O'Rourke Cup Strokestown V Kilmore 25/04/09

Strokestown 0-13, KIlmore 0-11.

The senior team made it 4 wins on the trot with a fantastic derby victory over Kilmore in Kilmore. A stunning second half performance was the catalyst for the black and amber victory with Coman and Colm on the sideline making some astute tactical changes which worked out perfectly.

Strokestown began the first 10 minutes of the game brightly registering the first score and adding a second but after this until the 29' it was all Kilmore. Town seemed unable to get the ball inside the Kilmore 45 during this period with the home side pouring on and picking up all the braking ball. In this spell Kilmore kicked 7 unanswered points. Strokestown crucially got a 3rd point in the last minute of the half which left a 4 point gap between the sides. For all Kilmore's pressure they still hadn't managed to create a clear winning margin.

The second half was a completly different affair from a black and amber perspective. Town made 3 changes at half time with Paddy Brogan replacing Davie Parker, Damian Caslin replacing Johnny Dolan and Ronan Owens replacing Emmet Collins. In fact with some tactical manouvering from the side line Shovels went in to the edge of the Kilmore square with John Rogers reverting to wing back and Paddy Brogan playing corner forward. Strokestown also dispensed with the 2 man inside forward line and reverted to the traditional 3 man full forward line. These tactical changes prooved to be the winning of the game with Town keeping alot better shape and playing like men possessed. Morgan Beirne who had also switched from centre back to mid field, with John Hagan going the other way, was a constant thorn for the Kilmore team around the middle. Shaggy picked up numerous breaking ball and was winning the ugly ball. In fact John Hagan did an outstanding job at centre back expertly man marking Kilmores dangerous centre forward.
With a greater amount of posession and more urgency Town began to bite away at the Kilmore lead with scores coming from John Rogers, Rory Molloy and Seamus Collins. Kilmore tagged on a couple of scores to retake the lead but back came the black and amber, with Matty Colum catching some great ball in the middle of the park and allowing the forward line gain the ball and draw the fouls which John Rogers converted.
With the sides tied with 5 minutes to play it was Strokestown who found that little bit more to carve out a victory. First Paddy Broagn, who had a stormer at corner forward, sent over a superb point with the outside of his boot and John Rogers sealed the win with a free from the 21. The game ended with Kilmore searching for the 3 pointer but the Town backline held firm dealing fantastically with all the high ball that was thrown their way.

Team: John McHugh, Johnny Dolan, Ciarán O'Reilly, Paul McLoughlin, Daniel Rogers, Morgan Beirne, Emmet Collins, John Hagan, Seamus Collins (0-1), Matty Colum, Niall Broagn, Rory Molloy(0-1), John Rogers (0-7), Conor Silke (0-3), David Parker.
Subs: Damian Caslin for Johnny Dolan, Paddy Broagn (0-1) for David Parker, Ronan Owens for Emmet Collins.

O'Rourke Cup Strokestown V St Faithleachs 18/04/09

Strokestown 1-12, St Faithleachs 0-10

Team & scorers: John Mchugh, Johnny Dolan, Ciarán O'Reilly, Colin Dowd, Daniel Rogers, Morgan Beirne, Emmet Collins, John Hagan, Seamus Collins (0-2), Matty Colum, Niall Brogan (0-2), Rory Molloy (0-1), John Rogers (0-1), Conor Silke (0-4), Enda Molloy (1-2).
Subs: Paul McLoughlin for Colin Dowd, Paddy Brogan for Enda Molloy, Ronan Owens for Seamus Collins.

