Joe Mallon Motors SFC Preliminary Round Celbridge 1-13 Raheens 0-11 Celbridge v Raheens was preceded by a scorching affair between Kilcullen and Leixlip, but just a half an hour on from points from distance and late penalties, the crowd were far more subdued watching this game. The first score came after seven minutes of play when Aaron Browne laid it off to Mick O’Grady to tap over the bar. Raheens took the lead before we reached the 10-minute mark with two quick-fire points just prior from Jack Taafe and Gavin Thompson. Having begun with 15 men behind the ball, Raheens produced two exceptional scores with the latter from Thompson an absolute screamer after he cut inside from a tight angle. There was no score between the 10th and 20th minutes of this game as Celbridge reached a total of eight wides since throw-in. They would eventually equalise through Killian Browne and much to the relief of their exasperated fans who feared they may never score again based on what they had just watched. No scorers were on-form it seemed as Raheens’ county man Paddy Woodgate was temporarily taken off free-kick duty after a dismal effort off the ground. Jack Taafe would pick up that responsibility and got his second of the day right after a great long-ranger from Luke O’Donovan. Aaron Browne got Celbridge’s third before Dara Crowley drove down the other end and saw his subsequent effort tipped over the bar by Shane McNamara. Crowley’s goalkeeper assisted score sent Raheens in with an 0-5 to 0-3 lead at half-time. Celbridge, to their credit, came out firing and levelled within four minutes of the restart with Mick O‘Grady and Killian Browne both adding to their tallies. Paddy Woodgate’s restoration of Raheens’ lead was short-lived as Celbridge fired back instantly through Aaron Browne. Raheens would then concede a goal all of their own making when attempting to keep possession at the back went all wrong between Declan Campbell and members of his back-line. Pressure from Tony Archbold and Aaron Browne forced the turnover and the ball popped out to Davy Hughes who just had to tap the ball into an open net with Campbell not at home. The goal made it 1-6 to 0-6 in the 39th minute and Raheens had shot themselves in the foot after leading for most of this game. The game simmered down for the following 10 minutes as Celbridge seemed content to go one-for-one with the trailing side. Although it has to be said that Celbridge’s efforts appeared to be hamstrung by the match official, who many felt was harshly treating the leading side in comparison to their opposition in this fixture. Raheens substitute Colm Power made an impact off the bench with a point less than a minute after coming on. Power’s contribution was matched by a fine curling effort from Aaron Browne to maintain Celbridge’s gap of three points. Two Raheens points from Niall Cramer were matched by a Kevin Flynn double as the half-back line’s went head-to-head on the scoreboard. Raheens pushed and pushed but couldn’t bridge that gap of three points for more than a minute or two. Tied at 1-11 to 0-11 as the game crossed the hour mark, Celbridge put this game to bed with two points in additional time. The first from Mick O’Grady who tapped over close range with the county star reliving his younger days as a forward. He notched 0-3 on the day. Celbridge’s top scorer on the day, Aaron Browne, closed out proceedings with a well-taken free to ensure that his team would come out the right side of this preliminary round fixture. Ultimately, the goal cost the losing side on the day and Celbridge progressed from a stodgy game with a win in their back pocket. Scorers: Aaron Browne 0-5 (0-1 mark, 0-1 free), Davy Hughes 1-0, Mick O'Grady 0-3, Killian Browne 0-2, Kevin Flynn 0-2, Liam O'Donovan 0-1. Raheens: Paddy Woodgate 0-3 (0-2 frees), Gavin Thompson 0-2 (0-1 frees), Niall Cramer 0-2, Jack Taafe 0-1, Luke O'Donovan 0-1, Dara Crowley 0-1, Colm Power 0-1. Celbridge: Shane McNamara; John Clarke, Cian Powell, Dean O'Donoghue; Kevin Flynn, Fergal Conway, Liam O'Flynn; Paddy Wall, Mick O'Grady; Niall O'Regan, Tony Archbold, Cormac O'Sullivan; Davy Hughes, Aaron Browne, Killian Browne. Subs: Hugh McGrillen for Paddy Wall (Half-time), Mick Konstantin for John Clarke (57 minutes). RAHEENS: Declan Campbell; Shane Crowley, Jack Hamill, Tom Early; Shane McSweeney, Niall Cramer, Graham Waters; Matthew Bett-Symonds, Dara Crowley; Luke O'Donovan, Paddy Woodgate, Conor Earley; Fionn Tully, Jack Taafe, Gavin Thompson. Subs: Colm Power for Jack Taafe (44 minutes), Conor Kelly for Gavin Thompson (44 minutes), Daniel Hamill for Conor Earley (49 minutes). REFEREE: Fergal Barry
