U’21 Footballers Exit Championship
Meath U’21 football championship game between Trim and Walterstown played in Skryne on Friday night at 8PM.
The Trim U’21 team that played against Walterstown
Back row, left to right: Michael Lydon, Colm McGrath, Daragh Kennedy, Sean McGee, Danny Connell, David Foley, Jamie Lee, Damien McGee, Andrew O’Brien, Rory McEntee, Sean Fitzgerald.
Front row, left to right: Brian Flynn, Shane O’Connor, Shane Lenehan, Ryan Andrews, Cian Moriarty, Dimi Higgins, Sean Foley, Colm Flaherty, Dara Phelin, Ciaran O’Rourke,
Half time score Trim o-4, Walterstown 0-5
Full time score Trim o-6, Walterstown 0-10
Trim’s footballers made an early exit from the Meath U’21 championship with a first round defeat to Walterstown in this knockout competition. The first half was an even affair, with both teams playing some fast flowing football. In the early stages there was no signs of any creaking from the Trim lads. Their defence, although caught flat footed on a number of occassions, was coping. The midfield exchanges were even and the two inside forwards of Dimi Higgins and James Toher had the measure of their markers. Any decent ball that came into them they won and caused the opposition defence problems. The most worrying aspect of the first half for the Trim lads was that Walterstown hit eight wides. If their forwards had been more accurate the half time score would have been a bit more lopsided, and not in Trim’s favour. In the Trim lad’s favour, they defended well in the first half and forced Walterstown to their eight wides.
After the break and up to the tenth minute mark the exchanges remained even with both sides pointing twice but in the ten minutes that followed Walterstown hit three points without reply to leave Trim trailing by three points. A twenty eight minute point from Walterstown nailed down proceedings and saw Trim make an early exit from this year’s U21 football championship.
Walterstown were first off the mark with a point in the first minute. In the third minute, a long pass from midfield found James Toher in the right corner position. He swung the ball across the Sean McGee on the opposide of the field who made no mistake with a fine point. In the ten minutes that followed both side were guilty of inaccurate shooting with Trim clocking up two wides to Walterstown’s four. Trim’s midfielder Sean Fitzerald broke the deadlock in the thirteenth minute when he nailed a Trim point. In the seventeenth minute, after three more wides, two from Trim and one from Walterstown, a breaking breaking ball in the middle of the field was swept up by Andrew O’Brien who hit a neat pass to Dimi Higgins. The corner forward turned and put Trim into a two point lead. In the ten minutes that followed Walterstown became completely dominant. They forced a penalty which was brilliantly blocked by the Trim goalie Danny Connell. They then had six shots at goals with which they nailed four points without reply to reverse the lead in tgheir favour. In the minutes before the break Dimi Higgins was again on target for Trim with a point to leave his side trailing by one going in at half time.
Walterstown led the chase immediately after half time and within the first three minutes had hit three wides but Trim got back on level terms when James Toher pointed a free. The free resulted from good foraging by Damien McGee in the middle the field. His pass found Dimi Higgins in front of goals who was duly fouled. Walterstown responded immediately with a point from a free. Both sides traded wides before Walterstown struck their seventh point to go two ahead. James Toher responded with a pointed free in the seventeenth minute but that was as good as it got for Trim as their opponents went on to hit three more points and three wides to end up four points victors.
Trim’s best player was Dimi Higgins. He work rate throughout the game was immense and he also chipped in with two points. Goalkeeper, Danny Connell kept a growing reputation intact with an assured performance. Andrew O’Brien was the pick of the defenders while up front Higgins was well supported by Damien McGee who had a busy second half.
The Trim team was: Danny Connell, Jamie Lee, Colm Flaherty, Dara Phelin, Daragh Kennedy, Andrew O’Brien, Sean Fitzgerald, David Foley, Sean Foley, Damien McGee, Sean McGee, James Toher, Dimi Higgins. Subs: Shane O’Connor, Ryan Andrews, Rory McEntee, Shane Lenehan, Michael Lydon, Cian Moriarty, Brian Flynn, Ciaran O’Rourke, Colm McGrath.
The Trim scorers were: Dimi Higgins 0-2, James Toher 0-2, Sean McGee 0-1, Sean Fitzgerald 0-1.
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