrett, Alex Gardiner and a Des Dolan free after 12 minutes. A barren spell for scoring followed, despite Garrycastle dominating possession, before Shamrocks reduced the lead to 2 points after 25 minutes from a free. James Dolan got his second point after 27 minutes before Shamrocks finished the scoring for the half with a free. The halftime score was 0-6 to 0-4 in favour of the Castle.

On the resumption James Sheeran had replaced Dessie Dolan and was placed on the edge of the square. Shamrocks pointed a free on the 33rd minute reducing the lead to one after a Garrycastle kickout went astray. A very good long range point by James Dolan increased the lead to 2 points. Then after 12 minutes of the half the referee issued a red card to Mullingar midfielder and county player, Denis Corroon. Shortly after, Eoin Monaghan worked his way through the defence and scored a well taken goal. Shamrocks added a point which were followed by two Garrycastle points from Eoin Monaghan and a Conor Cosgrove free. This finished the scoring after 54 minutes.

Garrycastle’s tactic in the last minutes was to play possession football which had the desired effect in holding onto the lead while not pleasing to the eye. Shamrocks’ tactic in the last quarter was to pump high balls into the Castle goalmouth which with the exception of one scary moment were capably dealt with by the defence. While it was a solid performance by the panel the management will look to iron out some errors before the final against St Lomans which is scheduled for October 13th. In defence, Jack Donohoe dealt well with everything that came his way, Mark McCallon’s experience was evident cutting out some vital ball and Doran Harte got in some good tackles. At midfield James Dolan had a very productive game against Shamrock’s dangerman while up front Eoin Monaghan was busy and took his scores very well, Jason Nugent was always a thorn in Shamrock’s side while Alex Gardiner found himself at centre forward in the second half worked very hard and succeeded in getting some good turnovers.

GARRYCASTLE: Sean Brennan, Mattie Guiheen, Jack Donohoe, Mark McCallon, Doran Harte, John Gaffey, Gary McCallon, Justin Barrett (0-1), James Dolan (0-3), Tom O’Halloran, Dessie Dolan (0-1), Michael Monaghan, Eoin Monaghan (1-1), Alex Gardiner (0-1), Jason Nugent (0-1).

Subs James Sheeran for Dessie Dolan; Conor Cosgrove (0-1) for Jason Nugent; Eoin Mulvihill for Tom O’Halloran; Ger Henaghan for Michael Monaghan; Andrew Monaghan for Eoin Monaghan.

Junior Championship (Men) Play-Offs [29 August 2019]

Garrycastle 1-09 The Downs 2-14

Garrycastle's run in the junior championship came to an abrupt end on Thursday night last under lights in Tubberclair when they lost comprehensively to the Downs. Having a strong wind in the first half Garrycastle needed to assert themselves on the score board early on but instead after 10 minutes they were a point behind, 0-2 to 0-1. Soon after with the score at 0-2 each a high ball into the Garrycastle goalmouth hopped on the bar and the breaking ball was finished to the net. The Garrycastle play was disjointed with players making untypical mistakes. With the score at 1-4 to 0-3 a quick free found John O’Brien who netted. With renewed hope Garrycastle began to play better and finished the half level at 1-6 each. In the 28th minute of the half a Downs player got a 2nd yellow followed by a red card.

In the early stages of the second half, with the wind on their backs, the Downs opened a two point lead. After 10 minutes of the half the referee was called to an off the ball incident which resulted in a red card for Paul Gunning. Garrycastle fought on bravely and midway through the half there was only a point between the sides. But this was as good as it got for the Garrycastle side as the Downs increased their lead with 4 points and then a goal well into a long period of added time.

Throughout the game Garrycastle struggled to create good scoring chances while their opponents were able to get their scores more easily. Late in the game the unfortunate Kenny Dolan, who’s is only a short time back after a long injury layoff went down after contesting a ball and was carried off with what looked a serious leg injury. We all wish him a speedy recovery.

GARRYCASTLE:- Shane Moran, Daniel Guinan, Fergal McKiernan, Gary Mullery, Enda Keena, Anthony Larkin, Neil Rattigan, Sean Doak, John O’Brien, Paul Gunning, Dylan Keegan, Brian Ruane, Cathal Mannion, Ciaran O’Neill, Kenny Dolan.

Subs Robbie Fox for Brian Ruane; Robbie Shine for Dylan Keegan; Bill Kelly for Kenny Dolan; Cillian Lyons for Gary Mullery; Dylan Keegan for Neil Rattigan.

Junior Football Championship (Men) [26 August 2019]

Garrycastle 2-15 Caulry 0-07

After a three week wait the junior championship was resumed and it resulted in a comfortable win for Garrycastle. Played in Garrycastle last Sunday morning the exchanges were even early on but after about ten minutes Garrycastle began to pull away. Showing good cohesiveness in attack Garrycastle created and scored some fine chances. The constant pressure resulted in Caulry conceding a penalty which Cathal Mannion converted. When halftime arrived the home team led by 1-8 to 0-3.

With another 4 Garrycastle points added in the third quarter making the Garrycastle lead unassailable, the game deteriorated and became pedestrian. With substitutes being introduced by both sides the final quarter was played out with Garrycastle adding 1-3 to Caulry’s 0-4. This game marked Cathal Mannion’s welcome return to competitive action after a long lay-off due to injury. The team has a nice blend of youth and experience which are gelling well. This result leaves Garrycastle at the top of the table with Athlone who have a game more played. Garrycastle’s last game in the group stages is versus Tubberclair.

GARRYCASTLE: Mark Keenan, Daniel Guinan, Fergal McKiernan, Gary Mullery, Neil Rattigan, Anthony Larkin, Enda Keena, Sean Doak, John O’Brien, Ciaran O’Neill, Damien Rushe, Brian Ruane, Cathal Mannion, Dylan Keegan, Paul Gunning.

Subs: Kenny Dolan for Damien Rushe; Conor McKiernan for Sean Doak; Peadar Mulvihill for Brian Ruane; Bill Kelly for Neil Rattigan; Robbie Shine for Cathal Mannion; Shane Moran for Mark Keenan.

Senior Football Championship (Men) [18 August 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 2-12 ST. LOMANS MULLINGAR 5-14

Round 5 of the championship pitted Garrycastle against St Lomans with Garrycastle looking assured of a semi final spot barring a miracle. Well that miracle almost happened when they lost by eleven points to Lomans and Mullingar Shamrocks beat Tyrellspass by 15 points. These results ended with Garrycastle making the semi final with a one point better score difference than Shamrocks. Playing without the absent Mark McCallon, Garrycastle were slow to start with Lomans getting two early points before Alex Gardiner opened the scoring with a point followed by two more for Lomans before Garrycastle got their second. Four points were shared in the next 7 minutes before Lomans got their first goal, followed by a point. Garrycastle replied with similar scores in the 22nd and 23rd minutes, the goal coming from James Sheeran. This left Garrycastle trailing by two points, 1-7 to 1-5, after 23 minutes. Between then and halftime Lomans added 1-2 to Garrycastle’s 0-2, to leave the score at the break 2-9 to 1-7.

A five point lead didn’t look insurmountable but during the first five minutes of the second half Lomans added 1-3 to their tally and suddenly the game was slipping away fast. Worse was to follow with Alex Gardiner getting a second yellow card followed by a red in the 40th minute. The floodgates opened and two more goals followed for Lomans soon after. At the three quarter stage Lomans led by 16 points. In fairness to the Garrycastle lads they rallied and a goal from Tom O'Halloran and three points in the last ten minutes proved vital in the eventual deciding who got the semi final spot. This was an untypically poor performance after four solid performances in the earlier rounds. At the end of the day the scoring was at the level of previous games but the concession of 5-14 has certainly left management with plenty to work on in the coming weeks.

