Bligh's babes committed grand larceny tonight in a nail biting match played in a well appointed Bective pitch before an attendance who stayed right to the end.
The REAL troika hereabouts are Billy Bligh,Derek Hickey and Kevin Keaveney who run the second string footballers in Dunderry.Bligh is to Dunderry what Mick O Dwyer is to Kerry.The undisputed King.In my view he would make an outstanding director of football not only for the Club but also for the County.Derek and Kevin are no daws either.They know their football.They are coaxing good results from a mix um gathering of lads on the way up,lads on the way down and lads who are in their comfort zone.
After a light drizzle which the forecasters had promised last weekend for next Sunday but not for today and which had many in the attendance who dropped meadows yesterday questioning the forecaster's genealogy ,the match pitch was damp but not overly slippy and the battle began in near ideal conditions.
Dunderry Team.
James Mitchell
Kenny Fay Kevin Slattery Eoin Dempsey
Davy Stephens Gary Newman J.P.Kenneally
Conor Farrell Liam Dempsey
Paul Bartley Thomas Doherty Alan Watters
Darren Blaney Trevor Conaty Jordan Martin .
We started well scoring 1-3 in the first 10 minutes.The goal was a sloppy affair.Conaty beat his man and launched a well directed scud towards the goalmouth trying ,I would say, for a point.The greasy ball fell short and the goalie fumbled it,allowing it to cross the line before he could retrieve it.Trevor will claim it and well entitled to.Bothy teams played a nice brand of intelligent football and the play was devoid of dirt entirely.There was little clean fetching around the midfield area where the four tall combatants denied each other clean catches and the ball broke often.They had a few speed merchants who were hard to handle but we stuck manfully to our task,helped in no small measure by their inaccuracy from both placed and open play balls.
We failed to register for the last fifteen minutes of the half and were glad to go in two points up on the scoreline 1-3 to 0-4.
Our knowledgeable supporters were looking with trepidation to the second half .
They needn't have worried as we started with a bang,registering two quick points in succession.Fully deserved I might say and this put us back in the driving seat.Then they proceeded to play their best football,gradually hauling us back and they went in front by a point with seven minutes to go.
Then we awoke from our stupor and rattled off four points to win by two.
They are a good team and must wonder how they left this behind.But as I said ,we are no daws either and even if a pass or two did go astray,we hammered home the nail when it mattered.
Slatts was brilliant and Gary "Rudolph"Newman was impressively aggressive.Our Davy (Sprog )
gave a masterclass in wing back play and the other backs stuck manfully to their tasks.
Mitchell was steady in goal and the midfielders broke even steven.just about.
Bartley (Bugle) is awful sporty for a man near forty and nearly everything was channelled through him. Slight indecision crept in a few times but all in all he gave his direct opponent a torrid time.I still regret his refusal to give football a full go in 2005 when I was manager.He could have made a difference.
As a unit the forwards played an unselfish game and the speedy Mattin kicked at least one superb point in the last five minutes.They never gave up the chase,rightly as it transpired.
As the bemused Walterstown players and mentors trooped off at the end I swear to God I saw Bligh and co.doing a little hop ,skip and jump.
No gold medals yet but the dream lives on.
Jack Devine at ninety is as avid a supporter as you could get and left with a wry smile on his face. If he hasn't seen it all by now who has ?
The dynamic duo over the Intermediate team were in attendance and were in animated discussion.The fate of the Inter.Team lies in their hands and Fianna will be no pushovers.Its shit or get off the pot time now.We wish them and the team luck tomorrow evening in Boardsmill.
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