Trim put down a marker with their first-round championship rivals, Meath Hill, in this 8th round league clash with a convincing 2-14 to 0-9 win in Trim on Sunday 8th June. Both sides were determined to establish a psychological advantage in advance of that championship clash and Trim’s display and winning margin will have given the newcomers to Senior football plenty to think about.
Meath Hill played with a strong wind in to the Town end in the first half but it was Trim, playing controlled football that scored first, a well taken point by man of the match Conor Quigley in the second minute. From the kick out Trim won possession and held it until the fifth minute, finishing a long series of passes and patient football with a great James Toher point.
It was a minute later that Meath Hill had their first attack but the Trim defence marshalled by Gerry Dwane held tight. Tom Carmody extended the Trim lead in the 7th minute with a massive left foot effort into the strong breeze. Meath Hill then rallied and put a few good passages of play together and reduced the deficit with a well taken point. Trim then fell foul of the 3/4 man up rule as they surged upfield in a promising attack. Meath Hill capitalised on the 50 metre penalty imposed drew level with a two pointer free.
Trim took control again over the next ten minutes and restored their two point advantage when James Toher found himself at the end of a great Tom Carmody pass and pointed in the 13th minute. In the twentieth minute Conor Quigley found Ian Birmingham with a similar pin point pass which he slotted over the bar.
A minute later James Toher was unlucky to see the ball slide past the upright after he brilliantly dispossessed a Meath Hill defender who took too long on the ball. However Meath Hill were now coming more in to the game and were disrupting the Trim flow. Points in the 23rd and 26th minute to draw level again saw them gain some momentum but Trim rallied and the sides exchanged two further points (T Carmody and J Toher) before the half time whistle sounded with the score Trim 0-7 Meath Hill 0-7
This was a good first half display against a strong wind. The defence was solid as a rock for most of the period although there was a few heart stopping moments, Dwane, Dowling, Jack McGowan, James Murray and Padraig Walsh. The hard work of Conor Quigley, Sean Fitzgerald and Daire Lynch in the middle of the field gave Trim control of the ball for long periods and helped to keep the Meath Hill threat at bay. James Toher seemed to relish his new role in the forwards. Ian Birmingham, Tom Carmody and Cathal O’Reilly also showed up well throughout.
Sean Foley, after a quiet first half, showed Meath Hill why he is a regular on the Trim team in the first four minutes of the second half when he scored a 1-1. The goal was one of the cheekiest seen at this venue for some time as he jinked over and back at least four times before calmly slotting the ball past his hapless marker and the goalie.
Four minutes later Oldcastle was reduced to 14 men on a red card issued by referee Andrew Smith who also issued a black card to Trim’s James Murray. When Tom Carmody struck for Trim’s second goal one minute later after a great run by James Toher one sensed the game was over as a contest and so it proved. Tom Carmody pointed in the 11th, 15th and 17th minutes. Substitute Harry Purcell extended the lead further in the 22nd minute and Ian Birmingham finished Trim’s scoring with a brilliant pick up followed by a long range 2 pointer three minutes from the end. Meath Hill got their only score of the second half, a two pointer from a free, on the stroke of full time.
Trim maintained their place at the top of Division 2 with this win against senior opposition. There is little doubt that they are shaping up well in advance of the Championship and the blend of experience and youth is working well under the guidance of Manager Ken and his team.
Next round Thursday 19th June in Trim v Curraha.
Panel: Eoin O’Reilly, Declan Dowling, James Murray, Pádraig Walsh, Sean Foley, Jack McGowan, Tom Carmody, Conor Quigley, Gerry Dwane, Ian Bermingham, Daire Lynch, James Togher, Cathal O’Reilly, Brian Bolger, Eoin Sweeney, Liam Kearns, Patrick Quigley, Cian Downes, Mark Murray, Sean Fitzgerald, Harry Purcell, Eoin O’Connor, Kyle Ennis, Neil Sweeney
