Skryne took to the field against St. Colmslie’s on Wednesday evening 25th July in this Feis Shield encounter and lost out to their opponents in their home groundFatherMcManusPark. This was a beautiful evening for a game of football with hardly a breeze in evidence and for once not a rain cloud in sight.
Match referee Mick Ryan got the game underway shortly after 8pm and St. Colmslie’s took little time settling to their task when they registered a point from play in the 4th minute. This was followed by another Colmslie’s point again from play on the 6th minute and further misery was heaped on the home side when the Laytown side found the back of the net in the 8th minute to open up a significant lead at this early stage.
Skryne were slow to settle and the visitors were taking full advantage when they added three further points in the next four minutesto leave the Taraside trailing by 1 – 5 so early in the game. The 13th minute saw the home side take their first score when U16 player Eimear O’Brien struck an excellent point from play. This appeared to settle the Skryne side when minutes later full forward Michelle Whelan struck a point from play to narrow the gap.
The pace of the game was now at fever pitch and the high humidity conditions made for an energy sapping encounter. This did not stop Skryne captain Eimear Finnerty when she burst through from mid field to put one between the posts to let Colmcille’s know the home side were in hot pursuit. The visitors launched the next assault on the Skryne goal but saw their effort sail to the right of the upright followed by a wide from theTaraside when they missed the target coming from a free kick.
Colmcille’s again hit a period of dominance when they struck points from play on the 20th and 21st minutes; however, this was followed by three wides from the visitors between the 22nd and 26th minutes. It has to be said dogged defending from the home side played no small part in their opponent’s wayward shooting. The Laytown side were back on the scoreboard a minute later when they had a point from play which proved to be their final score of the half.
The Skryne side were now pressing hard in an attempt to narrow the gap before the break. Michelle Whelan Skryne full forward was hauled down rugby style going through on goal and the resulting free Ruth Moore converted to add a point to the home side’s tally on the 28th minute. TheTara midfielder Ashling Bowens was next up when she had a first class point from play followed a minute later with another converted free kick from Ruth Moore to leave the scores at the break: St. Colmcille’s 1 – 8. Skryne 0 – 6.
Skryne started the second half trailing by five points and determined to claw back their opponents lead. The 32nd minute demonstrated the home side meant business when full forward Michelle Whelan got through on goal on a one to one with the Colmcille’s goalie. She fired a shot towards the top corner of the opponent’s net but some how the custodian stopped the attempt on the goal line to maintain their five point margin. Michelle found her way through on goal again a minute later but was unceremoniously pulled to the ground resulting in a close range free kick for the Tara side. Aishling Bowans stepped up and put the ball between the uprights to reduce their deficit to four points. Colmcille’s responded almost immediately with a point from play to restore their half time margin, followed with a pointed free kick to stretch their lead further in the 37th minute.
Skryne were piling on the pressure in an attempt to get back into the game, however they spurned two scoring opportunities on the 38 and 39th minutes when they put two attempts from free kicks wide of the posts. The 40th minute saw Skryne hit the target when half forward Ruth Moore had a top class point from play to claw back the opposition lead ever so slightly. Any hopes of a Skryne comeback were short lived when their opponents hit goals in the 40th and 42nd minutes to leave theTara side with a hell of a mountain to climb.
A minute later the home side began to climb the previously mentioned mountain when Ruth Moore converted another free kick to register a point to keep a glimmer of hope alive. It has to be said Colmcille’s were guilty of what can only be described as cynical fouling on the advancing Skryne forward line determined not to let them through on goal. One such foul resulted in another free kick for the home side which Ruth Moore put between the posts on the 46th minute to keep the home fires burning.
St. Colmcille’s were determined to keep the home side at bay and this they achieved when they struck three points from play between the 47th and 50th minutes leaving the Tara side with an ever increasing task on their hands. A minute later we saw the home sides full forward Michelle Whelan through on goal where she sent a shot in on the opponent’s goal. The goalie got a touch to the ball but fumbled it behind the line in the view of match referee Mick Ryan who awarded the goal. This led to vociferous protests from the opposition side line but all credit to the referee he soon let them know who was in charge and the goal stood. We were now in the closing minutes of this game and at this stage it was gone beyond the Tara side’s reach. The teams shared points in the final minutes with Colmcille’s converting a free kick in the 57th minute and Ashling Bowans converting a free for the home side on the 60th minute. This left St. Colmcille’s winners on a final shoreline:
St Colmcille’s 3 – 14. Skryne 1 – 11.
Skryne team – Roisin Gryson; Cody Swan, Niamh Lynch, Aoife Swan; Onagh Morley, Orla Cragie, Deidre Kennedy; Eimear Finnerty{0-1}, Ashling Bowans{0-3}; Melanie Kirwan, Ruth Moore{0-5}, Catriona Keoghan; Eimear O’Brien{0-1}, Michelle Whelan{1-1}, Eimear Clarke.
