Oldcastle 1-14, St. Vincents 0-10 

After losing their last three games Oldcastle bounced back with this seven point win over St. Vincents in the Division 2 Football League at Millbrook.

It was the perfect evening for football in Millbrook; the perfect evening for anything anywhere in fact, the savage heat of earlier dissipated somewhat, but still a test for the lads on the pitch. Oldcastle had a good start, Dylan Garrigan’s ball on to Oran Mulvanny, to Rory Crawley, to Lee Healy, back to Dylan and in to Oran for a super shot, first point on the board. CJ Healy added the next for Oldcastle, but St. Vincents responded with a two-pointer to level the match. A Lee Healy clearance found James Cooke, on via Tom Lynch, back to Lee with a good run, to Pat Crawley and a lovely pass from him to the waiting Pearse Sheridan who sailed her over. A long interval without a score then, with wides from both sides, before a Dylan Garrigan intercept found Lee Healy, on to Oran O’Reilly, to Pearse, to Lee, on to Tom Lynch and over to CJ for what we all though should be a two-pointer, but recorded as one. An Oldcastle free as the opposition didn’t have numbers back: Pearse tapped her over. St. Vincents were then awarded a far-out free, another two-pointer on the board for them, but Oldcastle came back: another Dylan Garrigan intercept and good run, on to CJ, to Oran Mulvanny, back to CJ, to Oran, to Lee, on to Keith Connell, to Pat Crawley and a lovely pass back to Keith, moving at speed, catch and kick, another point up. Good work from Thomas Sheridan soon after, the ball heading in the right direction once more, a long-winded but well-worked piece of play with the ultimate prize of a two-pointer from the boot of Lee Healy! St. Vincents came back with a point, but it was Pat Crawley who took the final score of the half, to leave it Oldcastle 0-09, St. Vincents 0-05 at the break. 

The second-half got underway with another superb high catch from Oran Mulvanny; Rian may be a tad taller now but Oran can rise to ten foot high with a good jump, and on she went to Dylan Garrigan, to Keith, to Pearse, on to Tom Lynch, Dylan again, to Lee, to brother CJ, back to Tom, to Rory, on to Lee again, back to Pearse, over to Keith, on via Pat and finally to Lee Healy for another two-pointer! St. Vincents added a converted free, before Conor McHugh’s kickout was taken down by Oran, on to James Cooke, to Oran O’Reilly, to James, to Dylan and in to Keith who shot low and accurate to hit the back of the net. St. Vincents retaliated, a great run all the way downfield and looking dangerous in front of goal, but good defence work from Tom Lynch and Louis Colleran cleared the danger. Conor McHugh’s next kickout found Steven Lawless, and on via sixteen different moves before ending up at the tip of Lee Healy’s boot once more, trajectory straight between the posts! A nice pass from Rory Crawley to Pearse Sheridan for the next score, Pearse caught the ball with extended arm, turned and scored. St. Vincents went for broke, a pointed free was followed by a lovely two-pointer, but the clock was running out for them, on what was a beautiful evening in Millbrook, one to make you appreciate all that the Gaa offers – we put in enough long dark nights on freezing sidelines, making the nice evenings all the better, and how nice is it to hear the lads call other with nicknames handed down from generations past, echoes maybe of their fathers and grandfathers calling to other on the pitch in matches long forgotten. Oldcastle’s last score came from the hardworking Pat Crawley, a lovely point it was, and St. Vincents added on one more to hit the double digits, and when the final whistle blew it was on a score of Oldcastle 1-14, St. Vincents 0-10. 

Oldcastle: Conor McHugh, Thomas Sheridan, Steven Lawless, Oran O’Reilly, Tom Lynch, James Cooke, Lee Healy (0-05 (2 x 2P)), Oran Mulvanny (0-01), Dylan Garrigan, Louis Colleran, CJ Healy (0-02), Keith Connell (1-01), Rory Crawley, Pearse Sheridan (0-03), Pat Crawley (0-02). Subs: Ryan Halpin, Paddy Rahill, Garrett O’Reilly, Shane Boylan. 

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