GARRYCASTLE: Sean Brennan, Matthew Guiheen, Jack Donoghue, Eoin Mulvihill, James Dolan, John Gaffey, Gary McCallon, Justin Barrett, James Sheerin (1-0),Tom O’Halloran (1-0), Doron Harte, Ger Heneghan (0-1), Conor Cosgrove (0-2), Alex Gardiner (0-3), Michael Monaghan (0-3).

Subs: Andrew Monaghan for Conor Cosgrove; Jason Nugent for Ger Henaghan; Eoin Monaghan for Justin Barrett; Dessie Dolan (0-3) for James Sheeran.

Senior Football Championship (Men) [11 August 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 2-13 ATHLONE 0-07

A good start and a good finish led to a resounding win by Garrycastle in Tubberclair on Sunday evening last. Garrycastle who were without James Sheeran, Tom O'Halloran and Jonathan Maguire, had the benefit of the wind in the first half. The first five minutes of the game were scoreless but a point by Justin Barrett was the first of five in five minutes through Alex Gardiner, Conor Cosgrove (2) and Ger Henaghan. Athlone’s first point came after 13 minutes. A poor kickout led to a good goal chance for Athlone which they failed to convert. At this stage of the game, possession was fairly evenly shared with the Athlone defence tightening up considerably. At the other end the Garrycastle defence were being tested with Jack Donohoe in particular giving a great lesson in the art of defending. In addition, he found time to get forward and score a point in the 24th minute. This was followed by points from Conor Cosgrove and Ger Heneghan to Athlone’s two to leave the halftime score at Garrycastle 0-8 to Athlone 0-3.

On the resumption Athlone monopolised the possession but could only add two points to their total. An excellent save by Sean Brennan help to keep their score down. It was the 44th minute when Garrycastle got their first 2nd half score through an Alex Gardiner point, quickly followed by one from Michael Monaghan. After 53 minutes Athlone had the lead cut to three again when the late Garrycastle scoring spree started with three points on the trot between the 54 and 59th minutes through substitute Andrew Monaghan, James Dolan and substitute Dessie Dolan. Mathew Guiheen had been pushing forward in the second half and on one such run he found himself one on one with the Athlone keeper and duly found the net. A late Garrycastle attack appeared to have been repelled but pressure on the defender resulted in the ball being crossed to Michael Monaghan who had the simplest of jobs in getting his side’s second goal. This finished the scoring with Garrycastle having the impressive total of ten different scorers.

This result leaves Garrycastle on top of the table with 8 points and one game against St Lomans to play which is fixed for Tubberclair on Sunday evening next at 7pm.

GARRYCASTLE: Sean Brennan, Matthew Guiheen (1-0), Jack Donoghue (0-1), Mark McCallon, John Gaffey, Eoin Mulvihill, Gary McCallon, Justin Barrett (0-1), James Dolan (0-1), Michael Monaghan (1-1), Doron Harte, Ger Heneghan (0-2), Conor Cosgrove (0-3), Alex Gardiner (0-2), Jason Nugent.

Subs: Eoin Monaghan for Ger Henaghan; Andrew Monaghan (0-1) for Jason Nugent; Dessie Dolan (0-1) for Conor Cosgrove.

Senior Football Championship (Men) [4 August 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 2-13 TYRRELLSPASS 0-11

Garrycastle have two more championship points in the bag after what was a “curates egg” of a performance - good in spots. A very heavy shower just before the match left the pitch slippery and the Garrycastle lads seemed to struggle with the conditions early on. Alex Gardiner had the first score for Garrycastle after 8 minutes and by the 14th minute Tyrellspass led by 0-3 to 0-1. Points by Michael Monaghan and Tom O'Halloran in the 14th and 15th minutes levelled the scoring. Tyrellspass took the lead again but from the 17th minute until halftime Garrycastle added 6 points from Jason Nugent (2), Tom O'Halloran (2), Alex Gardiner(1) and Ger Henaghan (1) leaving the halftime score at 0-9 to 0-4. Mathew Guiheen was given the job of marking Denis Glennon and had been doing well but one foul too many earned him a yellow card. Management replaced him with Eoin Mulvihill at half time and moved James Dolan onto Glennon. This move worked in James’ favour as he came far more into the game and was very prominent in the second half.

The half started with Garrycastle in complete control and Tom O'Halloran, continuing his good recent form, bursting through the Tyrellspass defense and getting a goal. Shortly after, Jason Nugent who had been tormenting the Tyrellspass defense all day, added a point, then a goal and then two more points. In the 45th minute substitute Conor Cosgrove pointed a free to leave the score 2-12 to 0-4. During this spell Mark McCallon and his opponent both received black cards for a small altercation. With substitutions being made by management the Garrycastle players obviously felt that the game was won losing their way completely and were outscored by 7 points to 1 (a Conor Cosgrove free) in the last 15 minutes. The intensity and coherence that were there earlier were gone and wrong options were being taken and passes were going astray. Two late goal chances also went abegging, one shot by James Dolan brought a great save from the keeper and the second was cleared off the line after Alex Gardiner failed to get a good connection. The final whistle didn’t come a minute too soon as light had been fading from shortly after half time. After 3 rounds Garrycastle are on 6 points along with St Lomans. Next up is Athlone next Sunday evening at 7.15 in Tubberclair.

GARRYCASTLE: Sean Brennan, Matthew Guiheen, Jack Donoghue, Mark McCallon, James Dolan, John Gaffey, Gary McCallon, Justin Barrett, James Sheeran, Tom O’Halloran (1-3), Doron Harte, Ger Heneghan (0-1), Michael Monaghan (0-1), Alex Gardiner (0-2), Jason Nugent (1-4).

Subs: Eoin Mulvihill for Mathew Guiheen; Andrew Monaghan for Tom O'Halloran; Jonathan McGuire for Mark McCallon; Conor Cosgrove (0-2) for Ger Henaghan.

Junior Football Championship (Men) [4 August 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 6-23 CORALSTOWN/KINNEGAD 1-05

This second round game, played in Garrycastle last Sunday morning, saw the locals gain a very easy win. Coralstown/Kinnegad arrived with no subs and consequently were at a significant disadvantage in this match. The visitors opened the scoring but then Garrycastle responded with 7 points in a row. A second Coralstown/Kinnegad point was replied to with 2 goals in quick succession. A third goal 3 minutes later put the home team in a commanding lead. Both sides added 2 further points to leave the half-time score 3-9 to 0-4 and the game was over as a contest.

The second half was a very one sided affair and Garrycastle continued to build on the lead and added a further 3 goals and 14 points to Coralstown/Kinnegad’s contribution of 1-1 to leave the full time score at 6-23 to 1-5 with all of Garrycastle's scores except for a 45 coming from play.

GARRYCASTLE: Mark Keenan, Seán Carey, Fergal Mc Kiernan, Gary Mullery, Daniel Guinan, Anthony Larkin, Cillian Lyons, Sean Doak (0-1), John O Brien, Enda Keena (1-3), Damien Rushe (0-1), Brian Ruane (0-1), Bryan McCormack (1-5), Dylan Keegan (1-3, 0-1 45), Paul Mulvihill (1-5).

Subs: Ciarán O Neill (1-1) for Seán Carey; Paul Gunning (1-2) for Sean Doak; Robbie Fox for Anthony Larkin; Peadar Mulvihill (0-1) for Damien Rushe; Conor Mc Kiernan for Dylan Keegan; Adam Keena for Gary Mullery.

