St Nicks 3-5 Brian Dillon's 1-10

AGAINST the odds St Nicks won their Capco Junior Football Championship tie against Brian Dillon's yesterday. At half-time they had registered only one point, with Dillon's having clocked up 1-5, and now turning to play against the wind they looked to be dead and buried. But this side showed character to come through and with Eoghan Geaney leading the charge they were worthy winners.

Short a large number of their regular side, for a variety of reasons, they failed to cope with Dillons in the first half and it took them until the second to find their rhythm. That, along with the goal poaching of Emmett Considine were crucial parts in their win. An almost speechless selector, David Cunningham, was a very proud man afterwards. "Unbelievable, is the only way I can describe that," said David, "Only one point in the first-half and we looked out of it. But we made a few positional changes after the break and they worked for us. "We told them it was important to win the first ball and they did that to point and we drove on from there. We got the goals and goals win matches and we knew they would be crucial for us. "Their heart was in the right place and we had a lot of experience in the side and we are over the moon to have won," concluded David.

Before St Nicks knew what was happening they were six points down with Dave O'Leary, James Horgan and Mark Walsh all scoring points. Fifteen minutes in and Dillons goaled when O'Leary put Paul Triggs through and he gave David Ellis no chance in the Nicks goal. Nicks got their only score of the half after 20 minutes when David Cunningham points, but scores from Horgan and Chris Daly had Dillon's 1-5 to 0-1 in front and cruising at the break.

Points from Kevin Herlihy and David Cunningham got Nicks off to a great start to the second half, before Triggs had Dillon's on the scoresheet. Eoghan Geaney pointed for Nicks with John Horgan replying for Dillons to make it 1-7 to 0-4. With 39 minutes gone Nicks were back in the game when Emmett got his first goal. Cunningham played him in and he cooly finished. Points from James Horgan and Mark Walsh increased Dillon's lead before Considine was on target again. He got on the end of long ball in by Geaney to get his second goal to make it 2-4 to 1-9. James Horgan was on target for Dillons but the momentum was with Nicks and when Considine put Michael Brosnan in he fisted home to put them back on level terms, 3-4 to 1-10.

With time running out Geaney once again turned creator and played a great ball to Kevin Herlihy who tapped over the bar to see them win by a point, 3-5 to 1-10, in one of the best comebacks by any side for some time.

Scorers for St Nicks: E Considine, 0-2; M Brosnan, 1-0; K Herlihy, 0-2; D Cunningham, 0-2 and E Geaney, 0-1. Brian Dillon's: P Triggs, 1-2; J Horgan, 0-4; D O'Leary, C Daly, J Horgan and M Walsh, 0-1 each.

ST NICKS: D Ellis, S Goulding, C O'Halloran, C O'Sullivan; D Cunningham, T Dennehy, M O'Donnell; G Bracken, E O'Sullivan; E Geaney, K Herlihy, B Rodgers; E Considine; M Brosnan and N Byrne. Sub: D Brosnan for M O'Donnell.

BRIAN DILLON'S: J Kirby, R O'Brien, A McNab; C McCarthy; D Whelan, S Goggin, T Triggs; K Brosnan, C Daly; J Horgan, J Crowley, P Triggs; D O'Leary, J Horgan and M Walsh. Subs: T Fitzgerald for C Daly; T Brown for D O'Leary and S Crichton for K Brosnan.

Referee: J Dorgan, (Nemo Rangers).

Rory Noonan Evening Echo