Junior A’s Championship Hopes Dealt Blow

On Wednesday 18 August 2010 the Junior A’s played Ballyboden at Silverpark 1.Although the pitch was in splendid shape on a pleasant evening a sprinkle of rain made conditions slippery.

On Wednesday 18th August 2010 the Junior A’s played Ballyboden at Silverpark 1.  Although the pitch was in splendid shape on a pleasant evening a sprinkle of rain made conditions slippery.

With one win from three championship games so far this was a game Crokes needed to win.  The visitors had the better scoring return for most of the opening half before a twenty seventh minute goal from Karl Russell, set up by Dillon Mulligan, followed by a superb point from wing back Ger Geoghegan, put Crokes into a 1-5 to 1-3 interval lead.

Boden scored five unanswered points on the trot in the first eleven minutes of the second half.  Then a hard won Dara Burke over wrested the initiative back for Crokes.  This was almost immediately followed by good combination play involving Burke, James O’Keeffe and Dillon Mulligan that resulted in the Dublin minor panellist finishing to the net.  The Kilmacud team were back in front 2-6 to 1-8.  The teams then exchanged a brace of points each.  Crokes were still the minimum to the good when came the turning point – a Boden goal in the fifty first minute to give them a 2-10 to 2-8 advantage.  The Firhouse Road side tacked on a further three points.  Crokes replied with two of their own but it was not enough as time ran out. 

Among the stars in a plucky display were Dara Burke, John Ross Hunt, Ger Geoghegan and, especially in the first half, James O’Keeffe and Karl Russell.  Crokes' next assignment is against Cuala in Shankhill at 10.30 am on Sunday 22nd August 2010.