Oldcastle’s Seniors end the season with the AFL Div 3 Cup

Oldcastle 2-9 Trim 1-9

Oldcastle closed their promising and encouraging season on a high when they claimed the AFL Division 3 title against Trim on Saturday evening last in front of huge support in Moynalty.

Having both being strong contenders for the Intermediate Championship this year, it was their aim to finish the campaign on a positive note and it was the north Meath men who would bring home the silverware.

It was Oldcastle who burst out of the traps in the opening stages and lead by three points without reply, courtesy of Eoin Gilsenan, Jason Scully (f) and Robbie Farrelly. The damp cold conditions certainly didn’t affect both sets of players, as this really had every bite as expected in a final.
Trim opened their scoring on the fifteen minute mark to reduce the deficit by two, however it was was Oldcastle who took the game to the opposition when they raised the green flag through centre forward Paddy Gilsenan, a long threaded pass from Niall Mangan splitting the Trim defence along the deck and Gilsenan was on hand to swing the trusty left peg and hammer home into the bottom corner.
Trim added a further point from a free before half time but it was Oldcastle that had the edge going in at the break with a HT score of Oldcastle 1-3, Trim 0-2.

Trim’s half time team talk spurred their side on and they had the ball in the back of Oldcastle’s net to leave a point between the teams. Oldcastle replied directly as a result with a pointed free from Gilsenan, however it was Trim who began to grab control of the contest by sending over three consecutive points to place them in the lead by a single point with twenty minutes to play.

Oldcastle continued to battle and broke down the Trim defence and sent over four scores also in reply courtesy of substitute Ronan Farrelly, Gilsenan, Scully (f) and centre back Ger Reidy. It was tit for tat and both teams knew each hard earned score was vital. On the fiftieth minute mark, the game was turned on it’s head and really was the turning point of the match; an Oldcastle attack in numbers fed by Ger Reidy and Darren Hawdon which landed on the chest of substitute Ronan Maguire, dummied on the right and ping a left footed effort in the bottom corner beyond the Trim goalkeepers reach. Oldcastle knew they were close but still had to withstand Trim pressure with backs to the wall defending. Trim could only manage a further three points however with Oldcastle’s rearguard Packie Kevin keeping the attack at bay. Oldcastle put the game beyond reach and sent over the safety score from joint captain Rory McHugh to clinch the title and ensure that silverware was theirs for the year. An exciting end to end battle for the neutral and a great way to sign off the year for the north Meath men who will battle it out in Division 2 next year.

Oldcastle: Packie Kevin, Keith Connell, Cian McPartland, Steven Lawless, Rory McHugh (0-1), Ger Reidy (0-1), Conor Delaney, Conor McHugh, Eoin Gilsenan (0-1), Darren Hawdon, Paddy Gilsenan (1-3, 2f), Robbie Smith, Niall Mangan, Jason Scully (0-2, 2f), Robbie Farrelly (0-1)

Subs Used: Ronan Maguire (1-0) for Mangan HT, Ronan Farrelly (0-1) for Farrelly 40’, Peter Monaghan for C. McHugh 45’, CJ Healy for Delaney 47’, Sean Maxwell for Connell 50’, Stephen Tierney for Scully 55′