St Lomans Mullingar Club Notes 07/04/2025:
ACFL Div. 1:
St Loman’s Mullingar 1:12 Coralstown/ Kinnegad 1:16
St Loman’s Mullingar came up just short against Kinnegad in a tightly contested clash in the 2025 ACFL Division 1. In a game defined by fine margins, both sides matched each other for long stretches, with St Loman’s showing plenty of effort and discipline throughout. Despite creating chances and enjoying good spells of possession, they were unable to find the scores needed in key moments. Kinnegad took advantage of their few openings to edge in front, leaving St Loman’s to rue missed opportunities. It was a competitive performance with plenty to build on as they prepare for the next round.
The first half saw moments of quality from both sides in what was a cagey and physical opening period. Kinnegad’s first point of the game was mistakenly given as a 2-pointer, despite being taken inside the arc. The decision frustrated St Loman’s, but they stayed focused as the game continued. John Heslin opened St Loman’s account with a well-taken left-footed point, showing his usual composure under pressure. Shortly after, Peter Foy delivered one of the scores of the half—a superb 2-pointer struck from way outside, giving St Loman’s a 3-point to 2 lead.
At the other end, Jason Daly came to St Loman’s rescue with a brilliant one-on-one save, keeping Kinnegad from capitalising on a clear-cut chance. While St Loman’s looked to exploit the long ball, the accuracy wasn’t always there, and a few promising moves fell short. Kinnegad had the benefit of a strong breeze behind them but only truly used it to their advantage towards the end of the half, closing the gap and nudging their way back into the contest.
Kinnegad finished the first half strongly, landing an unanswered 1-2 in the closing minutes to take control heading into the break. The goal came in somewhat fortunate fashion, as a deflected effort wrong-footed the St Loman’s defence and found its way to the net. With the benefit of the breeze behind them, Kinnegad capitalised on their late opportunities, turning the tide after what had been a relatively even opening half. As a result, St Loman’s were left with work to do in the second period. The half-time score was St Loman’s 0-05, Kinnegad 1-08.
St Loman’s came out firing in the second half, making an immediate impact with a quick 1-1. Chris Gilbert finished for a well-taken goal, putting the ball in the back of the Kinnegad net. Moments later, Eoghan O’Keefe added a point to further reduce the deficit, showing great composure. This early surge gave St Loman’s a much-needed lift and momentum, signalling their intent to fight back and take control of the second half.
Both teams continued to trade scores in an intense second half, with St Loman’s pressing hard to close the gap. Cillian Plunkett added a superb 2-pointer from play, and John Heslin converted another 2-pointer from a free in the 57th minute, bringing St Loman’s to within a point of Kinnegad. However, Kinnegad responded when it mattered most, maintaining their composure and managing to hold on to their slim lead despite the late pressure from St Loman’s.
St Loman’s displayed plenty of positives despite the narrow defeat, showing great resilience and determination, especially in the second half. The team’s attacking play, with contributions from Dempsey, Heslin, and Tunney, was sharp and creative, and they showed real fight to close the gap late in the game. St Loman’s showed plenty of promise throughout the game and with another game under their belts they’ll only continue to improve. By refining their long ball delivery and maintaining their strong defensive play during key moments, they will be well-positioned to build on their strengths. With such a solid foundation, St Loman’s can look forward to continuing their challenge and making a real impact in the remainder of the campaign.
Team: Jason Daly, Riley Sheahan, Nathan Lally, Ethan Brown, Tadgh Kenny, Rory Sheahan, Shane Mulderry, Cillian Plunkett (0.02), Peter Foy (0.02), Thomas Mehan (0:01), Mark Tunney, Eoghan O’ Keefe (0:01), Chris Gilbert(1:0), John Heslin (0.04), Shane Dempsey (0.02). Subs used: Conan O’Hara
By Finn Sheahan
ACFL Division 2:
St. Lomans Mullingar 1-08 St. Marys Rochfortbridge 2-13
St. Lomans 2nd side were missing several key players for this 5th round league fixture and fielded a very different side from that which had played Milltownpass in the previous round. Although the Blues played well in patches, there was a lack of consistency on the day and the spurning of several good goal chances (including a missed penalty) allowed St. Marys to build up a healthy lead which eventually became insurmountable. Next up sees us host Milltown on Tuesday 15th April.
Team; Rory Matthews, Tristan Johnson, Ethan Brown, Aaron Smith, John Casey, Eoghan O’Keeffe, Tom Dorr, Peter Foy (c) (0-2), Shane Mulderry, Eoghan Kenny, Thomas Meehan, Cian Daly (0-1), Conan O’Hara (0-3), Paddy Dowdall (0-1) & Adam O’Connor. Subs Used; Seanie Dinnegan (1-0), Mark Tunney (0-1), Gerry Grehan, Jimmy Kelly & Mark O’Gara.
ACFL Division 4:
St. Mary’s Rochfortbridge 3-12 St. Lomans Mullingar 1-06
A strong St. Mary’s 2nd side were deserved winners against St. Lomans 3rd side last Thursday evening, played in ideal conditions in Rochfortbridge. Despite the result there were some good performances, goalkeeper Calum Butler Dolan pulled off some excellent saves and his full back line of John Casey, Seanie Dinnegan and Aaron Smyth all acquitted themselves well throughout. Dano Fitzsimons played very well at midfield , Thomas Meehan put in a good shift on the half forward line and the evergreen Conor Cochrane rolled back the years by helping himself to 1-3 overall.
It was good to see the aforementioned Cochrane, along with Davy Morgan and Frank Kavanagh, all return to the side after being absent for the past few games, but special mention must go to Barry McEntee, Tommy Lambden, Derek ‘Dipper’ Devine and Johnno Plunkett, who all reeled in the years and put in some honest performances throughout.
Next up sees us travel to Finea on Thursday 17th April.
Team; Callum Butler Dolan, John Casey, Seanie Dinnegan (c), Aaron Smyth, Adam O’Connor, Jimmy Kelly, Darren Kavanagh, Eoghan Kenny, Dano Fitzsimons (0-1), Thomas Meehan (0-1), Niall Dowdall (0-1), Byron Graham, Barry McEntee, David Morgan & Conor Cochrane (1-3). Subs Used; Ruairi Doonan, Frank Kavanagh, Tommy Lambden, Johnno Plunkett & Derek Devine.
Fixtures:
Sunday 6th April:
Ladies Division 1 League:
St Lomans Mullingar vs Garrycastle at 12pm in Garrycastle
Home in Spain Draw:
Westmeath Gaa’s home in spain draw is on-going and tickets are available via Joe Martin for €100, please contact Joe if interested.
Club Lotto:
Draw Date: Monday 31st March
This week’s jackpot: €7,400.00
Numbers drawn: 6,9,12,18
No Jackpot winner
Lucky dip winders (Westmeath Gaa Home in Spain draw Ticket): Noel Marshall
Next week’s jackpot: €7,500.00
Next Week’s Draw Date: Monday 7th April
Remember it could be you!
Change of PRO:
After 6 years we have a change in PRO as Andrew McKenna moves to the role of treasurer. We’re delighted to announce Finn Sheahan as our new Public Relations Officer effective immediately. You’ve all seen Finn’s match reports over the last number of weeks, which have been outstanding and we’ve no doubt he’ll thrive in the role! We wish Finn the best of luck.
All future PRO matters should be sent to Finn going forward on 085 1668332
