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Athy G.F.C. News
Seniors face into relegation playoff once again
Athy 0-9
Kilcock 0-15
Athy seniors were sent crashing
out of the Kildare SFC on Sunday after a resounding loss to Kilcock,
who were already gone from the championship. Maybe Athy
were having too many fantasies of a championship quarter final date and forgot
the job in hand as they failed to put in the required performance in Rathangan. The game started off very slow from an Athy point of view and a lack of sharpness and focus let Kilcock race into a three points to nil lead after just 9
minutes. David Wynne and two points from sharpshooter John O’Donoghue doing the damage. Athy
were dealt another blow with the loss of full back Timmy Dunne in the opening
ten minutes through injury. David McGovern getting an early call to come in and
try contain Kilcock full
forward John O’Donoghue. James Eaton got Athy off the mark with a well struck free kick after 10
minutes but two more points for Darren Cusack and O’Donoghue left Athy trailing 0-5
to 0-1 after 20 minutes. A fine long range point from Adrian Kelly and two more
frees from James Eaton kept Athy in touch but O’Donoghue added another at the other end and two points from
Cian Flanagan either side of a Derek Brophy free left Athy trailing
0-8 to 0-5 at half time. The favourites
were in trouble and changes needed to be made, David Dunne making way for Ross
Bell just before the break but in truth there could and probably should have
been more switches made, the half forward line being completely non existent in
the opening 30 minutes.
The second half again saw Kilcock the quicker
out of the blocks with three more points coming from O’Donoghue
who was giving an exhibition at this stage. Minor star Darroch
Mulhall was then introduced to try and put a spark in
the Athy forward line and he got the opening score
for the reds after 10 minutes of the second half. Three points from frees was
all Athy could manage in the final 20 minutes of
play, one from Brophy and two from Eaton, as Kilcock continued to score freely, two more points each for
O’Donoghue and Cusack saw
the north Kildare side cruise comfortably over the line 0-15 to 0-9.
Athy struggled all over the field,
second to the ball in the backline, outfielded at
midfield as Mick Foley never made an impact and Brian Kinahan
was substituted. While up front the forwards were lifeless throughout, showing
no imagination or creativity – Brian Cardiff and Ken Brophy
were later substituted but I’m sure if they could use more than five subs the
management would have also removed the others and put them out of their misery
- James Eaton’s frees the only thing contributing. After a poor league campaign
ending in relegation to division 2 Athy now face into
a relegation playoff which could see them lose senior status aswell. First up is Naas so let’s
hope we can put this season to bed early with an immediate win and suffer no
more.
Athy team: Paul Clynch,
Emmanuel Kennedy, Timmy Dunne, Joe Kinahan, David
Dunne, Eddie Delahunt, Colm Cuddy, Mick Foley, Brian Kinahan, Patrick Dunne, Derek Brophy(0-2; 2f), Brian
Cardiff, James Eaton(0-5; 4f), Adrian Kelly(0-1), Ken Brophy.
Subs used: David McGovern, Ross Bell, Darroch Mulhall(0-1),
Sean Bradley, Daniel O’Keefe.
B’s get off to a great start
Athy 2-13
Suncroft 0-8
Athy senior B team got off to
great start in the championship last week with a comprehensive victory over Suncroft in Castlemitchel. Early
points from minors Darroch Mulhall
and Cian Reynolds set Athy three
nil up after just five minutes. Suncroft’s first and one
of only two first half points coming after 6 minutes. After that it was all one
way traffic as points from Peter Dunne, Reynolds, David Holligan
and a goal and a point from on form Mulhall saw Athy pull away 1-7 to 0-1 after 20 minutes. Athy were then dealt a blow when full forward Peter Dunne
had to be replaced through injury and Suncroft’s
second point of the half came from a 14-yard free. Two more points from Mulhall and one from Sean Kelly pushed Athy
into a commanding 1-10 to 0-2 lead at the break.
The second half continued as the first ended with another goal and two
points from Mulhall and a point from substitute Shane
Kelly keeping Athy’s lead intact and ensuring a
comfortable victory after a very mature and well rounded performance. With the experience
of Alan Fennell, Christy Dunne and Glenn Dunne in the backs and the firepower
of the youthful Cian Reynolds and Darroch
Mulhall, both of whom were outstanding on the night,
there was only ever going to be one winner.
