It was a case of that awkward second game for a St Pats/St Brigid’s Gaels team at Aldergerove on Tuesday night. The match started with a score from a free from the home side which was soon equalised by a similar score from place kick taker Mark Boylan. Conor O Doherty won the first of many long balls into him to secure the first score and parried another soon after to allow Boylan to score from play. Alex Lavery set up Boylan for his and the visitors third after 10 minutes. Good team defending kept the Aldergrove attack, and the excellent full forward in particular, at bay but there were several near misses as the home team threatened the goal –an Eddie Gildea last minute tackle showing how an attempted block can be as important as a block in putting the danger man off when in right in front of the posts. He scored an excellent individual point and converted a free from slack defensive work to level the scores. Boyland put another free over after O’Doherty won the direct ball into him, this time driving at the defence and having to be pulled down in the red zone. A great point from the sideline had Jake O’Kane taking notes on the sideline to bring the side level again before Paddy O’Boyle scored a good long range point from his makeshift half back role to put the visitors ahead again. The last score of the match saw Alex Lavery set up O’Doherty in space. The dangerous full forward drew two defenders and set up the overlapping Shan Moran in space. Man of the match Moran coolly slotted home to put daylight between the teams.
The visitors went further in front with a cheap foul and free from Boylan. The first of several second half scares saw the home team hit the post and bar before settling for a single score. With aldergrove struggling to convert chances from play the visitors allowed them back into the game with the next four scores coming from frees. That happens at times even from the otherwise faultless Moran. Less excusable was the fact that the other three were brought to within throwing distance by the referee due to dissent. This allowed the home side who hadn’t looked like scoring outside the scoring zone all night to get back into the game with 15 yard frees. Caolan Lynch won breaking ball to set up the industrious Nial Lundy whose penetrating run allowed Lavery to score from short range. Jack O’Kane scored from good work from Boylan around the middle of the park. The home full forward showed his class with a a ruu and finish that left goalkeeper Mc Menamin with no chance. Marko Cernick had kept him on a tight leach till then and it was a reminder the excellant center half forward heeded for the rest of the match. Jack O’Kane scored two more with the second one of the best scores seen this year. Out on the sideline, from distance and under pressure from several players having beaten two in the build up the ball sailed over the black spot. Manger Conway will have lessons to teach about the scoring zone but no one in the crowd was complaining at the time. There was excellent defensive work in the tense closing minutes in particular from Caolan Lynch and Mike Cummings. There was further indiscipline from the visitors who again gave the referee an excuse to bring the ball into unmissable distance with dissent. There was late dram as the home danger man burst through the visiting defensive shield only to be denied by a gaol saving challenge from Rory Smyth. The resulting free and point left a single score between the teams. Overall there was a lot to be taken from a hard fought victory but also a lot of improvements that will be needed in future weeks.
Final score
St Pats/St Bridigs Gaels 1.12 Aldergrove 1.11