Senior Football Championship - Men [24 July 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 1-14 THE DOWNS 0-13

Round 2 of the senior championship saw our seniors pitted against The Downs in Moate on Wednesday evening last. After an eventful hour’s football our boys came out on top by four points. The wind was favouring Garrycastle in the first half but despite this the first 10 points scored were shared equally and after 15 minutes it was 0-5 each. Each side were able to breech their opponents defence with almost every possession. It was only at this point that Garrycastle crept 2 points ahead. With the score at 0-8 to 0-6 after 29 minutes the crucial score of the game arrived when James Dolan came in at the end of a series of clever passes to finish to the net. A further point by the Downs left the halftime score 1-8 to 0-7.

Facing the wind in the second half Garrycastle still had a lot of work to do against tricky opponents. After 7 minutes of the half and with 5 points between the sides Mathew Guiheen got two yellow cards in the space of a minute and subsequent marching orders. He was unlucky in that he was out of position, getting the card, when the referee allowed the play to re-start and committed the foul that earned him the second yellow. From here to the end it was a backs to the wall battle performance by our lads. Despite the numerical advantage the Downs were only able to reduce the lead by one.

The workrate of the Garrycastle boys was very good with better tackling and good turnovers. Management used the bench to good effect bringing in fresh legs and effectively matching their opponents all over the field. In fairness to the Downs they never gave up and it took a smart save by Sean Brennan in the last minute to keep a clean sheet. This was a solid performance by the team and it was good to see them rise to the challenge when they had to. While there were many good performances Tom O'Halloran and Justin Barrett deserve special mention as both had very very good hour’s football, putting in vital tackles and both scoring two points each. The next round is against Tyrellspass in Cusack Park on Sunday next at 7.30pm.

GARRYCASTLE: Sean Brennan, Matthew Guiheen, Jack Donoghue, Mark McCallon, James Dolan (1-0), John Gaffey, Gary McCallon, Justin Barrett (0-2), Jonathan McGuire, Jason Nugent (0- 1), Doron Harte, Ger Heneghan (0-5), Tom O’Halloran (0-2), Alex Gardiner (0-3), Conor Cosgrove (0-1).

Subs: Eoin Mulvihill for Conor Cosgrove; James Sheeran for Jonathan McGuire; Dessie Dolan for Jason Nugent; Michael Monaghan for Ger Henaghan; Mickey Greene for Alex Gardiner.

Junior Football Championship (Men) [15 July 2019]

ATHLONE 1-09 GARRYCASTLE 2-10

The junior team defeated Athlone in a keenly contested first round game of the championship, played in Athlone last week. Playing against the wind Garrycastle started strongly scoring a goal and a point by Dylan Keegan. However, Athlone came back quickly and quickly levelled with a goal and a point of their own. The half was low scoring with Garrycastle getting two further points from Eoin Mulvihill and Brian McCormack to Athlone's three points leaving Athlone leading by a point at halftime. Even though they were trailing at halftime Garrycastle showed that they could create goal chances with two good chances not being converted during the half. At the other end Mark Keenan brought off a good save to keep an Athlone shot out.

At the start of the second half the Garrycastle management brought Neil Rattigan and Ciaran O’Neill into the action. Peadar Mulvihill, Dylan Keegan and Brian McCormack added three quick points to Athlone’s one before Ciaran O’Neill came in at the end of a very good Garrycastle move to finish to the net. Further points were added by Dylan Keegan, Brian McCormack, Brain Ruane (2) and Sean Doak to Athlone’s three. During this period another Garrycastle goal chance wasn’t converted. This was a good hardworking performance by the team with some good fielding on display, especially by younger players. It also saw the welcome return of emigrants Neil Rattigan and Shane Mulvihill to the colours and newcomer John O’Brien making his debut.

GARRYCASTLE:- Mark Keenan, Sean Carey, Fergal Mckiernan, Gary Mullery, Anthony Larkin, Eoin Mulvihill, Enda Keeha, Sean Doak, John O’Brien, Brian McCormack, Andrew Monaghan, Brian Ruane, Peadar Mulvihill, Dylan Keegan, Paul Mulvihill.

Subs: Ciaran O’Neill for Paul Mulvihill; Neil Rattigan for Fergal McKiernan; Kilian Lyons for Sean Carey; Shane Mulvihill for Peadar Mulvihill; Conor Duignan for John O’Brien; Graham O’Brien for Brian McCormack.

Senior Football Championship - Men [13 July 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 1-14 MULLINGAR SHAMROCKS 0-09

Garrycastle gained two valuable championship points in this tricky fixture against last year’s champions. During the first quarter Shamrocks had the upper hand and led by four points to two after 15 minutes. From then to half time Garrycastle dominated the scoring, adding five points without reply. At this point Jason Nugent’s pace was causing huge problems for the Shamrock’s defence which along with Alex Gardiner’s accuracy and John Gaffey’s long range point taking helped build a 3 point half time lead. However, Shamrocks were dominating the midfield exchanges especially on their own kick out.

At halftime the Garrycastle management reacted by bringing James Sheeran into midfield whose height subsequently helped to give Garrycastle an even break in that area. In the early part of the second half play got scrappy with Jason Nugent getting very close attention some of which yielded a yellow card for his opponent. The Shamrocks defence were giving away frees which were converted by Conor Cosgrove (3). Another foul on Jason yielded a 2nd yellow and a red card for his opponent after 21 minutes. The pointed free by Eoin Monaghan left 3 between them 0-11 to 0-8. From there to the end it was all Garrycastle with points from substitute Michael Monaghan, Conor Cosgrove and Alex Gardiner. In one of the last plays of the game Jason found Conor Cosgrove with a good ball who was fouled for a penalty which Alex converted. While not reaching the heights of the league final It was still a workman like display with some good score taking and good tackling leading to dispossessions but also enough problems to give management plenty to work on. Next up are The Downs which is scheduled for Wednesday May 24th.

GARRYCASTLE: Sean Brennan, Matthew Guiheen, Jack Donoghue, Mark McCallon, James Dolan, John Gaffey (0-2), Gary McCallon, Justin Barrett, Jonathan McGuire, Jason Nugent (0-2), Doron Harte, Eoin Monaghan (0-1), Tom O’Halloran, Alex Gardiner (1-3), Conor Cosgrove (0-5).

Subs: James Sheeran for Jonathan McGuire; Michael Monaghan (0-1) for Tom O’Halloran.

All County League (Div. 1) Final [5 July 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 2-16, ROSEMOUNT 1-05

Garrycastle retained their ACFL Division 1 title in some style with an emphatic win over Rosemount on Friday evening in TEG Cusack Park. On a fine evening for football, and in front of a very small attendance, the Garrycastle team controlled this game from the throw-in, while the expected stern test from Rosemount never materialised.

Right from the start Garrycastle showed they meant business, and Dessie Dolan opened the scoring with a point inside the first 30 seconds. Within a minute the lead was doubled when Eoin Monaghan pointed following a delightful touch from Dessie. Two further pointed frees from Dessie, and a well taken point from Alex Gardiner following some good interplay with Tom O’Halloran saw the Garrycastle team 5 points to the good by the end of the first quarter. It could have been better as a goal bound shot was cleared off the line by a Rosemount defender.

It took 16 minutes for Rosemount to open their account with a close-in pointed free. However, almost immediately Garrycastle got the opening goal of the game, when a loose back pass left the Rosemount goalkeeper in trouble, and Eoin Monaghan moved smartly to dispossess him and calmly tapped the ball into an unguarded net. Rosemount responded with a point, but Garrycastle just stepped up a gear, and a pointed free from Dessie, followed by a bullet shot that flashed over the crossbar from Justin Barrett widened their lead. Garrycastle were totally in control of the game now all over the field, and further points from Jason Nugent, following a great sideline kick from Alex, and a pointed free from Dessie showed them pulling away on the scoreboard. As half-time neared, a fantastic point by Alex from out near the far sideline finished the scoring, leaving the half-time score at Garrycastle 1-10, Rosemount 0-03.

