Gilsenan treble secures victory

OCCUPYING the two relegation places in the Meath & District League Premier Division before kick-off, this encounter at Tully Park on Sunday represented an opportunity for both sides to bag three points that could yet prove crucial in their efforts to avoid the dreaded drop. As it turned out it was Trim Celtic who did the business with a help of a fine hat-trick from striker Paul Gilsenan. The home side went a long way towards securing their win with a powerhouse first-half display that yielded three goals, two from Gilsenan and one from David Conway. The old Jimmy Greaves"s observation that soccer is a funny old game was once again underlined in this clash. At the break Trim Celtic had their 3-0 advantage to lean on and looked like they would notch up their biggest win of the season. They were home and hosed, or at least that what it looked like. Then the complexion of the game completely changed after the resumption. A rejuvenated Navan Town side came storming back to fire two goals and go within inches of adding one or two more. Instead of romping home by the proverbial mile Trim Celtic were left hanging on and happy to hear the final blast of the whistle from referee Pat Henry. Both these sides were returning to action after a long spell without a game. There were plenty of meaty challenges and referee Henry dished out five yellow cards. He kept a tight rein throughout and this helped to create an environment for some expansive football to be played by both sides. With their level of experience and skill it is surprising that Trim Celtic find themselves in the relegation mire this season. With a game or two in hand on most of their rivals it is surely only a matter of time before they start to climb up the table. They were, perhaps understandably, lured into a sense of complacency in this game with their dominant first-half performance suggesting that they would win comfortably. Throughout the opening half the Trim side created chances almost at will. Early on Gilsenan intercepted a back pass to find himself one-on-one with Navan Town netminder David Lyons. The goalkeeper did well to save. Soon after Lyons also executed a brave save from Paul Campbell after a clever little dink forward by Colm Harte, who started the season with Longwood. Minutes later Michael Corrigan whipped in a cross for Conway who just couldn"t get enough purchase on a close-range header. Eventually the dam burst and the Navan Town defence were exposed. On the half-hour mark Harte threaded through a pass for Gilsenan who rounded the advancing Lyons before slotting home from an awkward angle. On 43 minutes Navan Town"s fortunes dipped further when Keith Jones and Conway were involved in setting up Gilsenan for his second. Lyons got a touch but couldn"t prevent the ball trickling over the line. On the stoke of half-time Harte released Campbell down the right wing. He whipped over a cross, the ball slipped from Lyons"s grasp and Conway was on hand for a easy tap in. It looked game, set and match. Throughout the afternoon Harte proved a handful for the Navan Town defence with his mazy runs down the left wing. Just 10 minutes into the second-half he cut inside and was brought down in the box. Gilsenan stepped forward to firmly despatch the spot-kick. In doing so he made it 4-1 and completed his hat-trick. Up to the interval Trim Celtic played with a conviction and a cutting edge that must have pleased manager Domo Martin. The defence was solid and the midfield combined well with the front two, Gilsenan and Conway. Most of what transpired afterwards will not have made Martin happy. The spirited Navan Town revival was kick-started early in the second-half when Brendan O"Donnell, Kevin Dunphy, Shane Smith and Colm Wilson combined well to set up Mark Dowdall who fired home. At times the visitors were dominant. Adrian Dowdall went close with a dipping effort as Navan Town got a foothold with Dunphy, O"Donnell and Gary O"Dowd prominent. On 62 minutes it was 2-4 when a Dowdall piledriver was diverted to the net by Colm Wilson. With a new-found confidence Navan Town threatened to add to their account with Adrian Dowdall, David O"Reilly, Aidan O"Brien and Mark Dowdall almost finding a way through. Navan Town manager Pascal O"Reilly and his charges can take encouragement from the way they battled back in the second-half. This was another blow to their attempts to stay up but they showed they will not give up their status without a battle. Trim Celtic - N Murray; C Rispin, K Jones, C Halton, M Gilsenan, A Newman, P Campbell, M Corrigan, P Gilsenan, D Conway, C Harte. Subs - R Campbell for Rispin, A Fay for Newman, P Conway for D Conway. Navan Town - D Lyons; C Ward, K Dunphy, M Power, G O"Dowd, D O"Reilly, M Dowdall, B O"Donnell, A Dowdall, C Wilson, S Smith. Subs - A O"Brien for Smith, D Gavin for Wilson, Referee - Pat Henry.