Athy team: Conor Ronan, Alan Fennell, Christy Dunne, Ciaran English, Dean Roycroft, Glenn
Dunne, David Holligan(0-1), Ross Dunne, Sean Purcell, Darroch Mulhall(2-6; 1f, 1 45’),
James Kelly, Sean Kelly(0-1), John Mahon, Peter Dunne(0-1), Cian
Reynolds(0-3).
Subs used: Michael Grainger, Shane Kelly(0-1),
Shane O’Brien, James Byrne, Danny Quinn.
Club lotto and golf classic
Congratulations to John Hoare on recently winning the club lotto jackpot
of €6,200. Thanks to everyone who supports the draw each week, your support is
vital and much appreciated.
Congratulations also to Tom Manley’s team who won the annual Athy GFC golf classic held in Athy
golf club recently. A great day and night was had by all and thanks to everyone
who supported the day!
Minors dig deep to earn a point
Athy 0-12
Na Fianna 1-9
Round two of the minor championship and Athy
came from three points down with 5 minutes remaining to share the spoils in a
highly entertaining game at Kilcullen.
This game started very tight as both teams were of high quality and gave
little away to their opponents. Daniel O’Keefe finally found the first point
after seven minutes and full forward Darroch Mulhall who impressed so much the last day picked up where
he left off last week and scored two points in two minutes, one from the right
boot and one from the left.
Na Fianna were a little slower to get into
their rhythm but got off the mark through a fine run from the wing back who
slotted over their first point of the day. Mulhall
raised another white flag from a free and looked like he was going to match his
massive tally of 1-8 from the first round. James Eaton then kicked a free of
his own from the left wing and classy corner forward Liam McGovern swung two
over with his talented left boot, one from a free and one from play, to leave Athy in control of the first half. However Na Fianna’s quality then started to show and as they began to
get possession at midfield scores weren’t far behind as both midfielders got
points to reduce Athy’s lead. Then the killer blow
came just before half time - county minor Seamus Hannafin,
who was kept quiet up to then by Joe Kinahan, found
the back of the net and cut Athy’s lead down to just
a point at the break and rocked Athy’s confidence
that was soaring up to that point.
Darroch Mulhall
started the second half with another excellent free and Cian
Reynolds knocked over his first of the afternoon after 37 minutes but from then
up until 5 minutes to go it was all one way traffic. Na Fianna
took the shackles off and really started to turn on the style, excellent points
coming from both defenders and attackers as the spine of Athy’s
team was broken more than once and left huge holes for the Na Fianna men to run through. Six points they scored in
fifteen minutes and by then Athy were three points
behind with time running out. With the loss of midfielder and captain Brian Kinahan midway through the second half it looked like
nothing was going to go right for them but a spirited and very courageous last
five minutes saw Athy outplay their opponents in
every sector of the field, full back Conor Ronan with
some outstanding pieces of defending, while in attack substitute Corey Lamon came in to score an inspirational point from deep in
the right corner of the field. James Eaton then tagged on another free to
reduce the deficit to one and then after a long spell without a score or much
of the ball, Mulhall stepped into the right place at
the right time, received a pass and quick-fired over the bar before the block
came in to draw the game 0-12 to 1-9.
Athy will be worried about the way
the centre of their team was cut open in the second half after a fine first
half display from David McGovern in midfield and Joe Kinahan
at centre back, something that shouldn’t be happening against such quality
opposition. That along with some poor passing, shot selection and decision
making cost them what could have been the winning score of the match but they
will be happy with the point after coming from behind with the odds stacked
against them - and with at least two weeks before the next round, they have the
time to work on those areas and be ready for more tough opposition like Na Fianna that is sure to come!
Athy team: Paul Clynch, John Cummins, Conor
Ronan, TJ Clare, Shane O’Brien, Joe Kinahan, Alan
Bowden, Brian Kinahan, David McGovern, Daniel O’Keefe(0-1), James Eaton(0-2;2f), Cian
Reynolds(0-1), Liam McGovern(0-2;1f), Darroch Mulhall(0-5;2f), Hugh Mahon.
