Laois county champions 2005
ACFL DIVISION 1 31/3/12
Stradbally 2-10
St. Joseph’s 1-10
BILL Delaney Park was the venue as the League finalists’ from two seasons ago clashed in a thrilling encounter between two neighbourly rivals, with Colm Kelly’s late penalty the only thing which separated them on referee John Conway’s full time whistle.
When these two met in last years league campaign, St. Joseph’s got the better of Stradbally by the same margin in a similarly pulsating affair as the Kellyville outfit went on to the semi finals.
The Little Town opened the scoring through wing forward Derek Beale but this was soon cancelled out by St. Joseph’s full forward Matty Campion, who struck a left footed shot between the posts.
The game continued in that trend until the twenty second minute when Gary Kavanagh and Conor Delaney combined on the wing before the ball was popped to the incoming Darren Maher and he beat Dermot Kelly with aplomb for the first goal of the encounter.
Colm Kelly then reeled off two quick points to make it double scores at half time as Stradbally led by 1-7 to 0-5 and St. Joseph’s had it all to do in the second period if they were going to get anything from the match.
St. Joseph’s had enjoyed a successful run in the Kelly Cup until they suffered a humiliating defeat against The Heath in the final and they showed that form as they whittled down Stradbally’s advantage to the minimum with ten minutes remaining.
James Doyle, Liam Kealy and Dan Dunne pointed before the latter scored his team’s only goal of the game after Liam Kealy’s shot had came back off the bar and Dunne was on hand to tap the ball home.
St. Joseph’s thought they had got a second goal minutes later after Matty Campion’s effort cannoned against the underside of the crossbar, but despite strong protests, the umpires decided that the ball had not crossed the line.
Another decision was soon to go against the Kellyville outfit and this one ultimately decided the game. Stradbally substitute Ger Byrne was adjudged to have been fouled in the area and Colm Kelly stepped up the smash the ball past the hapless keeper Dermot Kelly to ensure that the home side take the bragging rights.
STRADBALLY: Wayne Comerford, Damien Murphy, Philip Kelly, Michael Skelly, John Donoghue, Paul Begley, Jamie Kavanagh (0-1), Darren Maher (1-0), Gary Kavanagh, Derek Beale (0-1), Colm Kelly (1-6, 4f), Colin Beale, Damien Fitzpatrick, Conor Delaney (0-2), Richard Carolan. Subs: Seamus Lalor (0-1) for Carolan (42mins), Ger Byrne for D. Fitzpatrick (52mins), Pádraig Fitzpatrick for D. Beale (56mins).
