Trim produced a stirring second-half comeback to overcome a sluggish start and record an impressive 4-16 to 2-16 victory over Navan O’Mahony’s in their Junior Division 1 clash at Paddy O’Brien Park.
For the opening ten minutes, however, things looked decidedly ominous. O’Mahony’s came flying out of the blocks, racing into a 1-5 to 0-2 lead as Trim struggled to settle. From the throw-in, the Navan side attacked with pace and purpose, repeatedly putting the Trim defence under severe pressure.
Trim did have chances. Sean Foley twice carved his way through to the last line of defence, only to be denied by outstanding point-blank saves. Their only scores during that difficult opening spell came from Cormac Slattery and Caoimhin O’Neill.
Then, in the 11th minute, Foley made it third time lucky. Once again showing his pace and determination, he dodged three defenders before finding the back of the net to give Trim a much-needed lifeline.
O’Mahony’s responded immediately with a point from play and a superb two-pointer from the edge of the arc. But Trim were beginning to find their rhythm and, gradually, the tide started to turn.
Two outstanding contributions from Trim’s half-backs provided the next surge of momentum. Aonghus Short split the posts with a fine effort before Cian Downes embarked on a brilliant run from deep, powering through the heart of the O’Mahony’s defence. When he finally released the ball, his pinpoint pass found Short, who made no mistake, crashing the ball into the Navan net.
Suddenly Trim were right in the contest.
O’Mahony’s refused to surrender their advantage, though, replying with a point in the 17th minute before finding the net again three minutes later.
Trim finished the half strongly. David Murtagh and Neil Sweeney both found the target, while an inspirational score from Daryl Phelan ensured Trim went into the break with plenty to build on.
Half-time: Navan O’Mahony’s 2-11, Trim 2-5
O’Mahony’s opened the second half with another point, but Trim immediately signalled that this was going to be a very different half.
Foley again burst through the defence and picked out Patrick Quigley, whose effort thundered off the crossbar and somehow stayed out. Neil Sweeney followed with his second point of the afternoon as Trim began to turn the screw.
Then came the move of the match.
In the fifth minute, David Murtagh launched a superb three-man move from midfield. The ball moved at pace through the Trim attack before reaching substitute Sean McKiernan, introduced at half-time, who made no mistake as he smashed the ball into the O’Mahony’s net.
The goal transformed the game.
Although O’Mahony’s responded with a point, Trim were now playing with confidence and attacking purpose. Foley added another point, before Tadhg Foley won possession with a superb piece of tenacious tackling and fed Sweeney, who calmly converted.
Sweeney added another shortly afterwards and, for the first time since the opening minute, the sides were level.
Trim had seized control.
A red card for an off-the-ball incident reduced O’Mahony’s to 14 men and, although the Navan side continued to battle, Trim now had too much attacking firepower. They finished the final quarter with a devastating 1-6 to 0-2 scoring burst.
Quigley led the charge with 1-1, while Tadhg Foley, Sean Foley, Davy Murtagh, Sean McKiernan and Cian Downes all contributed scores as Trim completed a remarkable turnaround.
There were plenty of positives for Trim to take from a game in which they eventually produced the fast, open football of which they are capable. They backed one another up impressively, with clever off-the-ball running repeatedly creating problems for the O’Mahony’s defence.
Defensively, Trim also showed considerable resilience. They were under intense pressure during the first half as O’Mahony’s runners came from deep, but the backline stood firm and grew stronger as the game progressed.
Charlie O’Connor delivered a man-of-the-match performance, while Alex Fox and Ben Holden impressed in the last line of defence. Daryl Phelan, Aonghus Short and Cian Downes were outstanding when the pressure was greatest, combining their defensive duties with important contributions in attack.
Mark Murray put in another solid performance, while Sean Foley, Neil Sweeney and Patrick Quigley caused their direct opponents endless problems. Davy Murtagh, Cormac Slattery and Conor McKeown also put in huge shifts throughout.
Trim’s second-half substitutes made a telling impact, with Tadhg Foley, Sean McKiernan and Ben Gaffney all contributing significantly after their introduction.
Despite the many positives, there are lessons to be learned. A start as slow as this one could prove costly as the championship campaign progresses. Trim also need to be more ruthless in their decision-making: on several occasions, opportunities to take a point were passed up in favour of going for goal, resulting in turnovers and a loss of momentum.
The encouraging aspect is that this is a panel clearly willing to learn and improve. The character shown to overturn a six-point half-time deficit against a strong O’Mahony’s side will give them plenty of confidence going forward.
The next challenge comes on September 6th against unbeaten St Patrick’s, when Trim will know they cannot afford another slow start.
Panel Sean McKiernan, Alex Fox, Daryl Phelan, Karl O'Dwyer, Caoimhín O'Neill, Cian Downes (Capt), Charlie O'Connor, Aonghus Shortt, Daniel Fox, Sean Foley, Ben Holden, David Carey, Ben Gaffney, Declan Greene, Mark Murray, David Murtagh, Conor McKeown, Conall McGrenra, Patrick Quigley, Cormac Slattery, Tadhg Foley, Gearóid O'Donnell, Max McGowan
