Ratoath one step away

RATOATH are one step away from an instant return to the intermediate ranks following this deserved JFC semi-final victory over Dunsany in atrocious conditions at Dunshaughlin on Sunday. Dunsany, who have been one of the most consistent teams in the junior grade for the past decade, waited four years for the opportunity to exact retribution on the side that beat them in the 2004 final, but they came up short once again as Ratoath possessed that extra bit of class which made the difference. Ratoath spent three campaigns at intermediate level before suffering the drop back to junior status last year and while it"s difficult to assess their current well-being on the evidence of a victory achieved in monsoon-like conditions, there was no denying their appetite for the battle. Dunsany, who were bidding for a place in the final for the third time in seven years, weren"t found wanting in that department either, but they lacked potency in attack against a well-drilled Ratoath defence and the fact that they managed only three points from play speaks for itself. Ger O"Neill, who was on holiday in the United States, was a significant loss, while they suffered a further blow after only 10 minutes when former Meath panelist Conor Brennan was forced to retire with a leg injury. Ratoath were also hampered on the injury front due to the absence of their captain Shane McMahon, who is a very influential figure, but they still produced passages of good football despite the conditions and possessed a play-maker of enormous talent in centre-forward Ger McCullagh. McCullagh, who was a member of the Meath team which lost the 2002 All-Ireland MFC final to Derry, looked good on the ball and rowed in with two points in each half which were highly important on a day when scores were at a premium. Eoin McMahon was another forward to make a telling impression as he scored three points and there were also notable contributions from defenders Eoin Horan, Tony McGuane and Stephen O"Brien and midfielders Aidan Hickey and Paul Kirwan. Stephen Clynch proved that he can play football as well as hurling with a wholehearted performance at full-back in a hard-working Dunsany defence, while the efforts of Paul Kennedy, Paul O"Donnell and Brian Faherty were important in the middle third of the field as they got to grips with the game in the second quarter after Ratoath had done the brunt of the scoring in the first. Mark Brennan punished a pick-up by Ratoath goalkeeper Richard Donnelly when he opened the scoring from a free for Dunsany inside two minutes, but with McCullagh pulling the strings the champions of four years ago soon asserted their authority. McMahon had them level from a free after four minutes, then added a superb score from play and with McCullagh also on the mark twice (one free) they were ahead by 0-4 to 0-1 at the end of the first quarter. However, Dunsany should have had a goal earlier when Sean Stephens, also a member of that Meath minor team in 2002, broke through, but shot badly wide to the right. The sides were level at that stage and a goal then might have made a massive difference. Instead, Ratoath upped the tempo to push into that three-point advantage. To their credit, Dunsany battled with tenacity, held Ratoath scoreless in the second quarter and worked their way back to level terms (0-4 each) at the interval. Faherty and Stephens provided the spade work for Barry O"Donnell to notch their first score in 14 minutes, Mark Brennan slotted over a superb free and Stephens pointed from play in a productive spell which suggested they were capable of avenging that 2004 final defeat. If anything, the rain got heavier in the second-half and it was Ratoath who resumed with an opportunity to restore their three-point cushion. Barry Crowley and Fiachra Gaughan combined to set Mick Conmy up with a great goal chance, but he was badly off target. However, there was renewed urgency in their play and substitute Graham Clarke and McCullagh, from a mighty long range free, had them two points clear within six minutes of the restart. Dunsany"s only scores of the second-half came from Stephens and Mark Brennan (free) and they failed to register in the last 20 minutes, plus an extended period of injury time. Ratoath didn"t score beyond the 17th minute of the second period after McMahon, Gaughan and McCullagh had completed their tally, but they always looked likely to prevail as Dunsany struggled to gain any momentum or fluency. The winners put together one of the best moves of the game at the three-quarter stage when Horan and McMahon put Clarke through, but his shot was saved by Paul Faherty, before the ball cannoned off the post. Dunsany spent most of the second period playing catch-up, but the three points that separated the teams at the end just about summed up Ratoath"s marginal supremacy. SCORERS Ratoath - G McCullagh 0-4, two frees; E McMahon 0-3, one free; F Gaughan 0-1; G Clarke 0-1. Dunsany - M Brennan 0-3, all frees; S Stephens 0-2; B O"Donnell 0-1. TEAMS Ratoath - R Donnelly; E Horan, T McGuane, C Killian; S O"Brien, T Garvey, B Crowley; A Hickey, P Kirwan; E McMahon, G McCullagh, M Conmy; Colm O"Brien, F Gaughan, Conor O"Brien. Subs - D McGill for Killian, G Clarke for Conor O"Brien, R Madden for Colm O"Brien, P Flaherty for McGill. Dunsany - P Faherty; E Ferguson, S Clynch, R Donnelly; P McGovern, P Kennedy, C Irwin; P O"Donnell, B Faherty; C Brennan, C Keena, B O"Donnell; D O"Donoghue, S Stephens, M Brennan. Subs - A Hogan for C Brennan, B Duffy for Ferguson, J Kenny for B O"Donnell, B O"Brien for Keena, C Curtis for M Brennan. REFEREE Gerry McGivney (Simonstown).