Courtwood finish strongly to see off O'Dempsey's challenge in Laois SFC

Last year's county finalists Courtwood got their Laois Shopping Centre SFC campaign off to a winning start with a hard-earned victory over O'Dempsey's on Thursday evening.

This was a contest that appealed to the purists, with scores proving difficult to come by and just eight points registered in a cagey opening half.

Courtwood opened the scoring after six minutes, though both teams had already kicked a number of harmless wides. Barry Howlin responded almost immediately with a two-pointer before the game entered a scoreless spell that lasted 10 minutes.

O'Dempsey's then struck for two points in succession through an Ultan Dunne free and a fine effort from play by Daithi Howlin. Courtwood eventually added their second score after going 20 minutes between points, with Alan Kinsella converting a free. Kinsella repeated the feat soon afterwards as O'Dempsey's held a narrow advantage approaching the half-hour mark.

Joe Lennon then produced a superb block to deny Ryan Little what looked a certain goal. O'Dempsey's finished the half on a positive note when Barry Howlin landed his third point, leaving them 0-5 to 0-3 ahead at the interval.

As they had done in the opening period, Courtwood scored first after the restart. Rob Tyrrell split the posts after Tadgh Slattery's effort had been blocked. O'Dempsey's managed just four scores in the second half, the first of those coming from Fionn Holland.

Ryan Little was fortunate to avoid a black card when he hauled down Jack Lennon, with referee Mick Tarpey opting to issue a yellow instead. The decision sparked frustration among the O'Dempsey's management and supporters.

Matthew Byron narrowed the gap with a free before Joe Finn replied at the opposite end. Courtwood then seized control, hitting 1-2 without response to move ahead for the first time since the opening score. Paul O'Flynn and Little both pointed before Niall Donoher won a kick-out. The move continued through Tyrrell, Sean O'Flynn and Cian Doyle, with the latter finishing to the net.

Substitute Dylan Keane almost found the net at the other end only for Podge Bannon to deny him, while Byron missed the resulting 45 that would have increased the lead.

Eoin Finlay fisted over to cut the deficit to two, but Courtwood responded with 1-1 to effectively settle the contest. Kinsella converted a free before Little squared for Keane, who palmed beyond Bannon.

The game's final score arrived when Ben Coen raised a green flag for O'Dempsey's, but it proved nothing more than a consolation as Courtwood secured a deserved four-point victory.

FINAL SCORE

Courtwood 2-9

O'Dempsey's 1-8

SCORERS - Courtwood: Alan Kinsella 0-4 (all frees), Cian Doyle 1-1, Ryan Little, Paul O'Flynn, Matthew Byron (free) and Rob Tyrrell 0-1 each. O'Dempsey's: Barry Howlin 0-3 (one two-pointer), Ben Coen 1-0, Fionn Holland 0-1, Eoin Finlay, Daithi Howlin, Joe Finn and Ultan Dunne (free) 0-1 each

COURTWOOD: Matthew Byron; Darragh McEvoy, Dan Boland, Adam O'Halloran; Ciaran Boland, Sean O'Flynn, Jake Doyle; Mark O'Halloran, Rob Tyrrell; Paul O'Flunn, Cian Doyle, Tadhg Slattery; Alan Kinsella, Ryan Little, Niall Donoher. Subs: Danny Luttrell for C Boland and Dylan Keane for M O’Halloran (43 mins), Mark O’Halloran for O’Flynn (57 mins)

O'DEMPSEY'S: Podge Bannon; Callum Ryan, Shane Nerney, Johnny Kelly; Tom Kelly, Jack Lennon, Joe Lennon; Barry Howlin, Fionn Holland; Cormac O'Hora, Tommy Kehoe, Daithi Howlin; Joe Finn, Ultan Dunne, Barry Kelly. Subs: Jim Holland for Nerney (14 mins inj), Ben Coen for T Kelly (Blood 16-22 mins), Adam O’Leary for Ryan (HT), Ben Coen for Finn (43 mins), Eoin Finlay for O’Hara (48 mins), Robbie McNeill for T Kelly (53 mins)

REFEREE: Mick Tarpey (Kilcavan)