As the second half began, Garrycastle continued as they had finished the first half, and immediately won a 45-meter free, which was unfortunately kicked wide, but James Dolan restarted the scoring with a well-taken point following a bustling run upfield. Substitute Andrew Monaghan kicked a fine point to extend the lead further, before Rosemount pulled a point back from play.

However, with less than 10 minutes of the second half gone, Dessie put the game beyond Rosemount, by taking a great pass from Alex, and showing all his years of experience, put an unstoppable shot into the top of the net, giving the Rosemount goalkeeper absolutely no chance. A further point from play from James Dolan widened the lead further at the three-quarter mark. The game then died down with little of note in the last quarter, with two points from Alex and Eoin Monaghan from a free, extending the lead even further.

And then, as the game entered the last two minutes of normal time, a goal bound shot from Rosemount, rebounded off a Garrycastle defender, and forced a fantastic fingertip save from substitute goalkeeper Shane McEnery, out for a 45-meter free. However, the Referee called it back, awarding the Rosemount team a penalty for an earlier infringement, which was dispatched to the net to put a little gloss on the score sheet. Garrycastle, however, had the last word with a final pointed free from Eoin Monaghan in injury time to close out the scoring.

Final score: Garrycastle 2-16, Rosemount 1-05.

Overall this was a game which never lived up to its billing. Rosemount, who had topped the Division 1 table, simply never showed up on the night, and never threatened in the game. Indeed, with more clinical finishing in front of goal by Garrycastle, the winning margin could have been much greater. All over the field, the Garrycastle team were on top, and the workrate at which they closed down Rosemount when not in possession, the speed at which they worked the ball to the forwards, and their use of space around the field, was a joy to behold. Dessie Dolan rolled back the years with a great display, and all over the field the Garrycastle players held the upper hand. The game was unique as well in that three Monaghan brothers, Eoin, Michael and Andrew finished the game on the field for the Garrycastle team.

Garrycastle captain Doron Harte accepted the Division 1 trophy from Garrycastle club stalwart Dermot Ryan, and in his speech identified this as a good start to the summer, but that the search for the senior championship now begins in earnest.

Team:

Sean Brennan, Matthew Guiheen, Jack Donoghue, Mark McCallon, James Dolan (0-2), John Gaffey, Gary McCallon, Justin Barrett (0-1), Jonathan McGuire, Tom O’Halloran, Doron Harte, Eoin Monaghan (1-3, 2f), Jason Nugent (0-1), Alex Gardiner (0-3, 1f), Dessie Dolan (1-5, 4f).

Subs:

Andrew Monaghan (0-1) for Jonathan McGuire (22 mins), Michael Monaghan for Tom O’Halloran (39 mins), James Sheerin for Dessie Dolan (44 mins), Eoin Mulvihill for Doron Harte 48 mins), Shane McEnery for Sean Brennan (50 mins), Anthony Larkin for John Gaffey (56 mins).

All County League (Div. 3) Men [8 June 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 1-20, ATHLONE 1-09

The last Division 3 game of the season yielded two good points but unfortunately it was too late to prevent relegation to Division 4 along with Athlone. Garrycastle started well scoring three points but a purple patch by Athlone followed in which they scored 1-4 by the 22nd minute. Fortunes turned again and between then and halftime Garrycastle outscored their opponents by 0 -6 to 0-1 to leave the halftime score 0-9 to 1-5. Athlone levelled just after halftime but Garrycastle scored the next 8 points as well as a goal before Athlone scored again. In the last few minutes both teams scored 3 points each. It was a comprehensive by Garrycastle and it was a pity that their good form came so late.

Team:

Sean Brennan, Daniel Guinan, Anthony Larkin, Gary Mullery, Enda Keena (0-1), Eoin Mulvihill (0-2), Sean Carey (1-0), Dylan Keegan (0-1), Andrew Monaghan (0-7), Fergal McKiernan (0-1),

Justin Barrett (0-2), Brian Ruane (0-1), Peadar Mulvihill, Paul Mulvihill (0-4), Kenny Dolan.

Subs:

Damien Rushe (0-1) for Peadar Mulvihill, Adam Keena for Eoin Mulvihill, Paul Gunning for Kenny Dolan, Conor Duignan for Brian Ruane, Conor McKiernan for Fergal McKiernan.

All County League (Div. 1) Men [9 June 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 1-14, TYRELLSPASS 0-12

Going into this game, which was played in Garrycastle last Sunday morning, the prospect of Garrycastle reaching the league final looked remote. However they duly went ahead and gained the two points to bring their league tally to 11. Results elsewhere went in Garrycastle‘s favour, and with Tang drawing and St. Loman's losing, it meant that Garrycastle qualified for the league final thanks to their superior scoring difference.

Getting back to Sunday morning’s game, Tyrellspass, with some help from the wind, started the stronger and held a 0-5 to 0-2 (Alex Gardiner) lead midway through the half. Garrycastle were sluggish and were losing a lot of breaks. In the second quarter there was an improvement in the home teams play and were rewarded with points from Conor Cosgrove, Andrew Monaghan, and Alex Gardiner. Dessie Dolan’s introduction after 25 minutes helped the team’s performance.

The halftime score was 0-7 to 0-5.

Early points in the second half by Dessie Dolan and Eoin Monaghan levelled the scores. Garrycastle added three points from Ger Henaghan, Alex Gardiner and Dessie Dolan but they were matched by three Tyrellspass points. With the score at 10 points each a long ball was knocked down by James Sheeran to Tom O’Halloran who found the net. This was the decisive score and Garrycastle finished with 4 points from John Gaffey, Alex Gardiner, Dessie Dolan and Tom O’Halloran. It was good to see Shane Moran making his comeback after a long injury layoff.

Team:

Shane McEnery, Gary Mullery, Jack Donohoe, Mark McCallon, John Gaffey, Eoin Mulvihill,

Gary McCallon, Jonathan Maguire, Doran Harte, Conor Cosgrove, Andrew Monaghan, James Sheeran, Michael Greene, Alex Gardiner, Tom O'Halloran.

Subs:

Dessie Dolan for Michael Greene, Eoin Monaghan for Andrew Monaghan. Justin Barrett for Jonathan Maguire, Ger Henaghan for Conor Cosgrove, Shane Moran for Shane McEnery.

All County League (Div 1) Men [18 May 2019]

Mullingar Shamrocks 0-12 GARRYCASTLE 1-08

Our division 1 side suffered a one point defeat to Mullingar Shamrocks last Sat evening in round 8 of the league. The game played in Springfield in ideal conditions was a close encounter all through and Garrycastle playing minus a number of regulars due to injuries and unavailability were denied the win when a Shamrocks defender made a great block on Michael Monaghan's goal bound shot in the last minute. Garrycastle played some nice flowing football in the first half benefiting from quick early ball into the full forward line resulting in a excellent goal from Alex Gardiner.The evergreen Dessie Dolan making his first appearance of 2019 also got his name on the scoreboard with a well taken free leaving us 1-06 to 0-06 to the good at half time.

The second half was a much tighter affair with a lot of frees in contrast to the more open first period.Injuries to regulars Justin Barrett and Matthew Guiheen during the second period effected our ball winning ability and Shamrocks were able to tag on the few points to record a one point win.Whilst management will regret a few scorable point chances missed during the second half considering the amount of changes required both before and during the game on the night they will be happy with the effort of all.

GARRYCASTLE: Shane McEnery, Matthew Guiheen, Anthony Larkin, Gary McCallon, Enda Keena, Eoin Mulvihill, Doran Harte, ohnny McGuire, Justin Barrett, Bryan McCormack, Damien Rushe, James Sheerin, Dessie Dolan, Alex Gardiner, Michael Monahan.

Subs Used: Sean Carey for Matthew Guiheen; Conor Duignan for Justin Barrett: Kenny Dolan for Dessie Dolan; Graham O'Brien for Damien Rushe.

