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Brilliant Ben leads clinical St Brigid’s to five-in-a-row

Written by Seamus Duke on

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Paul Earley Consulting Roscommon MFC Division 1 Final

St Brigid’s 3-16 Padraig Pearses 0-3

St. Brigid’s’ domination of the Roscommon club football scene in 2020 continued at Dr. Hyde Park on Saturday evening when they swatted away the challenge of Padraig Pearses to win their fifth county minor title in a row. The manner of their win suggests that the supply line of excellent young players to their senior team is set to continue well into the future.

Ruaidhri Fallon and Ben O’Carroll, fresh from the success at senior level a week earlier, lined out once again and on this occasion it was O’Carroll who took the starring role. Playing at full-forward, he terrorised the beleaguered Pearses’ defence, scoring two goals and eight points in a mesmerising display.

O’Carroll and his ‘partner in crime’ up front, Bobby Nugent – who scored 1-5 – set about the Pearses’ defence from the throw-in and within 90 seconds they had 1-1 on the board, with Nugent crashing home a great goal in the 2nd minute. It was one-way traffic after that and by half-time St. Brigid’s led 1-8 to 0-1.

The pattern continued after the break with O’Carroll capping his brilliant display with goals in the 56th and 60th minutes. Pearses’ only point from play came in the second minute of injury-time as St. Brigid’s ran out the easiest of winners.

St. Brigid’s: Brian Monaghan; Shane Keenan (0-1, free), Michael Sugrue, Ronan Doyle; Adam Donovan, Sean Trundle, Daniel Meeley (0-1); Thomas O’Brien, Brian O’Hara-Duggan; Oisin Canny, Ruaidhri Fallon, Conor Hand (0-1); Daniel Keenan, Ben O’Carroll (2-8, 1 ’45), Bobby Nugent (1-5, 2 frees). Subs: Gavin Daly for Keenan (44), Ultan O’Rourke for Hand (48), Michael Dillon for Meeley (52), Liam Hennelly for Donovan and Shane Daly for Nugent (56).

Padraig Pearses: James Costello; Conor Harley, Conor Lohan, Aaron Burke; Luke Walsh, Jack Downey, Conor Costello; Calim Keogh, Kyle Blackweir; Declan Kenny, Eoin Colleran (0-3, 1 free, 1 ’45), Adam McGreal; Luke Feehily, Eoin McManus, Richie Browne. Subs: Ryan Kelly for Walsh (46), Colm Sheeran for Blackweir and James Mooney for McGreal (50), Fionnan Darcy for Feehily and Ciaran Curley for Browne (56).

Referee: Brendan Beirne (Ballinameen).