Subs used: Corey Lamon(0-1), Tony Gibbons
Seniors relegated to division two
Athy 0-10
Celbridge 0-14
After an admirable effort against the top side in division one Athy eventually fell by four points, having been within one
with just three minutes to go. With ten minutes to go news came through that Kilcullen had easily overcome an understrength
Clane side by seven points so Athy
needed at least a draw to stay up in divison one but
couldn’t find that extra bit to hold on. Athy started
the brighter with Darroch Mulhall
putting three points on the board, two of which were fine frees. The home side
then got into their stride and had the game at three points each after 20
minutes. A Stephen Davis free and an excellent 45 from Mulhall
saw Athy lead 0-5 to 0-4 at half time.
The second half started in similar fashion with Mulhall
putting another two points on the scoreboard from open play. Celbridge then began to show why they were at the top with
some brilliant moves up the field which left the Athy
defence cut open on more than one occasion. Super sub Mark O’ Sullivan helped
Barney Rock’s men turnover Athy’s lead and go 11
points to 8 up with ten minutes to go. Daniel O’Keefe made an incisive run
through the Celbridge defence which could have
yielded a goal but a point was probably the wiser option at the time. 11 to 9
and an inspiring score from the left boot of captain Colm
Cuddy brought Athy to within a point with only three
minutes left and it looked like the reds had the momentum to claw back level
and earn a well deserved point. It wasn’t to be however as O’Sullivan had other
ideas, a monster 45 and an outrageous free from wide on the right touchline
gave Celbridge breathing space as they closed out the
game 0-14 to 0-10 winners.
Athy team: Derek Davis,
Emmanuel Kennedy, Timmy Dunne, Joe Kinahan, Ross
Bell, Eddie Delahunt, Colm Cuddy(0-1), Daniel
O’Keefe(0-1), Brian Kinahan, Brian Cardiff, Derek Brophy, James Eaton(0-1; 1f), Darroch
Mulhall(0-6; 2f, 1 45’), Stephen Davis(0-1; 1f),
Adrian Kelly.
Subs used: Eamonn Wynne.
Heartbreak for Athy who in the last few league
games had showed much improvement from the start of the league and the general
feeling in the camp was that they didn’t deserve to go down. They certainly
didn’t get relegated on that performance or a couple of previous ones but a
lack of spirit and desire in the earlier games caused them to be in a situation
they have become well used to in the last few years, only this time luck wasn’t
on their side. They can’t ride their luck every year and need to learn to treat
every game as a must win, from the first match to the last. Division two isn’t
the end of the world as there are some good teams there that will provide
worthy opposition, not to mention a few very local derbies, but if the lads can
learn something from this year and tear into every game from the start of the
year and show the same grit and determination and will to win as was evident
last Saturday evening then they certainly have the potential to bounce back to
division one next season. It’s all about learning from your mistakes!
It’s in their hands and all about how they approach next season,
mentally, and with what attitude, more so than anything else that will determine
how they get on in division two.
For now they need to concentrate on the championship and make sure they
retain senior status and let what happen in the league be a lesson they learn
from.
Mulhall kicks
Minors off to a good start
Athy 2-12
Round Towers 0-10
The minors began their championship campaign on a dull Wednesday evening
in Nurney but their performance was very bright and
one star was outstanding, full forward Darroch Mulhall. Towers had their own star centre forward who
traded frees with Mulhall in the opening minutes,
both players showing excellent place kicking ability. Midfielder and captain Brian Kinahan then made a
run down the centre of the field and stroked the ball over the bar to put Athy 3 points to 2 up – a lead they never let slip. A mistake from the Towers keeper saw a bad
kick-out intercepted by Mulhall who calmly kicked
into an open net to open up a gap and put Athy well
in the driving seat. Further points from Mulhall and
Hugh Mahon saw Athy lead 1-5 to 0-6 at the break.
The second half began in whirlwind fashion as Athy
had five unanswered points on the board within 11 mins,
all from Darroch Mulhall,
which effectively ended the game as a contest. Frees were all that was keeping
Towers on the board but only four points in the second half was never gonna be enough to trouble the reds. A superb goal from
substitute Corey Lamon and two points from Daniel
O’Keefe put the result beyond all doubt as Athy ran
out comfortable winners over a limited Towers team.