All County League (Div 3) Men [19 May 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 0-08 MOATE ALL-WHITES 3-14

Garrycastle welcomed the Division 3 leaders, the Moate All-Whites to Garrycastle on Sunday morning. On a fine morning for football with little or no wind, it was the visitors who started the brightest, forcing the Garrycastle goalkeeper Mark Keenan into a great early save to stop a certain goal. The visitors had most of the play in the first quarter hour, but only had two points to show for it, one from a free, before Robbie Shine opened the Garrycastle account with a pointed free in the 12th minute following a foul on Kenny Dolan.

The teams then traded points, the Garrycastle effort a hard-earned score from Jason Nugent after some good lead-up play by Bryan McCormack. The visitors were on top by this stage in defence and midfield, and found the net in the 21st minute when one of their half-backs was allowed a free run and finished smartly. Garrycastle responded immediately with a point from Kenny Dolan, but Moate then struck for a goal and four points as half-time approached widening their lead. The first half action ended with a pointed close-in free from Robbie.

At the break, Garrycastle trailed on a scoreline of 2-07 to 0-04. The Garrycastle midfield was struggling to handle a strong Moate running game, and the Garrycastle forwards were having to drop very deep in search of possession.

The expected push from Garrycastle at the start of the second-half did not materialise, and it was the visitors who opened the scoring with two points from play, the first a rebounded effort, following another excellent save by Mark to deny a goal. Garrycastle responded with a pointed free from Bryan McCormack following a foul on Jason Nugent, but any hopes the home team had of getting a result were killed off when the visitors scored their third goal on the 40-minute mark.

An inspirational point from Eoin Mulvihill who was involved in the move from start to finish gave a lift to the home side, but a string of Moate points showed them stretching their lead as the game entered the last 10 minutes. Andrew Monaghan knocked over a point for the home side, but again Mark Keenan was called into action, with another excellent close-in save denying the visitors. As the final whistle neared, Jason knocked over a point for Garrycastle, but it was the visitors who closed out the scoring to take a deserved win.

Overall, this was a patchy performance by the home team. Garrycastle struggled with the Moate runners coming from deep, and gave up possession too easily when in the Moate third of the field.

GARRYCASTLE: Mark Keenan, Oisin Langan, Anthony Larkin, Sean Carey, Shane McEnery, Eoin Mulvihill (0-1), Enda Keena, Conor Duignan, Fergal McKiernan, Bryan McCormack (0-1, 1f), Kenny Dolan (0-1), Graham O'Brien, Paul Mulvihill, Robbie Shine (0-2, 2f), Jason Nugent (0-2).

Subs: Garry Mullery for Graham O'Brien (35 mins); Andrew Monaghan (0-1) for Shane McEnery (37 mins); Conor McKiernan for Conor Duignan (46 mins).

All County League (Div. 3) Men [4 May 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 2-12 KILBEGGAN SHAMROCKS 3-07

Garrycastle hosted Kilbeggan on Saturday May 4th for an entertaining match played in ideal conditions. It was a must win game for the home team who had only secured 1 League point from 6 games in ACL Division 3 to date. Garrycastle got the ideal start with a well-executed goal by corner forward Jason Nugent within 5 minutes of the throw-in. Following points from Paul Mulvihill and Sean Brennan (a free), the visitors rocked the home team with a goal after 10 minutes and by the 25th minute, the sides were level. A reshuffle of the Garrycastle team with the introduction of Robbie Shine paid off as he provided Garrycastle’s second goal in addition to 2 converted frees. With Jason Nugent providing the last score of the first half, the home team entered the break with a relatively comfortable lead of 2-6 to 1-4.

The 2nd half continued favourably from the home side’s point of view with the score at 2-8 to 1-6 by the mid-point. However, with 10 minutes remaining Kilbeggan hit with their 2nd goal to narrow the gap to 3 points at that stage of the game. This resulted in an anxious end to the game for the home team which was made more anxious when Kilbeggan netted for the 3rd time to draw the game with 5 minutes remaining. Further points from Jason Nugent and Robbie Shine (a free) steadied the ship and sealed the deal on the night.

GARRYCASTLE: Michael Fagan, Daniel Guinan, Anthony Larkin, Gary Mullery, Enda Keena, Eoin Mulvihill, Cillian Lyons, Sean Brennan (0-2,1f), Sean Doak (0-1), Brian Ruane, Andrew Monaghan, Adam Keena, Damien Rushe, Paul Mulvihill (0-1), Jason Nugent (1-3.

Subs: Robbie Shine (1-5,5f) for D Guinan; Bryan McCormack for B. Ruane; Conor Duignan for D. Rushe and Shane Mc Enery for C. Lyons.

All County League (Div. 6B) Men [5 May 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 1-05 ATHLONE 3-17

The division 6 went down heavily to Athlone on Sunday last in Garrycastle. Fielding with eight players who had participated in the division 3 victory on the evening before against a fresh Athlone side it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Garrycastle side. The home side won plenty of possession in the first half but many of their attacks broke down as they got near the Athlone goal and were very exposed on the counter attack. They fought hard to contain the visitors with the halftime score 2-7 to 1-3 to Athlone.

As the second half wore on fatigue was showing on the Garrycastle lads as they struggled to keep the score down. In the last ten minutes the floodgates opened with Athlone adding to their otal. However, the Garrycastle team can hold their heads high as they gave all they had for the green and red. Fielding three teams inside 48 hours is a big test on resources in a club but overall it was a successful weekend for the club with 2 out of their 3 teams winning and around 40 players getting football.

GARRYCASTLE: Michael Fagan, Cillian Lyons, Emmett Ward, Keith Donohoe, Adam Keena, Enda Keena, Conor Duignan, Fergal Mckiernan, Sean Doak, Graham O’Brien, Noel Galvin, Conor McKiernan, Eoin Duignan, Oisin Langan, Paul Mulvihill.

Subs:- Peadar Mulvihill For Emmett Ward; Robbie Shine for Oisin Langan; Darren O’Neill for Graham O’Brien; Damien Conlon for Eoin Duignan.

All County League (Div. 1) Men [3 May 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 2-12 SHANDONAGH 1-08

Garrycastle continued their sequence of recent wins when they defeated Shandonagh in Garrycastle on Friday evening last. This was a game in which fortunes for both teams turned on a number of occasions. After 10 minutes Shandonagh led by 0-5 to 0-0 but by halftime the scores were level at 0-6 each.

Garrycastle continued their dominance in the third quarter and built a six point lead, Jack Donohoe finishing a fine move to the net, and looked to be in control of the game. A quick Garrycastle kickout was lost and suddenly a Shandonagh forward was chipping Shane McEnry to reduce the lead to three points. Another point reduced the lead to two and the pressure was on Garrycastle. However, they responded well with points by AlexGardiner and Jason Nugent and a very good individual goal by Jason to finish the scoring.

In the end it was a hard fought win for the home side after a very slow start. Encouraging parts of the display was that Garrycastle had seven different scorers and played some lovely open football. For a time in the game the Garrycastle midfield found it difficult to deal with the fielding ability of Shandonagh midfielder, David Duffy, on the Shandonagh kickout. However, this was overcome which helped to give the homeside control of the game. This was a solid performance considering that there were five players missing from the last game. This leaves Garrycastle on 9 points in the league table with two rounds to go.

GARRYCASTLE: Shane McEnery, Anthony Larkin, Jack Donohoe (1-0), Mark McCallon, John Gaffey, Eoin Mulvihill, Gary McCallon, Doran Harte, Jonathan Maguire (0-1), Dylan Keegan (0-1), Andrew Monaghan (0-2), James Sheeran, Ger Henaghan (0-1), Alex Gardiner (0-4), Jason Nugent (1-3).

