9 March 2019 – ACBFL Division 3, Round 2 – Walterstown 1-19 Donoghmore/Ashbourne 0-9
A young Walterstown panel of 23 players, featuring 7 of last year’s Minor team, with competitive debuts for Luke Cullen, Adam Cummins and Timmy Sowumni, made it two wins from two in the League.
On a difficult surface, the Blacks played away from the clubhouse end in the first half, with a cross field wind no great addition to either team. The sides were evenly matched for the first 15 minutes, exchanging four points apiece, with home scores coming from Steven Davis (2), Andrew Moran (assisted by his brother, John) and Conor Lenehan. An early injury to Adam Cummins saw the introduction of Aaron Dunphy, who went on to have a fine match. Walterstown went on to play some great football and dominated the remainder of the first half, outscoring the visitors by 7 points to 1, with Barry O’Connell (4) and Stephen Davies (3) sharing the scores.
Half Time – Walterstown 0-11 Donoghmore/Ashbourne 0-5
The management team was happy with the performance and the scoreline which, but for a number of shots being dropped into the keeper’s hands, might have been even better for the Blacks. The half-time break saw the welcome return from injury of Kashif Ali, who replaced Luke Cullen, and Kashif showed no signs of rustiness.
Within a minute of the restart, Stephen Davis scored the game’s only goal, with an unstoppable shot to the top corner of the net. A further four points for the home team, from Andrew Moran (1) and Barry O’Connell (3), put the match beyond the visitors. Ramiz Sohail replaced the hard-working John Moran. Cormac Freeman’s excellent performance was ended by injury and he was replaced by Paddy Donnellan, who carried on where Cormac left off. Timmy Sowumni came on for Sam McCabe. Conor Lenehan’s second point was the score of the match, following a flowing team move from one end of the pitch to the other, started by Ciaran Murphy’s break out from the back. A further two points from Barry O’Connell, the second assisted by Timi Sowumni, completed the Blacks’ scoring. A nasty looking injury to the rock solid Dan Halligan saw a defensive re-shuffle and Eoin Finlay’s introduction to the half forward line, where he linked up the play to good effect. The visitors scored the final point of the match, with a free, just before the final whistle.
Full Time – Walterstown 1-19 Donoghmore/Ashbourne 0-9
The management team was delighted with the result, performance and effort and, in particular, a second “no goals” match (one of two clean sheets on the day for Darragh Keegan). The only black mark was the injury to Dan and the management team, players and club wish him all the best and a speedy recovery.
Walterstown: Darragh Keegan; Luke Cullen; Dan Halligan; Cormac Freeman; Adam Cummins; Ciaran Murphy; Darren Finnegan; Christopher Farrelly; Conor Lenehan (0-2); Andrew Moran (0-2), Barry O’Connell (0-9, 3 frees); John Moran; Stephen Davis (1-5, 3 frees); Sam McCabe and Adam Barrett.
Substitutes: Aaron Dunphy for Adam Cummins; Kashif Ali for Luke Cullen; Ramiz Sohail for John Moran; Patrick Donnelly for Cormac Freeman; Timi Sowumni for Sam McCabe and Eoin Finlay for Dan Halligan. Conor McGuire and Daniel Murphy (unused – both injured).
Next up round 3 : Away to Castletown, Date and Time TBC.
Table Position : 2nd
Form : W W