Athy team: Paul Clynch, John Cummins, Conor
Ronan, TJ Clare, Shane O’Brien, Joe Kinahan, Alan
Bowden, Daniel O’Keefe(0-2), Brian Kinahan(0-1), Cian Reynolds, James Eaton, Barry Purcell, Michael Crowley,
Darroch Mulhall(1-8; 5f),
Hugh Mahon(0-1).
Subs used; Corey Lamon(1-0), Luke Thomas
Seniors disappoint in the first round
Athy 0-12
Confey 1-10
Championship weekend in early July and the first round should see
players jumping out of their skin to get playing in Newbridge
after a long wait but Athy’s performance was as flat
as a meaningless league game in mid April.
Confey were expected to blitz in the
opening ten minutes and Athy knew they would try it
but they still failed to stop them going 4 points to nil up in the first 10
minutes. Athy’s opening score came from minor star
James Eaton whose effort got deflected over by the keeper from an acute angle
after 12 minutes. Three points from Derek Brophy
brought Athy back into the game but full forward
Frank Barry extended Confey’s lead with two placed
balls off the ground, one an excellent 45, to leave the score 0-6 to 0-4 at
half time.
Points from Derek Brophy and Mick Foley in the
opening minutes of the second half saw Athy claw back
level and it looked like they were going to step it up in the second half and
kick home. It didn’t quite work out like that!
Further points from Confey’s star forward,
Barry, pushed them ahead again and only after Eaton and Adrian Kelly kicked
good points for Athy did Barry’s killer strike come.
Twenty minutes of the second half had gone and by now Athy
had tried three different men on the troublesome full forward but he got loose
again and this time found the back of the net. 1-9 to 0-8 and Athy were in serious trouble.
For most of the second half Athy had an extra
man after handbag scenes in the middle of the pitch and one ridiculously foolish dive by the Confey wing back on Daniel O’Keefe saw the no. 5 shown a
straight red card. Athy didn’t know how to use the
advantage however and after various changes and switches all over the field it
looked like Confey had the extra man as they
continued to dominate everywhere. A final flurry of points from Brian Kinahan, James Eaton and two from Derek Brophy
almost saw Athy snatch a draw but Confey
held out for a deserved one point win.
Athy team: Paul Clynch, Emmanuel Kennedy, Brian Kinahan(0-1),
Joe Kinahan, Ross Bell, Eddie Delahunt, Colm Cuddy, Mick Foley(0-1), Patrick Dunne, Daniel O’Keefe,
Derek Brophy(0-6;2f), Adrain
Kelly(0-1), James Eaton(0-3;2f), Stephen Davis, Ken Brophy.
Subs used: Eamonn Wynne, Sean Bradley, David
Dunne.
Athy destroy
the burrow
Athy 2-12
Rathangan 0-9
Athy recorded their biggest win of
the season away to a poor Rathangan side who never looked like causing any trouble.
With the sun still out in the late evening the Athy
players were shining the brightest and excellent displays from Mick Foley and
Daniel O’ Keefe in midfield set Athy on their way to
an easy win. In defence Emmanuel Kennedy, Eddie Delahunt and Brian Kinahan kept Rathangan at bay
with great tackling while up front Derek Brophy and Darroch Mulhall put the majority
of scores on the board with brilliant individual play.
Athy team: Paul Clynch, Emmanuel Kennedy, Timmy Dunne, Cormac
O’Shaughnessy, Ross Bell, Eddie Delahunt, Colm
Cuddy(0-1), Michael Foley, Daniel O’Keefe(0-1), Derek Brophy(2-3),
Brian Cardiff(0-2), James Eaton, Eamonn Wynne,
Stephen Davis(0-1), Ken Brophy(0-1).
Subs used: Brian Kinahan[3 mins], Darroch
Mulhall(0-3) [45mins], Patrick Dunne[50 mins]
Vital bottom of table win
Athy 0-13
Clane 1-7
Athy won this crucial bottom of
the table clash with ease. Scoring eight points in an excellent first half, and
keeping the visitors scoreless, set them up for a comfortable two points. Full
forward Stephen Davis was in fine form kicking four points in the opening half,
three from frees. He added two more in the seond half
to bring his personal tally to six for the day. Derek Brophy
wasn’t far behind with three good points of his own. Lane only got their first
sore after 35 minutes of play through Eddie McCormack. Further frees from the
ex-county star and points from Shane Doyle and Eoin Naughton
Put doubts in the Athy minds but frees from
Davis and Brophy kept the gap open. A late goal from
Paul McCormack put
a better look on the scoreboard
from a Clane point of view but this was merely a
consolation goal as Athy were always the winners.
