Late goals secure victory for Ratoath
Rath Tó 3-14, An Scrín 1-10
PR Coyne A League Division 1 – Round 1
Skryne made the short trip to Ratoath for their opening round fixture in the A League. With the main pitch unavailable, the game was played on one of the back pitches which was in pretty poor condition.
The first half saw Skryne struggle to find their rhythm. Ratoath opened the scoring with a free after four minutes, quickly followed by a well-taken point from their wing half-back. Skryne’s first response came through Mark Swan, who did well to gather possession under pressure before sending the ball over from just inside the large circle. Ratoath added another free, and their influential no. 8 fired over a two-pointer, stretching their lead to four.
Jack Swan provided a crucial interception to spark Skryne into life, with Billy Smyth feeding Conor Donohoe in the right corner. Donohoe evaded his marker and slotted over a fine point. Ratoath answered with two more scores, but Skryne’s best spell of the half followed, with Donohoe adding two more points and Shane Smyth also on target to cut the deficit to two.
However, Ratoath struck a crucial blow with a somewhat fortuitous goal. Their corner forward broke through on goal, but his shot struck the inside of the post, bouncing across the face of the goal before being bundled over the line. The hosts capitalised on their momentum, adding three unanswered points to take an eight-point lead into the break. Half-time score: Ratoath 1-10, Skryne 0-05.
Skryne introduced three substitutes at the interval in an effort to turn the tide, and the changes had an immediate impact. Oisín Keogh linked up with Liam Donohoe, who in turn played in Neil Burke on the left, with Burke coolly splitting the posts. Ratoath responded with two points, but Burke was on target again ten minutes into the half. This, however, was quickly negated by another Ratoath score.
Jack Swan continued to disrupt Ratoath’s attacks, setting up a move that saw Oisín Keogh feed Shane Smyth, who surged through the middle and chipped over. Again, Ratoath hit back to maintain their nine-point cushion with 17 minutes played.
Despite struggling with accuracy midway through the half, Skryne refused to concede defeat. Billy Smyth found the target before Harry Rooney soared to claim a kickout, delivering a pinpoint pass over the Ratoath defense to Conor Donohoe, who was dragged down inside the penalty area. Billy Smyth stepped up and confidently dispatched the penalty into the bottom left corner, giving Skryne renewed hope.
A Neil Burke free reduced the deficit to just four with five minutes remaining, setting up a tense finale. However, Ratoath killed off the comeback with two late goals, ensuring victory and taking both points on offer.
An Scrín: Ian Gillett; Shane Smyth, David Carroll, Niall Lenehan; Jack Swan, Paddy Carpenter, Ciarán Lenehan; John O’Regan, Harry Rooney; Mark Swan, Conor Donohoe, Oisín Keogh; Conor O’Brien, Niall Morland, Billy Smyth.
Subs used: Ciarán Quinn, Neil Burke, Liam Donohoe, Charlie Swan, Cormac Pentony
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