Shelmaliers beat Enniscorthy town team Starlights in Wexford Park Saturday evening 5th September in the Senior Football Championship – 2nd round. Shelmaliers 1-13 Starlights 0-5, thus ensuring our place in the quarter finals after two wins.
Starlights were the beaten finalists from 2007 and were odds on favourites to win this match. However Shelmaliers had other ideas and took the game to the Starlights from the start. Clive Lawler opened the Shels account with a point from a free and this was quickly followed with a point from play. Starlights responded with Willie Hudson being fouled close to goal, which allowed John Hudson score a point from a free. A second foul by the Shels allowed the Starlights equalise after 10 minutes. From here on the Shels took over. They controlled all areas of the field and increased their lead to 0-8 to 0-2 by half time. The Shels had also accumulated 8 wides in this period.
In the second half the Starlights upped their game considerably. A passing movement between John and Willie Hudson, in the first minute, allowed Willie in for their third point. On the next attack John Hudson headed straight for goal and as he fell to the ground he was awarded a controversial penalty. Taking the penalty himself he kicked the ball too high and scored a point, to leave the score at 0-8 to 0-4 after 33 minutes. Straight away the Shels attacked. Points from Garret Dunne and Aidan Murphy increased the score to 0-10 to 0-4 before Derek Walsh finished a rebound to the net (1-10 to 0-4). The Starlights were in trouble and they tried to slow down the Shels with numerous robust tackles. However Shels kept scoring with points from Colin Redmond, Clive Lawler and Mark Walsh. Meanwhile Mark Gahan and Gary Brilly were sent off for the Starlights – Gahan for a second yellow after a high tackle on Padraig McMahon and Brilly who got a straight red for an off the ball incident on Garret Dunne.
The Shels march on after a very impressive performance – all 15 players gave a high class performance.
Shels Team
1. Padraig McMahon
2. Mark Walsh 0-1
3. Colm Tynan
4. Cathal Gaule
5. Thomas Barron 0-2
6. David Walsh
7. Ciaran O’Shaughnessy
8. Clive Lawler 0-5 (0-2 frees, 0-1 ’45)
9. Brian Malone
10. Alan Griffith
11. Garret Dunne 0-1
12. Colin Redmond 0-1
13. Derek Walsh 1-1 (0-1 free)
14. Stephen Banville 0-1
15. Aidan Murphy 0-1
Subs
Ibar Murphy for Aidan Murphy (53 minutes – injured)