Athy team: Paul Clynch, Emmanuel Kennedy, Timmy Dunne, Cormac
O’Shaughnessy, Ross Bell, Eddie Delahunt(0-1), Colm
Cuddy, Mick Foley, Daniel O’Keefe, Derek Brophy(0-3;1f),
Brian Cardiff, Patrick Dunne(0-1), Eamonn Wynne(0-1),
Stephen Davis(0-6;4f), Ken Brophy(0-1).
First league win finally arrives
Athy 0-13
Ellistown 0-7
Athy seniors got their first
points on the table after a comfortable home victory over a poor Ellistown side. The visitors started the brighter however
and led three points to one after ten minutes but Athy
settled down and then kicked five points without reply, two from on-form Derek Brophy, a second free from the sure boot of James Eaton and
a fine Ross Bell effort from far out on the right hand side, which left the
score 0-6 to 0-3 at the end of a pretty quiet first half.
Ellistown again started well and had
another three points on the board within ten minutes but could only manage one
further point after that as Athy began to dominate in
every area. Athy were dealt a blow with the dismissal
of Brian Cardiff early in the half as the crowd began to get edgy but
midfielder Daniel O’Keefe was impressive for the Reds and one of his surging
runs up the pitch almost ended in a goal but for a good save from the Ellistown goalkeeper. The county minor did manage a good
point from play though and was involved in a lot of scores that came Athy’s way. A lovely score from Derek Brophy,
and two points each from James Eaton and substitute Sean Bradley took Athy well clear of their tired opponents and a final point
from substitute David Dunne confirmed the 13 points to 7 win. Athy got their first win of the league but will be back
facing tougher tests in the coming weeks with the visit of local rivals St. Laurences and a trip to county champions Moorefield just
around the corner.
Athy team: Paul Clynch, Emmanuel Kennedy, Timmy Dunne, Joe Kinahan, Ross Bell(0-1), Eddie Delahunt, Brian Kinahan, Daniel O’Keefe(0-1), Adrian Kelly, Patrick Dunne,
Ken Brophy, James Eaton(0-4; 3f), Derek Brophy(0-3; 1f), Brian Cardiff(0-1), John Mahon.
Subs used: David Dunne(0-1), Sean Bradley(0-2),
Eamonn Wynne.
Senior team continue to struggle
Kilcullen 0-14
Athy 1-9
After a heavy defeat the first time out against Carbury
and a six point loss to Kilcock last week, our senior
team were again beaten on Saturday last. This time at
home, in Geraldine Park, and to a team who many would have considered to be one
of the weakest in the league, and are in fact an intermediate team. This game
started in a hurry - and I don’t mean the play on the field - it was on five or
ten minutes before the scheduled time of seven o’clock and there were three or
four points on the board before many people got in.
Brian Cardiff got Athy’s first point with an
excellent individual score but Kilcullen quickly
raced into a four points to one lead as the first of many rain showers began to
fall. One of the youngest and smallest on the field, John Mahon, started an Athy comeback with a fine score from a very acute angle and
two points from Derek Brophy, and a point each from
Patrick Dunne, Daniel O’Keefe and an inspirational one from captain Colm Cuddy saw Athy go in at half
time leading 7 points to 5.
Athy continued their good spell at
the start of the second half as Daniel O’Keefe ran from deep midfield to
collect a pass and rifle the ball into the top corner of the net which pushed
them into a comfortable five point lead.
Maybe they got too comfortable!
The Rags weren’t finished yet, and they completely dominated the rest of
the half, winning the midfield battle comprehensively and putting the Athy defence under enormous pressure. Far too many silly
fouls were committed in front of goal and they cost the home side badly. One
point in the dying minutes left Athy three points
behind and as they were trying to push for a goal to level it, Brian Kinahan tapped the ball over the bar as if they were five
points clear, obviously not keeping an eye on the scoreboard or aware of his
colleagues urgency around him.
