Article credit Www.Dublingaa.ie
THOMAS DAVIS CLAIM VICTORY OVER RAHENY AFTER A WINNING POINT DEEP INTO ADDED TIME
SAT, 26TH AUGUST 2023
THOMAS DAVIS 1-10
RAHENY 1-9
Pic Courtesy to Conor Ryan
Conor Guilfoyle kicked the winning score deep into added time as Thomas Davis edged Raheny by the bare minimum in their thrilling Go-Ahead Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship Group 3 clash at Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams entered the contest in rude health following their wins over Lucan Sarsfields and Cuala respectively a fortnight previously and they duly delivered an enthralling encounter that went right down to the wire.
The commitment displayed by both sets of players in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd added to the affair with Guilfoyle’s superb winner from the right flank a fitting way to separate the sides.
It was always likely to be a tense and tight opening given the defensive alignment of both teams and the heavy shower before the start mitigated against free-flowing football.
As a result, scores proved at a premium initially with Raheny making a bright start through a classy point from Darren Lunney in the 1st minute.
Lunney was on target four minutes later with another smart effort from a ‘mark’ but that promising opening began to erode as the contest evolved with their opponents enjoying the greater amount of possession.
Thomas Davis opened their own account through an excellent Eoin Kirby point in the 7th minute and they restored parity two minutes later thanks to a trademark strike from distance by Ryan Deegan.
The Tallaght outfit continued in the ascendancy without overly impressing, adding to their tally thanks to Davy Keogh and Cian Murphy, to push two points clear by the 18th minute.
However, their control diminished as the half progressed as Raheny finished the half on the front foot with Adam McAweeney ending a barren period of twenty-two minutes when splitting the posts for Raheny’s third score.
Another ‘mark’, this time from Alan McLoughlin, levelled matters before a more advanced Brian Howard restored his team’s lead a minute before the break.
Matters deteriorated for Thomas Davis in added time as Sean McMahon was tripped close to goal and Lunney coolly converted the resultant penalty to push his side 1-5 to 0-4 clear at the interval.
A free from Rob Hennelly enhanced Raheny’s position within five minutes of the restart but Thomas Davis replied in kind through a Fionn Murray free before Kirby added his second point from play in the 38th minute.
The tension increased when the Tallaght side were awarded a penalty themselves as Guilfoyle was upended after a delightful pass by Eamonn Conroy and the full-forward dusted himself down before leaving Hennelly helpless from the spot.
Frees by Hennelly and Murray cancelled each other out before Thomas Davis looked to have made a decisive burst for home thanks to two points in quick succession from Murray.
However, a sublime Brian Fenton point halved Raheny’s deficit in the 56th minute and they looked to have earned a share of the spoils when Cian Ivers calmly converted a ‘mark’ two minutes into injury time.
Guilfoyle would not be denied two minutes later with a superb curling effort that dropped over the crossbar with Hennelly under hitting an attempted levelling effort with the last kick of the game.
Scorers – Thomas Davis: F Murray 0-4 (3f), C Guilfoyle 1-1 (1-0 pen), E Kirby 0-2, D Keogh, C Murphy, R Deegan 0-1 apiece. Raheny: D Lunney 1-2 (1-0 pen, 0-1 mark), R Hennelly 0-2 (2f), A McLoughlin (mark), A McAweeney, C Ivers (mark), B Fenton, B Howard 0-1 apiece.
Thomas Davis: R Crilly; G Carruth, E Lambert, A Shorten; S Kennedy, A Waddick, C Murphy; E Conroy, R Deegan; E Kirby, S Farrelly, F Murray; C Guilfoyle, D Keogh, M Nolan. Subs: E O’Toole for Farrelly (43), C Sallier for Nolan (52).
Raheny: R Hennelly; B McHugh, D Shatwell, D Byrne; C Hehir, S McMahon, R Real; B Fenton, B Howard; D Lunney, B Talty, S McCarthy; A McLoughlin, C Ivers, A McAweeney. Subs: P Reid for McCarthy (38), L Fahy for Shatwell (43), J O’Kane for McAweeney (47), S Grenham for Talty (51).
Referee: David O’Connor (Naomh Mearnóg)
Conor Guilfoyle winning point courtesy DubsTv