Subs Enda Keena for Dylan Keegan.

ACL (Div 6B) Mens [28 April 2019]

Garrycastle 2-5 Miltown 0-18

Fielding in this game was an achievement as a number of the panel were abroad at the wedding of another panel member. However, a team took to the field in the green and red and gave of their best. Garrycastle got on top early and had 1-2 on the board before Miltown got going, the goal coming from Fergal McKiernan. Gradually Miltown (this was their second team) gained control and wiped out the lead. By halftime they led by 5 points, 0-11 to 1-3.

In the second half the Garrycastle lads had plenty of possession but found scoring difficult, losing a lot of ball in the opposition half. To add to the the home team’s woes, Conor Duignan who was having a fine game, had to come off because of injury. In addition Kenny Dolan picked up an injury late in the game and had to come off. In spite of the problems garrycastle gave a very good account of themselves.

GARRYCASTLE: Michael Fagan, Mark Denby, Keith Donohoe, Adam Keena, Bill Kelly, Conor Duignan, Sean Doak, Fergal McKiernan, Noel Galvin, Ross Mulvihill, Conor McKiernan, Eoin Duignan, Kenny Dolan, Darragh McCormack, Francis Doolin.

All County League (Div. 1) Men [27 April 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 1-16 ST. LOMANS 1-06

Garrycastle had a comfortable over Lomans in round 6 of the league, played in Garrycastle on Saturday evening last. Almost straight after the throw in Eoin Monaghan suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Anthony Larkin. Garrycastle were playing with the wind but an early Lomans goal set them back. But they settled and played some excellent open football to lead by 0 - 6 to 0-1 scoring some great points. Daniel Guinan replaced Mathew Guiheen (black card) midway through the half. Lomans added 3 points before Garrycastle finished the half with 3 points to lead by 0-10 to 1-3 at half time.

Facing the wind in the second half the expected onslaught from Lomans never materialised. Garrycastle added 1-3, the goal coming from an excellent Jason Nugent effort, before the visitors scored. Lomans pressed but they found it hard to breach the tight home defence. Meanwhile Garrycastle were building their score steadily being answered only by two late Lomans points. With both teams missing regulars this was a very satisfactory performance by a Garrycastle side with some young players playing a big part. This result gives Garrycastle 7 points from 6 games in the league.

GARRYCASTLE: Shane McEnery, John Gaffey, Jack Donohoe, James Dolan, Eoin Mulvihill, Doran Harte (0-1), Eoin Monaghan, Jonathan Maguire, Michael Monaghan, Conor Cosgrove (0-6), James Sheeran (0-1), Ger Henaghan (0-1), Alex Gardiner (0-5), Jason Nugent (1-1).

Subs Anthony Larkin for Eoin Monaghan; Daniel Guinan for Matthew Guiheen; Cillian Lyons for Ger Henaghan; Dylan Keegan (0-1) for Jason Nugent; Kenny Dolan for Jonathan Maguire; Sean Doak for Alex Gardiner.

All County League (Div. 3) Men [26 April 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 0-08 MULTYFARNHAM 1-13

This game, played in Garrycastle on a cold wet windy Friday evening last, started to get away from the home side early in the second half after a very promising first half. Fielding a very young side with eight players from last year’s minor side, the Garrycastle lads held their own in the first half and led mid way through the half by two points but were hauled in and were a point behind at halftime, 0-6 to 0-5. Garrycastle put together some nice moves during the half resulting in nice points. Jason Nugent was proving to be a thorn in Multy’s side.

In the first attack of the second half a shot for goal by Multy was well blocked but unfortunately the rebound was punched to the net. This gave the Multy players a lot of confidence and they pinned Garrycastle in their own half for long periods during which they added seven points to Garrycastle’s one. Late in the half the home team added two further points. The strength and size of the Multy players told in the second half against the young Garrycastle players.

GARRYCASTLE: Patrick McKiernan, Daniel Guinan, Jack Donohoe, Anthony Larkin, Cillian Lyons, Eoin Mulvihill, Sean Carey, Jonathan Maguire (0-1), Eoin Monaghan (0-5), Brian Ruane, Andrew Monaghan, Dylan Keegan, Sean Doak, Kenny Dolan, Jason Nugent (0-2).

Subs: Adam Keena for Sean Carey; Conor Duignan for Andrew Monaghan; Fergal McKiernan for Anthony Larkin; Conor McKiernan for Eoin Monaghan.

All County League (Div. 6B) Men [19 April 2019]

TANG 2-23 GARRYCASTLE 0-07

Garrycastle’s third team went to Tang on Friday evening last to play the locals’ second team and found the going very tough. After the the very early stages Tang began to pull away adding points with relative ease. However in the minutes before halftime Garrycastle got their act together adding some good points to leave the halftime score 0-12 0-6.

After halftime Tang continued to dominate a tiring Garrycastle team and ran out comfortable winners. Well done to the players who turned out and gave their all. The good form of Tang’s first team carried on to their second team who showed greater cohesion and fitness than the Garrycastle lads. The next match is versus Miltown in Garrycastle at 12.30pm on Sunday next.

GARRYCASTLE: Shane McEnery, Stephen McGuire, Sean Carey, Darren O’Neill, Cillian Lyons, Bill Kelly, Adam Keena, Ciaran O'Neill, Fergal McKiernan, Ross Mulvihill, Conor Duignan, Conor McKiernan, Darragh McCormack, Kenny Dolan, Paul Mulvihill.

Subs used:- Graham O’Brien for Darragh McCormack; Patrick McKiernan for Shane McEnery; Keith Donoghue for Ross Mulvihill; Mark Denby for Stephen McGuire; Eoin Duignan for Adam Keena.

All County League (Div. 1) Men [16 April 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 1-11 ATHLONE 0-04

Garrycastle gained the second brace of league points at the expense of Athlone in Garrycastle on Tuesday evening of last week. This was a re-scheduled game after the first match was postponed due to water logged pitches. Playing against the wind in the first half Garrycastle were 0-3 to 0-1 (Alex Gardiner free) behind in the early stages. However with James Dolan dominating Garrycastle had the next three points from Matthew Guiheen , James Dolan and Dylan Keegan to leave the halftime score at 0-4 to 0-3.

In the early stages of the second half two points from Alex Gardiner and one from Michael Monaghan followed before Athlone pointed. A Michael Monaghan goal after 20 minutes left the score at 1-7 to 0-4. Two further points from Michael Monaghan and one each from Mark McCallon and Jason Nugent left the final score 1-11 to 0-4. This was a good team performance with Johnny McGuire showing very well in midfield and Michael Monaghan topping the scoring for the night. This leaves the team with five points from five games with a home game versus St Lomans on Saturday next at 7pm coming next.

GARRYCASTLE:- Shane McEnery, Mathew Guiheen, Jack Donohoe, Mark McCallon, James Dolan, Eoin Mulvihill, John Gaffey, James Sheeran, Jonathan Maguire, Michael Monaghan, Andrew Monaghan, Gary McCallon, Ger Henaghan, Alex Gardiner, Dylan Keegan.

Subs: Anthony Larkin for Jack Donohoe; Jason Nugent for Dylan Keegan; Conor Cosgrove for Ger Heneghan; Sean Brennan for James Sheeran; Enda Keena for Mark McCallon; Gary Mullery for Johnny McGuire.

All County League (Div. 1) Men [12 April 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 3-19, CORALSTOWN/KINNEGAD 1-10

Garrycastle had a comprehensive victory against Coralstown/Kinnegad in the ACFL Division 1 on Friday night last in the AIT. This was an impressive performance and result and continued the improved performance in Division 1 evident in their previous match. There were 4 changes from that game away to the Downs including the first appearance in 2019 of James Dolan from the Allianz NFL Division 3 title winning Westmeath team.