This was a team defeat however, as all fifteen men were beaten to
possession for the entire second half, as if the horrid conditions were only
affecting one team. Athy now have to travel to Monasterevin on Wednesday to play another perceived
“weaker” team. Let’s hope they pick up their first points there!
Athy team: Stephen Davis,
Emmanuel Kennedy, Timmy Dunne, Eddie Delahunt, Ross Bell, Brian Kinahan(0-1), Colm Cuddy(0-1),
Daniel O’Keefe(1-1), Patrick Dunne(0-2), Derek Brophy(0-2;
1f), Brian Cardiff(0-1), Ross Dunne, Sean Bradley, Sean Purcell, John
Mahon(0-1).
Subs used: Eamonn Wynne, David Holligan, Jason Kelly.
ATHY SENIORS FALL BADLY AT FIRST HURDLE
Carbury 1-18
Athy 0-5
The seniors were given a harsh welcome back to the new season up in Carbury as the real competitive action got underway at the
weekend. A nice run in the Aldridge cup taking them to the semi final proved
meaningless as they were torn apart by an impressive Carbury
outfit. The scoreline didn't over flatter the home
side as they were worth every point... and more.
Athy got on the scoresheet first through a point from Patrick Dunne but 1 -
4 for Carbury without reply completely wiped Athy out of the first half. Two points from Sean Bradley
and a Derek Brophy free completed Athy's
scoring for the first half while Carbury knocked over
four more points to leave the score 1-8 to 0-4 at half time.
The second half continued as the first half ended with six points on the
trot for Carbury which completely finished the game
as a contest. You'll probably not see a more one-sided game in the whole league
as Athy failed to make this one competitive, their
only point of the second half coming from Daniel O' Keefe.
Substitutions were poured in and switches made in defence and midfield
but nothing was stopping the wave after wave of Carbury
attack.
No need to write about this one all day as the scoreline
tells its own story, along with overwhelming statistics like1-16 coming from
play for Carbury and 1-11 coming from a very
impressive half forward line made up of Andrew Dermondy,
Morgan O'Flaherty and Terry Rossiter. If there was
any outstanding Athy player it was their busy
goalkeeper Stephen Davis who saved them on more than one occassion
from further blushes.
Minors edged out by Balyna
in semi final
Athy minors lost out on a place in
the league final by the narrowest of margins last Friday night in Geraldine park.
With revenge for last years championship semi final defeat in mind, Athy started at one hundred miles an hour, tearing into
their opponents and completely dominating the play for the first ten minutes.
However the score board at the end of those ten minutes read 0-1 to 0-1 and
indicated that this period of dominance but lack of scores may come back to
haunt the home side at the end of the game. And that it did.
Darroch Mulhall
started the brightest for Athy, and operating at full
forward he certainly was a great target man, winning every ball that came next
or near him. Early wides didn’t stump his confidence
as he continued to shoot at will, his first point coming after five minutes. Balyna weathered the storm and were lucky to get through
the first ten minutes with only a point against them. Their first score came on
ten minutes from a free and it was the only chance they had up to then. Another
free and two points from play saw Balyna surprisingly
take the lead by three points after being outplayed for the opening period. A
good score from Corey Lamon and two points from Cian Reynolds, one from a free, saw Athy
level at four points each after 22 minutes. Liam Mcgovern
kicked two good frees as against one from Balyna to
leave the score 0-6 to 0-5 at half time.
Athy were rocked at the start of
the second half with a goal and a point coming from Balyna
in the space of five minutes to leave them three points clear. Great reply from
Athy though scoring three unanswered points; Daniel
O’ Keefe’s sideline ball bouncing over everyone including the crossbar, Hugh
Mahon chipped in with a fine point and Darroch Mulhall knocked over a free to leave the game very finely
balanced at 0-9 to 1-6. The next ten minutes was a nervous battle with no one
giving an inch, three points were exchanged, two of Athy’s
coming from the trustee left boot of Liam McGovern from frees, while Darroch Mulhall continued his
scoring form with a fine long range effort. Balyna
were winning the midfield battle in the second half however and their dominance
in possession was converted into scores and left Athy
trailing by a point coming into the final five minutes. As tensions built and
the support from the stand grew louder we thought we were heading for a draw as
wing back Shane O’ Brien launched over a mighty point from 35 yards. Balyna though, kept their heads and more importantly kept
their shape, as futile attempts from desperate Athy
players to try run the length of the field with the ball only played into their
hands as they dispossessed the ball on more than one occassion
and finished off with two more points. Athy’s last
point from Hugh Mahon wasn’t enough to save the day as they lost out on a scoreline of 1-12 to 0-14, in what was a thrilling game.
