| Garryowen Goals Deny Neasden Semi-Final
Spot London SFC Quarter-Final
By David Thorpe
Garryowen 2-9 Neasden Gaels 0-12
A match which promised little delivered much as a Garryowen advanced
to the semi-finals of the SFC with a hard fought defeat of Neasden Gaels.
A brisk beginning saw Neasden open the scoring after five minutes through
Fergal Cunningham and Garryowen equalise within 30 seconds thanks to a free
from the best player on view, Willie Quinlan.
The end-to-end action continued with London and Wexford county star Scott
Doran and Dermot Gallagher putting the Gaels two points to the good.
Despite the balanced nature of the scoring Garryowen always seemed to
be the stronger after Quinlan and O’ Doherty levelled matters for them on
the quarter-hour, and particularly after O' Doherty rose highest to fist
home a Quinlan pass into the net on 16 minutes.
That score was enough to put Garryowen ahead with the score 1-3 to 0-3
and their supremacy was evident from then to the final whistle.
Emmet Killian reduced the Gaels deficit to two points on 19 minutes,
before Quinlan pointed a free which he himself had earned after 20 minutes.
The imminent arrival of half-time seemed to concentrate a few minds among
the Gaels as they rattled off three consecutive points to level matters
at the interval — Steven Madden firing over from close range on 21 minutes,
Emmett Killian pointing from a tight angle on 26 minutes and Dermot Gallagher
finishing off a fine passing move on 29 minutes leaving the scores level
1-4 to 0-7.
Whatever had inspired Neasden to that burst of activity at the end of
the first-half was clearly missing at the start of the second.
Similar to the opening ex-changes the game saw Garryowen shading possession
and scoring just enough to stay in front. Quinlan created the space for
O' Doherty to restore Garryowen’s lead 40 seconds after the resumption.
Although the impressive Gallagher replied for Neasden, Quinlan soon kicked
a sumptuous point from range, and then seized the initiative when blasting
the ball to the net from just outside the small rectangle after 51 minutes
to put Garryowen three points clear 2-6 to 0-9.
Garryowen played a simple direct game delivering high balls at the tall
O' Doherty who successfully knocked them into the path of Quinlan, who is
as fine a footballer as you’ll see in this grade.
Garryowen then went four ahead thanks to another point from O' Doherty
but again Neasden responded through Killian, and left just two points in
it thanks to a quality Gallagher single on 53 minutes.
Again Garryowen showed their class with points from Brendan Hayden and
a brace from Quinlan, the last of which came at the end of the 56th minute.
From then to the final whistle it was all Neasden.
However despite their late domination, Neasden never looked like getting
that all-important goal thanks to a mixture of defiant Garryowen defending
and a lack of cutting edge going forward.
It wasn’t even the final ball being inadequate that was the problem but
the sheer amount of simple passes which went astray around the middle, loading
extra pressure on the attacking player receiving the ball.
That spell of pressure only yielded points from Gallagher and Kevin McHugh
so as the blast of the final whistle came Garryowen found themselves in
a championship semi-final clash with St. Brendans but they will have to
vary their game a little more to have a chance of winning.
Best for Garryowen were Quinlan, O' Doherty, and Hayden, while the Neasden
boys were well served by Scott Doran, Kevin McHugh, and Dermot Gallagher.
Teams and scorers...
Neasden Gaels: Daniel Cassidy, Keith Geraghty, Jason McDermott,
Killian Griffiths, Michael Greene, Barry Connor, Noel Downes, John Raftery,
Gordon Kearns, Scott Doran(0-1), Kevin McHugh (0-3), Emmett Killian (0-4),
Dermot Gallagher(o-4), Fergal Cunningham(0-1), Steven Madden (0-1).
Garryowen: Noel McLaughlin, Michael Grimes, Niall Buckley, Colm
McLaughlin, John Teehan, Eamonn King, Ryan McStravick, Aidan Brewster, Brendan
Heyden(0-1), Alan Kelly, Willie Quinlan(1-6), Killian O Murdha, Padraig
O’Doherty(1-2), Colm Fullam, Patrick Morgan
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