ACL Div.4 Final: Mullingar Shamrocks 0-9 Athlone 4-9

No excuses (not even the heat) in this ACL Div. 4 final played in Cusack Park on Saturday evening as we were well beaten by a livelier and better Athlone team. The game had ended as a meaningful contest within minutes of the start as Athlone clocked-up 2-2 on the scoreboard. Benny Martin goaled within seconds and Ritchie Greene added 1-2. Greene must love playing against Shamrocks as on a previous visit to Springfield he was Athlone’s only scorer when the Shannonsiders eliminated Shamrocks from the junior championship two years ago. He helped himself to 3-3 on Saturday evening. A missed penalty and a great save from Conor Devaney from a Brendan O’Reilly shot did not help our case. The scoreboard read 4-4 to 0-3 at the interval with Ross Corroon scoring Shamrocks three points from placed balls. Shamrocks scored 0-4 points on the resumption courtesy of Gary Corroon (0-2 -two really good strikes from the veteran forward), Dean Moore and Ciarán Curley. However, it was a false dawn and Athlone responded with four similar scores. Ross Corroon had a final pointed free for Shamrocks as the game stumbled to a conclusion that gave some cause for concern (0-3 from play!) for a Shamrocks team that included several potential senior championship starters when the championship rolls into town in three weeks.

Mullingar Shamrocks: Adam Smyth. Eamonn Breslin (Cormac Murphy), Davy Coyne, Marc Eivers; Pearse Corroon (James Grogan), Mark Butler, Ryan Blundell, Paddy Joyce (Cian Roe) and Ross Corroon (0-5), Dillon Matthews (Nathan Smyth), Dean Moore (0-1), Brendan O’Reilly; Darren Keena (Dillon Matthews), Ciarán Curley (0-1), Pádraig McKenna (Gary Corroon 0-2).