Athy team: Paul Clynch, Shane O’Brien(0-1), David
McGovern, T.J. Clare, Luke Thomas, Brian Kinahan,
Alan Bowden,
Daniel O’Keefe(0-1), Joe Kinahan, Cian Reynolds(0-2; 1f), Michael Crowley, Corey Lamon(0-1), Liam McGovern(0-4; 4f), Darroch
Mulhall(0-3; 1f), Hugh Mahon(0-2).
Subs used: Dermot Garry, Jack Bride, David Fennelly.
Open/Registration Evening
Athy GFC are holding an
open/registration evening on Friday the 11th of April from
We have a wide range of teams ranging from under 8 right up to senior
level as well as under-age ladies teams.
tracksuits and other club gear will be on display in the clubhouse along
with photos of players and teams, past and present. Refreshments will be
provided and all parents are invited to attend. So whether you are a current
player or new to the town and interested in playing gaelic
football please come up to Geraldine park on Friday evening, 11th April.
Minors through to league Semi Final
Athy minors are comfortably
through to the semi final of the league after topping division 1A. They played
five games over the last five Sundays, winning four and getting one draw. After
a draw with Sarsfields in the opening game, their
impressive unbeaten run saw wins over
Aldridge cup run comes to an end
The seniors were knocked out of the cup last Friday night by Sarsfields on a scoreline of 0-11
to 0-7. Keith Doyle knocked over Athy’s first point
of the night after the sash made a bright start. A free from Patrick Dunne
helped Athy keep in touch momentarily but with a
strong wind in their backs Sarsfields pulled away and
led eight points to two at half time. Two more frees from Patrick Dunne at the
start of the second half saw Athy close the gap a
little but frees missed by the same man afterwards let the Newbridge
men off the hook and points from Brian Kinahan, Brian
Cardiff and Dunne weren’t enough to catch the men in green who now go through
to the final.
Athy had a few good games in this
cup and used a lot of new players, most of them minors, who acquitted
themselves very well. They now prepare for the league which starts on the 22nd
March.
Athy team: Stephen Davis,
Brendan Curtis, Eddie Delahunt, Joe Kinahan, Colm Cuddy, David Dunne, Jason Kelly, Daniel O’ Keefe,
Patrick Dunne(0-4; 3f), Derek Brophy, Brian
Cardiff(0-1), David Holligan, Keith Doyle(0-1), Sean
Bradley, Peter Dunne.
Subs used: Ross Dunne, Eamonn Wynne, Brian Kinahan(0-1), Timmy Dunne.
Three out of three for Senior team
Athy seniors are through to the
semi final of the Aldridge cup after three wins from three, beating St Laurences, Ellistown and Suncroft. They will
now play Sarsfields at home after topping their
group. After a narrow 0-8 to 0-7 victory over Ellistown
the previous week, Athy were back in Geraldine park
last Friday night and continued their flying start to the new season with a
hard fought win over Suncroft. The game started off
brightly with both teams trading three points each, with two well struck frees
from Sean Kinahan and a point from Sean Bradley
before Bradley popped up to collect an excellent reverse hand pass from Eamonn Wynne and fire the ball to the back of the net. Suncroft weren’t too fazed by the goal however and added on
two points to leave the score 1-3 to 0-5 at half time. Brian Kinahan came on early in the first half for his brother
Declan who was again unfortunately
forced to retire early through injury. Brian kept the Kinahans
impact on the field to a maximum however with an impressive display at midfield
including two fantastic points.
With Sean kicking frees very well off the ground and younger cousin Joe
again outstanding in defence Athy looked good for the
win most the way through. Suncroft kept their
scoreboard ticking over with a few frees but when substitute Keith Doyle came
on and kicked a magnificent long range point and Brian Cardiff tagged on
another for the home side, they were sure of the win and a spot in the semi
final this weekend, on a final scoreline of 1-8 to
0-8.
