St. Martin’s 1-18 Sarsfields 1-8

St. Martin’s boasted nine different scorers, and they had contributions from every line of the field, as they posted back-to-back opening wins in Group A of the Tom Doyle Supplies county senior football championship when accounting for hard-trying Sarsfields at Hollymount on Friday.

Sarsfields opened with vigour to lead 0-2 to 0-0 with two Philly Cullen frees before the Martin’s began to dominate without fully emphasising it on the scoreboard. That was a lot to do with Sarsfields’ ‘keeper Eoin Healy, who marked himself out for special mention after producing four exceptional saves during the opening-half to leave Jack Devereux, Jamie Carty, defender Philip Dempsey and Ben Maddock all cursing their luck.

While St. Martin’s were 0-9 to 0-2 ahead after 16 minutes owing mainly to some exquisite finishing by Jamie Carty (0-5), the Sars were back in with a shout ten minutes shy of half-time after Eoin Roche had put Philly Cullen through to net and peg it back to 0-9 to 1-3.

But St. Martin’s were ruling the roost as Ciarán Lyng orchestrated matters expertly from centre-forward, and he got on the scoresheet while seeing colleagues twice go agonisingly close to finding the net before last year’s beaten finalists eventually broke sitting on a tidy 0-13 to 1-4 lead.

While Lyng increased the margin from an early second-half free, Philly Cullen had a gilt-edged goaling chance for Sarsfields shortly afterwards only to be thwarted by a brilliant intervention from saints’ netminder, Luke White.

Sarsfields were spirited, but after getting back to within 0-15 to 1-8 they suffered the killer-blow when Lyng powered home a penalty after Daithí Waters had been impeded on 51 minutes.

Kyle Firman, Jamie Carty and Ciarán Lyng (free) consolidated victory with closing points to leave the saints thriving on the football front as they face into the opening defence of the Pettitt’s county senior hurling championship next weekend against promoted St. Anne’s.

St. Martin’s – Luke White, Philip Dempsey (0-1), Joe O’Connor, Eoin O’Leary, Conor Firman (0-1), Aaron Maddock (capt., 0-1), Ryan Murphy, Daithí Waters (0-1 free), Ben Maddock, Adam Cantwell, Ciarán Lyng (1-5, 1-0 penalty, 0-4 frees), Jake Firman (0-1), Jack Devereux, Jamie Carty (0-6, 2 frees), Peter Barry (0-1).

Subs: Harry O’Connor for Murphy (30); Kyle Firman (0-1) for Cantwell (47); Adam Cantwell for Firman (54).

Sarsfields – Eoin Healy, Tomás Campbell, Michael Hanrahan (capt.), Fiach Crowley, Shane Hall, Con Ó Donnagáin, Colm Browne, Eoin Roche (0-2), David Mooney, John Bridges (0-2, 1 free), Seán Ó Corcora, Dean Walsh, Philip Cullen (1-3, 0-3 frees), David Gouldson, Brendan Mulligan.

Subs: (black-card, Conor Halligan for Fiach Crowley, 16); Conal Clancy (0-1) for Walsh (inj., half-time); Adam Dempsey for Gouldson (39); Ryan Furlong for Bridges (52).

Referee – David Jenkins (Gusserane).