Avondale 1-21
Navan O’Mahonys 0-18
AET
The drizzle stopped just in time for throw in of this 1st round JLHC in Aughrim. Avondale opened the scoring in the 1st minute with a free from midfielder Zach Cullen, within a minute Cormac Keyes pointed a free for O’Mahony’s, only for Cullen to point again from a free almost immediately.
Tom Condon levelled the score when he beat his man and pointed from an acute angle.
Neither team maintained the upper hand, it was nip and tuck until half time as Condon added another 2 points from play and Colm O’Toole scored the 1st of three glorious points from play from around the 65m mark. Indeed he hit two long sideline cuts that drifted wide in the 1st half also.
Avondales Gearoid Murphy worked hard to gain possession and got his name on the scoresheet after 10 mins. Shane Brown made one of his impressive runs from half back to split the posts. Corner forward Torna Mulcahy was the other Avondale scorer in the 1st half. Zach Cullen scored 4 from frees and one from play, O’Mahony’s sharpshooter Keys also scored 4 frees, the last one from 80m, leaving half time score 8 points all.
Mark Usher received a yellow for a foul on Karl Phelan and Cullen tapped over.
Navan O’Mahony’s dominated for next 10 minutes with 6 points on the trot, O’Toole, Condon , Sam Formosa and Keyes with 3. In that period Avondale keeper Ray Nolan save from Finn Malone from close range.
Full forward Phelan started the comeback from Avondale, with a point 12 minutes after their previous score, points followed from Cullen and Paul Gahan.
With 29 minutes on the clock O’Mahony’s were ahead by 2, a minute later a high ball dropped in on O’Mahony’s 14m line was contested by Usher and Phelan, both landing on the ground. The referee awarded a free to Avondale and a 2nd yellow to Usher and the 1st red card of his career. O’Mahony’s lined the goals and to everyones amazement Cullen tapped over with the allocated 3 minutes of added time played.
Jack Mc Connell won the puck out and went on solo run down the wing 30m from the Avondale end line, he was dispossessed amid shouts from O’Mahony’s supporters for a free, which wasn’t given. The clearance found Gearoid Murphy on his own and he duly tapped over the equaliser.
Within a minute of extra time Avondales Cathal Bakers shot fell short and was deflected into the net. Within 4 minutes Cullen added points from a free and a 65 as a result of good save from John Foley, O’Mahony’s keeper.
The writing was on the wall for the Meath side 5 points down and of course still a man down. O’Mahony’s weren’t to score until 16th minute of extra time with Keyes and Sean Mc Dermot registering. The final score was Avondale 1 21 Navan O’Mahony’s 0 18
Avondale: R. Nolan, L Dickenson, C Sheehan, D Owens S Browne -1, E Kearns, K Byrne J Tobin, Z Cullen -13 10F 2 65, C Byrne, G Murphy -3, E Dunne, T Mulcrony -1, K Phelan -1, E Owens, P Gahan -1, N Heffernan -1,
C Baker 1-
Navan O’Mahony’s: J Foley, E Brady, M Usher, F Mc Nally, C O’Toole -3, S Formosa -1, T Cully, J Mc Connell,
D Mc Kenna, C o’Dwyer, C Keyes -9 7F, J Flynn, F Malone, S Mc Carthy, T Condon -4, S Mc Dermott -1,
E Nugent, S Davis