Athy team: Stephen Davis, David Holligan,
Eddie Delahunt, Joe Kinahan, Eddie Hennessy, David
Dunne, Colm Cuddy, Declan Knahan,
Sean Kinahan(0-3; 3f), Ross Dunne, Brian
Cardiff(0-1), Sean Bradley(1-1), Eamonn Wynne, Sean
Purcell, Peter Dunne.
Subs used: Brian Kinahan(0-2), Keith
Doyle(0-1), Jason Kelly.
Congratulations to Grainne
Hughes
Big congratulations to Grainne Hughes who has
won the honour of being the Kildare senior ladies team mascot for their upcoming
league game against
Great start for Athy seniors
The seniors made a flying start to the new season with a win over local
rivals St. Laurences in a lively first round of the
Aldridge cup in Geraldine park last Friday night. Athy
adopted a direct football approach with long high balls being pumped into
towering full forward Sean Kinahan, which paid great
dividends. The home team started the brightest with two early points from James
Eaton and Brian Cardiff, with the larries not
registering their first score for nearly twenty minutes. It was a low scoring
first half overall and the teams went in level at three points apiece at half
time.
The second half saw a lot more scores and Athy’s
new young stars were certainly the difference between the two teams.
An excellent performance from Joe Kinahan in
defence kept the usually free scoring larries forward
Ronan Lawler to just two points. Daniel O’ Keefe put in a solid performance for
his debut at midfield while in the forwards, substitute Eddie Hennessy scored a
fantastic solo goal, and wing forward James Eaton gave an exhibition of point
kicking, both from placed balls and open play. Athy
won the game on a scoreline of 1-9 to 0-7.
Athy team: Paul Clynch, Eddie Delahunt, Timmy Dunne, Joe Kinahan, David Holligan, David
Dunne, Colm Cuddy, Daniel O’ Keefe(0-1), Patrick
Dunne, Derek Brophy, Brian Cardiff(0-1), James
Eaton(0-6; 3f), Peter Dunne, Sean Kinahan(0-1), Eamonn Wynne. Subs used: Eddie Hennessy(1-0), Brendan
Curtis.
U/16 Presentation Night
The u/16’s had a presentation night last Saturday 2nd February in the
clubhouse and everyone enjoyed what was a very successful night. Christy Byrne
presented awards for the boys while Brianne and Kate Leahy made the presentations
to the girls. Congratulations to Sarah O Connell, player of the year for the
girls, and Jack Bride, most improved player for the boys.
Club Website
The website is under constant construction and design and will be
updated regularly so if you would like to add anything to the site - match
reports/news/photos etc. please contact Emlyn Kane
086 3446170 or mail items to pro@athygfc.com Any photos you have
(old or new) - team photos, players in action, club social nights etc. send
them in and share them with the rest of the club.
Dinner Dance
A great night was had by all at the dinner dance in the Clanard court hotel on the 26th January and
thanks to everyone who supported. Medals were presented to the minors on the
night. Awards were also presented to senior player of the year Brian
Special presentations were also made to Marty McEvoy,
new central council delegate, Con Ronan, county board treasurer and to Pat
Daly, for his long service as secretary of Athy GFC.
Senior Team
Management: Paddy Byrne and Colm Reynolds.
Senior B Team Management: Joe
Kinahan, Ger Clancy and Dinny
Sullivan.
Minor Team Management: Mark Brophy, Anthony Bracken and Paul Hicks.
Membership fees for 2008 are now due :
Family Membership - - - €75
Adult Membership - - - - €50
Student/Juvenile - - - - - €30
The following Officers were elected for 2008:
Chairman - - - - - - - Dom Kinahan
Vice
Chairman - - - Jim Kelly
Secretary - - - - - - - Joe Barry
Treasurer - - - - - - -Mick Cummins
Registrar - - - - - - - Henry Howard
P.R.O. - - - - - - - - - Emlyn Kane
Committee - - - Marty McEvoy, Con Ronan, Colm Reynolds,
Brian Hughes, Shane Purcell, Pat Considine