Ratoath prove best in Leinster clash
After withstanding some severe late pressure 14-man Ratoath claimed victory in the Leinster Club JHC quarter-final with a 1-13 to 2-8 victory over Offaly side Clodiagh Gaels at Ratoath today.
The home side shipped a big setback on 22 minutes when they had Jack McGowan sent off after a brief scuffle broke out in the middle of the field although the player himself strongly protested his innocence.
The home side bounced back from that to lead by 0-9 to 0-4 and while they could only manage 1-4 in the second-half it proved enough to see them through.
Ratoath's goal arrived early in the second-half when Gavin McGowan latched onto a Darragh Kelly pass to drive the ball low to the net.
The second-half, however, was dominated by Clodiagh Gaels who scored two goals of their own through Kevin Kinahan to put intense pressure on the home side.
Ratoath's cause was helped by some hearty defending while goalkeeper Gearoid Crowley also played his part with a number of outstanding displays.
Padragh O'Hanrahan fired over six points for Ratoath while Jack McGowan, Ciaran O'Hanrahan and Sean O'Hanrahan were others to dig out scores.
Despite all their pressure the closest Clodiagh Gaels came to the home team in the second-half was when Kinahan got his second goal late in the game.
This was a fine victory for Ratoath who showed plenty of fire and determination to get the better of the Offaly side particularly a man down for a sizeable chunk of the contest.
Ratoath - Gearoid Crowley; Neil O'Dowd, Brian Murphy, Brian Farrelly; Paddy O'Dowd, Darragh Kelly (0-3 one free), Conor Ward; Bobby O'Brien, Jack McGowan (0-1); Ben McGowan, Ciaran O'Hanrahan (0-1), Sean O'Hanrahan (0-1); Padraig O'Hanrahan (0-6 five frees), Gavin McGowan (1-1), Bryan McMahon.
Clodiagah Gaels - G McDonald, P Walsh, K Beirne, D Hyland; K O'Brien, D Kilroe, C Keenaghan; N Cunningham, C Curran (0-1); S Dolan (0-1), C Gleeson (0-2), P Horan; D Buckley, D Dunne (0-1 free), L Langton (0-3 two frees). Subs - R Casey for Cunningham 40 mins, M Egan for Gleeson, K Kinahan for Keenaghan both 50 mins.