Strokestown V Padraig Pearses 13/04/09

Strokestown 2-08, Padraig Pearses 0-06

Strokestown picked up their second win in the league with an impressive 8 point victory over Padraig Pearses on Easter Monday.
Played in poor conditions it was the home side who got to grips with the weather the best. Strokestown began the game with a bang finding the back of the Pearses net after a couple of minutes. The move began with Colin Dowd winning possesion on his own 14 yard line. From there it was worked up to Rory Molloy who delivered a fantastic ball into his brother Enda who in turn passed into Conor Silke who finished to the net. This gave 'Town emphasis in the game and they certainly up the ante with faboulus scores coming Niall Brogan, Enda Molloy, John Rogers (3) and Conor Silke. In fact it could have been more but for the Pearses goalkeeper making a fantastic save from Silke mid-way through the half. Pearses themselves responded with just 2 points during the half. At half time 'Town held a 7 point lead but had to face the wind in the second half.

The second half was all about the pressure exerted by the Strokestown players. The forward line put severe pressure on their oponents not allowing them a second on the ball thus preventing them from delivering quality ball. This gave the backs ample opportunity to win 50 50 balls that ended up being kicked in. In fact it was from one of these turnovers that 'Town extended their lead to 10 points. Matty Colum found himself 1 on 1 with the Pearses keeper and superbly slotted the ball left footed past him. Strokestown added a further 2 points during the half from John Rogers and Conor Silke. In reply Padraig Pearses could only tag on 4 points, 3 coming from frees.

This was another wonderful display from the 'Town, who were without a number of individuals on the day. This was also an important win as Padraig Pearses lie in wait in the championship this summer. Hopefully the outcome that day will be just as good.

Team: John McHugh, Johnny Dolan, Ciarán O'Reilly, Colin Dowd, Daniel Rogers, Emmet Collins, Ruairi Farrell, Matty Colum, Seamus Collins, Paddy Brogan, Niall Brogan, Rory Molloy, John Rogers, Conor Silke, Enda Molloy.

O'Rourke Cup, Strokestown V Castlerea 04/04/09

Strokestown 2-9, Castlerea 0-7.

The senior team picked up their first 2 points of the year with a comprehensive victory over reigning county champions Castlerea in Strokestown on saturday evening last. The overnight rain left the pitch in a very bad state but it was Strokestown who managed the conditions much the better.

Playing into a strong wind in the first half Strokestown played some very good football at times. One aspect of play that stood out during the half was the great support play of the black and amber. This led to one goal in the first half, a rasper from Conor Silke. Town could have had a second goal but John Hagan saw his effort just go over the crossbar for a point. Hagan, playing in mid-field, also added a second point during the half. Enda Molloy and John Rogers also added a point each during the half. Castlerea kept in touch with points from the vetern Derek Duggan and Ger Heneghan frees. One sour note from the first half was the bad injury picked up by Thomas Hughes who was replaced by Rory Molloy. At half time Strokestown went in with a 2 point cushion leading 1-4 to 0-5.

Castlerea opened the scoring at the start of the second half to leave just the minimum between the sides but after this it became all about the black and amber. Strokestown tagged on further points from Enda Molloy and 3 John Rogers scores. Castlerea tried there best to get back into the game but found the Strokestown backline in a particularly mean mood, giving the visitors no time on the ball and forcing countless turnovers. In fact Castlerea were restricted to just 2 points in the second half both coming from placed balls. Strokestown finished the game in style with Niall Brogan grabbing the second goal of the game, again after some very slick passing from the home side, and Emmet Collins sending a long range effort over the bar.

This was a very impressive display from the Town with the players showing a great hunger for the victory. Hopefully the team can build on this performance and pull themselves further up the league table.

Team & scorers: John McHugh, Johnny Dolan, Ciarán O'Reilly, Colin Dowd, Daniel Rogers, Cormac Hanly, Emmett Collins(0-1), John Hagan(0-2), Seamus Collins, Thomas Hughes, Niall Brogan(1-0), Matty Colum, John Rogers(0-4), Conor Silke(1-0), Enda Molloy(0-2).
Subs: Rory Molloy for Thomas Hughes, Thomas Shanagher for Conor Silke, Paul McLoughlin for Cormac Hanly.