The visitors were first off the blocks and had 3 points on the board after 5 minutes before an Alex Gardiner converted free provided Garrycastle’s first score of the night. The teams then traded points and in a 10 minute spell, Garrycastle notched up 1-4 without reply. The goal was a well worked move from the two midfielders which was palmed to the net by Mickey Greene. A point on 22 minutes from the visitors interrupted this run of scores until a second goal, this time from Gardiner and another sequences of points from the home team brought their half time tally to 2-9 with Coralstown/Kinnegad finishing the half on 0-6.

Michael Monaghan opened the scoring for Garrycastle in the second half with a brace of points. This was followed by a score from James Sheerin before the visitors mounted a challenge on the Garrycastle goal which was denied by a spectacular intervention by James Dolan to put the ball out for a 45. After this, the home team started to empty the bench and continued to add to their score tally and run out winners by a margin of 15 points. With 10 players contributing scores including 3 subs this was a very good all round team performance and shows the level that this team are capable of with the appropriate work rate, attitude and team work.

Team:

Shane McEnery, Matthew Guiheen (0-1), Anthony Larkin, Mark McCallon, Gary McCallon, John Gaffey, James Dolan (0-3), Eoin Monaghan, Eoin Mulvihill, Michael Monaghan (0-4), Andrew Monaghan (0-2), James Sheerin (0-2), Michael Greene (1-1), Alex Gardiner (1-4, 2f), Jonny McGuire.

Subs Used:

Tom O'Halloran (0-1) for M Greene, Dylan Keegan (1-0) for A Monaghan, Ger Heneghan (0-1) for J. Sheerin, Enda Keena for G. McCallon, Jason Nugent for E. Monaghan, Gary Mullery for A. Larkin.

All County League (Div. 6B) Men [2 April 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 7-04 BALLINAGORE 3-11

A feast of goals was the highlight of this match played in Garrycastle on Tuesday April 2nd. Played at 13-a-side, play was open and goals came easily and often. The first half saw the lead changing but Ballinagore finished the stronger to lead by 3-05 to 2-02 at the break.

However in the early minutes of the second half Garrycastle wiped away that lead scoring 2-1 to take the lead which they held to the end (narrowly at times). This is the first game for this team for the season and was great to get a win.

Garrycastle: Michael Fagan, Stephen McGuire, Conor Macken, Conor Duignan (2-0), Sean Carey, Conor McKiernan, Fergal McKiernan, Sean Doak (1-0), Brian McCormack, Robbie Shine (1-3), Darragh McCormack, Paul Mulvihill (1-0), Kenny Dolan (2-1).

Sub: Darren O’Neill for Conor Macken.

All County League (Div. 3) Men [31 March 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 0-10, BUNBROSNA 2-10

The division 3 team went down to Bunbrosna on Sunday morning last in Garrycastle. The early stages were evenly contested with two Garrycastle points coming from Eoin Monaghan and Sean Doak but from about the 10th to 20th minutes Bunbrosna scored 1-3 without reply to give them a 6 point lead. Four unanswered points (Eoin Monaghan (2), Andrew Monaghan and Kenny Dolan) by Garrycastle reduced the halftime lead to 2 points, 1-5 to 0-6.

In the early stages of the second half it was all Bunbrosna who controlled possession, the younger Garrycastle players struggling physically to compete. After a period of pressure Bunbrosna’s second goal opened up a six point lead. Garrycastle fought hard but were unable to open the Bunbrosna defence to get the goal they needed. Four second half points from Eoin Monaghan (2) Andrew Monaghan and Joe Carmody left 6 points in it at the end. Garrycastle worked hard but failed to open up the play enough which worked to their opponents advantage.

Team:

Shane McEnery , Gary Mullery, Jack Donohoe, Anthony Larkin, Enda Keena, Sean O'Donoghue, Brian Ruane, Eoin Mulvihill, Sean Doak, Conor Duignan, Andrew Monaghan, Graham O’Brien, Kenny Dolan, Eoin Monaghan, Paul Mulvihill.

Subs:

Fearghal Mullen for Conor Duignan, Joe Carmody for Kenny Dolan, Phillip Monaghan for Graham O’Brien, Darragh Kenna for Paul Mulvihill, Fergal McKiernan for Jack Donohoe, Conor McKiernan for Sean Doak.

All County League (Div 1) Men [29 March 2019]

THE DOWNS 3-08, GARRYCASTLE 1-14

Our Division 1 Side got their first points on the board from this years league campaign when playing out an exciting draw under lights in the Downs last Friday night. Having got off to the worst possible start, conceding a goal in the first few minutes, the lads recovered and put in a solid first half performance after that to go into the break leading 1-09 to 2-03. The goal coming from the penalty spot from Alex Gardiner after Conor Cosgrove was fouled. The Downs second goal also coming from a penalty spot after a goalmouth scramble.

The second half was equally as entertaining for the crowd as the first with all the Garrycastle players putting in an excellent shift of good defensive and attacking play. Garrycastle looked to just about have done enough to get the win when leading by a point in injury time. However The Downs kicked a 45 metre free with the last kick of the game to take a share of the spoils. The management will be happy with the performance and workrate shown by all and will hope to bring the same into our next game vs Kinnegad.

Team:

Shane Moran, Matthew Guiheen, John Gaffey, Enda Keena, Johnny McGuire, Eoin Mulvihill, Doran Harte, Justin Barrett, Eoin Monaghan, Michael Monaghan, Conor Cosgrove, Andrew Monaghan, Michael Greene, Alex Gardiner, James Sheerin. Subs Used:

Tom O'Halloran for C Cosgrove, Brian Ruane for M Greene, Sean Brennan for D Harte, Sean Doak for A Monaghan.

All County League (Div 1) Men [24 March 2019]

ROSEMOUNT 0-14, GARRYCASTLE 0-9

Garrycastle suffered their 2nd defeat in the league in Rosemount on Sunday morning last. Playing with the wind in the first half they were sluggish, lacked sharpness, cohesion and never showed the fluency that was apparent last year. After taking the lead twice in the first quarter the Garrycastle boys went behind after 17 minutes and were always playing catch up after that. Frees from Sean Brennan and Conor Cosgrove (2) and three from play by Alex Gardiner (2) and Michael Monaghan brought Garrycastle ‘s halftime score to 0-6 to Rosemount’s 0-7. The forays into attack by the Rosemount midfield caused the Garrycastle defence problems in the first half.

Facing the strong wind and having a point deficit Garrycastle’s task was enormous. Workrate was increased from the first half and players battled hard. In spite of this Rosemount got the first four points of the half to build a five point lead. Frees from Alex Gardiner and Conor Cosgrove reduced the lead to three. A Rosemount point was cancelled out by another Conor Cosgrove free. In spite of constant pressure the goal that Garrycastle needed failed to come. Two injury time Rosemount points increased the margin to five. In spite of the sluggish performance there were positives from the game also; newcomer Eoin Mulvihill did very well, the returning Jack Donohoe and Justin Barrett also showed well, the experiment of playing Mark McCallon at centre forward was quite successful. The next outing is versus the Downs away on Friday evening next.

GARRYCASTLE: Shane Moran, Mathew Guiheen, Jack Donohoe, Gary McCallon, Enda Keena, John Gaffey, Eoin Mulvihill, Doran Harte, Justin Barrett, Michael Monaghan, Mark McCallon, Alex Gardiner, Conor Cosgrove, Sean Brennan, James Sheeran.

Subs Anthony Larkin for Enda Keena: Mickey Greene for Sean Brennan: Andrew Monaghan for Michael Monaghan: Dylan Keegan for James Sheeran.

