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Oatlands began the South Dublin Final against St.
Benildus College with determination and a desire for revenge after a
heart breaking Leinster quarter-final defeat to the same opposition.
This time, it was to be a different ending as Oatlands ran out 6-1
winners and were crowned South Dublin Champions for the second year
in a row. As the players stepped out on to a wet astro turf pitch in
Peamount, you could sense the passion and excitement in both teams.
The game began in typical fashion, both teams
conservative and wary. Nobody wanted to lose an early goal and if
not for two brilliant saves from Oatlands goalkeeper, Oisin
Geoghegan, Oatlands would have conceded an early lead. There was an early setback for Oatlands when
full-back Iain Goulding had to go off with a hamstring injury. This
was a big blow to the side as Goulding had been Oatlands best player
in the competition so far. A quick reshuffle which saw Ronan Carney
replace the injured Goulding proved to be the change that the game
needed to spark it to life. Carney ran riot on the right wing and
opened the scoring after only five minutes on the pitch when he
arrived to convert a cross from Oatlands captain, Jack Memery, who
had an outstanding game at left back.
Only a few minutes later, Oatlands punished Benildus
for slack defending as a free-kick from James Kavanagh was turned
into their own net by an opposition defender to give Oatlands a 2-0
lead. With the first half coming to a close, Benildus came at the
team but the defence stood tall and went into the break with the
precious lead intact. Oatlands knew that Benildus would give
everything they had in the second half so a speech by manager
Mr.Kelly was vital in rallying the troops.
The Oatlands defence held firm in the first few
minutes of the second half with great, determined performances from
both central defenders , Colm Harmon and Jamie Fernandez. All
changed when a perfectly weighted pass was slotted through to Dean
Clarke sending him through one on one with the goalkeeper. He
rounded the keeper, while been tripped along the way, but managed to
stay on his feet to tuck the ball away into the corner. It was all
one way traffic now with Giovanni Boccarossa making perfectly timed
tackles in all areas of the pitch.
For a time the game's intensity seemed to have died
down, with both defences winning out. Mark Murnaghan picked up the
ball from the middle of the pitch and went on a solo run. He beat
two players with ease, ignoring calls from his team mates to pass,
and took the shot on himself. The ball flew from his left foot
straight into the top corner. Those who had been screaming at him
moments earlier, could only congratulate him. Oatlands then kept
the ball down and passed it well with Charlie Kenna beginning the
moves from right back. When James Kavanagh was forced off with an
injury, another reshuffle had to be made. Oatlands were dominating
in all areas by this stage.
Against the run of play, however, Benildus got one
back. They rushed back to the halfway line, with the ball, hoping to
build on the goal. Another break from Oatlands, with Luke McWilliams
pulling the strings in the middle, put an end to that ambition, as
he set Dean on his way once more and the Oatlands striker showed
great composure as he placed the ball into the net. The scoreline
now stood at 5-1. Oatlands still continued to push on. Stephen
Doughan , Joe Barry Wallace , Evander Chatara)and Jamie Stewart all
proving their worth when they were introduced. The game had run its
course and Oatlands finished the job off with a great finish by Joe.
The forward hunted down the keeper and timed his run perfectly so
that he could block the ball and watch it roll into the open net.
Game Over.
Revenge was certainly sweet on this cold January day.
Oatlands now look forward to a Dublin semi final and the Leinster
Champions League.
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