All County League (Div. 3) Men [22 March 2019]

ST. LOMANS 5-13 GARRYCASTLE 1-12

Our Div 3 side were beaten by a well drilled and fit St Loman's side on Friday night last on the Astro turf pitch in Loman's. The old cliche of goals win games was apparent on the night as Garrycastle were guilty of conceding some very soft goals including one direct from the throw in allowing a St Loman's player to run all the way through the defence only to be taken down in the square resulting in a goal from the penalty spot. The Astro pitch seemed to affect the lads as numerous passes went astray until a good move involving Brian Ruane and Eoin Mulvihill resulted in Brian firing over our opening point after 6 mins. A lapse at the back allowed Loman's in for another goal but Garrycastle then played some good football reeling off 6 points from Sean Brennan 0-04 3F, Sean Doak 0-01 and Justin Barrett 0-01. Unfortunately we missed 2 great goal chances in the same period which was even more costly when letting Loman's in for their 3rd goal at the other end leaving the HT score 3-05 to 0-07.

Loman's started the 2nd half the brighter and scored the first 4 points and then a bit of indiscipline crept into Garrycastle's play resulting in 2 sendings off and also a black card in the 2nd period. The result was inevitable then but the lads on the field and subs introduced kept ploughing away resulting in scores for Conor Duignan 1-01, Sean Brennan 0-03 3F and Dylan Keegan 0-01 to leave the final score 5-13 to 1-12 in St Loman's favour.

GARRYCASTLE: Mark Keenan, Enda Keena, Anthony Larkin, Sean Carey, Cillian Lyons, Johnny McGuire, Gary Mullery, Eoin Mulvihill, Sean Doak, Shane McEnery, Justin Barrett, Brian Ruane, Sean Brennan, Dylan Keegan, Paul Mulvihill.

Subs used Fergal Mc Kiernan, Conor McKiernan, Conor Duignan, Graham O'Brien and Bryan McCormack.

All County League Div. 3 (Men) [9 March 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 1-08 KILLUCAN 1-10

This game, played on Saturday last in Garrycastle, slipped away from the home team during a long period of injury time. When the levelling score was kicked two minutes into injury time and with no further score for 3 minutes we expected the final whistle. However, play continued and Kilucan got two late points to win by two.

Playing with the wind in the first half Garrycastle had a lot of possession thanks to a dominant display by Jonny McGuire, but the forwards couldn’t get the scores to match and led by only three points, 0-5 to 0-2, at halftime.

On one Kilucan attack only heroic defending kept the ball out of the net. Kilucan started the second half strongly scoring the first 2 points before the locals scored. Then Kilucan had a purple patch and built up a 4 point lead but Garrycastle responded immediately and with the help of an Andrew Monaghan goal levelled with 6 minutes to go. A late Kilucan point gave them them the lead going into injury time.

It was a competitive game all through with some good football being played but equally there were plenty of signs of rust.

GARRYCASTLE: Mark Keenan, Gary Mullery, Anthony Larkin, Daniel Guinan, Enda Keena, Jonathan Maguire, Adam Keena, Sean Doak, Justin Barrett (0-1), Conor Duignan, Eoin Monaghan (0-2), Jason Nugent (0-1), Shane McEnery (0-1), Sean Brennan (0-2), Paul Mulvihill.

Subs Andrew Monaghan (1-1) for Justin Barrett; Dylan Keegan for Paul Mulvihill; Ross Mulvihill for Shane McEnery; Fergal McKiernan for Conor Duignan; Conor McKiernan for Adam Keena.

All County League Div. 3 (Men) [3 March 2019]

MULLINGAR SHAMROCKS 1-09 GARRYCASTLE 2-06

Our Div 3 side played out a very exciting game V Mullingar Shamrocks on Sunday in Mullingar with the game finishing level Garrycastle 2-06 to 1-09 for Shamrocks. The game was played in terrible conditions but the football on display was of a high standard from both teams.The Garrycastle management will be happy with the effort and commitment shown from start to finish from all the starting 15 and subs. Whilst Garrycastle could have taken the two points on offer a draw was a fair result as Shamrocks had a strong team out.

GARRYCASTLE: Mark Keenan, Daniel Guinan, Gary Mullery, Sean Carey, Enda Keena (0-01), Eoin Mulvihill, Cillian Lyons, Sean Doak, Johnny McGuire, Dylan Keegan (1-01), Andrew Monaghan (0-02), Adam Keena (1-00), Shane McEnery (0-01), Conor Duignan (0-01), Brian Ruane.

Subs used: Ross Mulvihill, Feargal Mullin, Fergal McKiernan, Conor McKiernan.

All County League Div. 1 (Men) [2 March 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 1-04 TANG 1-08

The first match of the 2019 Division 1 campaign was a disappointing affair from a Garrycastle point of view. Played in Garrycastle on Saturday afternoon in stormy weather conditions, it was the visitors who took the initiative and were 2 points up before the home team registered their first point from Jonny McGuire. Apart from a converted free by Conor Cosgrove, Tang dominated proceedings in the first half and had 7 points on the board when on 30 minutes, Michael Monaghan raised the green flag for Garrycastle with a shot close on goal from a very narrow angle to leave only two points between the teams at the break.

Needing to raise their performance in the second half, Garrycastle were rocked by an early goal from Tang which left 5 points between the sides.

A further point by Tang was cancelled out by a point from play by Michael Monaghan. While Garrycastle were more competitive in the second half and defended well, they lacked creativity upfront and lost out to a seemingly more motivated Tang team. Alex Gardiner got Garrycastle’s only other point of the second half to leave 4 points between the sides at full-time. This is a game that Garrycastle will want to forget and they will know that serious improvement is needed if they wish to defend their League title.

GARRYCASTLE: Shane Moran, Gary Mullery, Mattie Guiheen, Sean Carey, Enda Keena, John Gaffey, Jason Nugent, Doran Harte, Justin Barrett, Eoin Mulvihill, Conor Cosgrove (0-1, free) , Jonny McGuire (0-1), Michael Monaghan (1-1), James Sheeran, Alex Gardiner (0-1).

Subs: Sean Brennan for Gary Mullery; Andrew Monaghan for Sean Carey; Not used. Shane McEnery, Mark Keenan, Fergal McKiernan, Conor McKiernan, Dylan Keegan.

ACFL Division 6B FINAL [18 January 2019]

GARRYCASTLE 0-10, TANG 1-10

The 2018 division 6B final versus Tang was played in Tubberclair in heavy rain on Friday evening last. Garrycastle played a lively first half and looked the better team despite being a point behind at half time. The team played with great energy and spread the ball wide. Scores came freely for both sides but unfortunately two great goal chances were not converted by Garrycastle. At half time Garrycastle were a point behind 1-7 to 0-9.

The game changed considerably in the second half with Tang getting the upper hand and beginning to win more of the fifty-fifty exchanges. The play had tightened up and both sides found scoring difficult. Garrycastle struggled to get the ball through a tight Tang half back line. Despite late pressure Garrycastle were unable to get the scores needed to win. The open play and wet conditions took their toll on the Garrycastle legs later in the game allowing Tang to get over the line.

This game finally brought the curtain down on the 2018 competitions for Garrycastle. This team, Garrycastle’s third team, performed very well all year in qualifying for this final. This league along with the division 1 and 3 leagues ensured that a large number of Garrycastle players got football during the season.

Team:

Michael Fagan, Ben Kennedy, John Murphy, Sean Carey, Enda Keena, Gary Mullery, Adam Keena, Conor Duignan, Sean Doak, Fergal McKiernan, James Duignan, Bryan McCormack, Paul Mulvihill, Paul O'Donovan, Richie Byrne.

Subs, Shane McEnery for Michael Fagan; Eoin Mulvihill for Fergal Mckiernan; Brian Ruane for Richie Byrne; Noel Galvin for Brian Ruane; Ross Mulvihill for Bryan McCormack; Eoin Duignan for Ben Kennedy.