Club Notes 29/07/2025
Senior Football Championship: St. Loman’s Mullingar 0-16 – 0-16 Athlone
St. Loman’s Mullingar and Athlone played out an absorbing and hard-fought draw in Round 1 of the Senior Football Championship at Cusack Park. In a match heavily influenced by a strong breeze blowing from the Dunnes Stores end toward the Canal end, both sides enjoyed spells of dominance, but ultimately had to settle for a share of the spoils, finishing 0-16 apiece.
A major positive on the day for St. Loman’s was the introduction of six senior championship debutants, a testament to the club’s commitment to player development and building squad depth. Eoghan O’Keeffe, Conor Regan, Cillian Plunkett, Conan O’Hara, Seanai Bracken, and Neilie Duffy all made their first senior championship appearances and acquitted themselves superbly in what was a tense, high-quality contest.
Athlone, playing with the wind advantage in the first half, opened the scoring in the very first minute with a well-taken two-pointer. They followed it up with a two-point free and a flurry of scores, including another two-pointer in the 13th minute, which helped them establish a strong early lead.
Despite facing sustained pressure, the St. Loman’s defence remained well-structured, and Jason Daly produced a stunning right-hand save in the 17th minute to prevent what looked like a certain goal. Athlone added further scores, including a pair of two-pointers in the 21st and 25th minutes, but Loman’s kept battling. A dangerous moment came from a John Heslin free that dropped at the back post, with Eoghan O’Keeffe punching it across the Athlone goalmouth, but no one could get the final touch.
Eventually, Shane Dempsey got Loman’s on the board with a well-taken effort. A forced substitution due to injury saw Kelvin Reilly replace Sean Flanagan in midfield after 26 minutes. Despite a difficult opening half, Loman’s showed resilience and tagged on a couple of late scores to go in at the break trailing 0-3 to 0-11.
With the breeze at their backs in the second half, St. Loman’s came out with renewed intent. John Heslin quickly landed a 2 point free to reduce the deficit. Further substitutions brought added energy, with Fionn O’Hara replacing Eoghan O’Keeffe and Conor Regan coming on for Neilie Duffy. The youthful exuberance from the bench provided momentum and urgency in attack.
Cillian Plunkett, another debutant, fired over a superb two-pointer from play with just nine minutes remaining, narrowing the gap further. Shane Dempsey remained a constant threat throughout, chipping in with an important 2 pointer. Athlone, to their credit, continued to find points and managed to stay marginally in front entering injury time.
A crucial moment arrived in the 63rd minute when Conor Regan won a turnover high up the field and quickly released Conan O’Hara, who showed composure to slot over a brilliant score and bring Loman’s to within one. With the final attack of the game, John Heslin stood up once again and nailed a pressure free to level the match and ensure Loman’s took a well-earned draw from a fiercely competitive encounter.
The result ensures a solid start to the championship campaign, with plenty of positives to build on, especially the impressive contributions from our debutants. Focus now turns to preparing for Round 2, where St. Loman’s will look to turn a strong performance into a winning result.
Team: Jason Daly, Oisin Hogan, Darragh O’Keeffe, Seanai Bracken, Jack Geoghan (0:01), Eoghan Hogan, Nathan Lally, Cillian Plunkett (0:02), Sean Flanagan, Peter Foy, Kevin Reagan, Neilie Duffy, Eoghan O’Keeffe, John Heslin (0:09) Shane Dempsey (0:03) Subs Used: Kelvin Reilly, Conor Reagan, Fionn O’Hara and Conan O’Hara
Junior Football Championship – Round 1
St. Loman’s Mullingar 1-23 – 0-07 Kinnegad
St. Loman’s Mullingar got their Junior Championship campaign off to a flying start with a commanding 1-23 to 0-07 victory over Kinnegad. From the first whistle, St Loman’s Mullingar asserted control and never looked back, delivering a confident, composed performance marked by high work rate, crisp passing, and exceptional shooting efficiency.
Against a stiff breeze in the first half, St Loman’s Mullingar laid down an early marker. Daniel McCann opened the scoring with two well-taken points, settling the side into a strong rhythm. The standout moment of the opening period came soon after, when McCann found space and played a clever ball across to Dowdall, who calmly slotted a low finish into the bottom left corner of the net, giving the Kinnegad keeper no chance.
The Loman’s defence was equally sharp, with Matthews pulling off a crucial save in the 22nd minute to deny Kinnegad a much-needed score. That moment sparked another clinical St Loman’s Mullingar move, Matthews quickly restarted play with a pin-point kickout to Mulderry, who carried with pace before offloading to Danno Fitzsimons for a cleanly struck point.
A substitution saw Seanan Russell introduced for Eoin Kenny on the 20-minute mark through injury, and despite playing into the wind, St Loman’s Mullingar extended their lead with a succession of well-worked points. With just three wides in the first half, their shooting was sharp and composed. By half-time, they held a comfortable advantage, underlining their dominance in all areas of the pitch.
Turning around with the wind at their backs, St Loman’s Mullingar continued in the same vein. Paddy opened the second-half scoring with a tidy point, and the pressure intensified moments later when Seanan Russell pounced on a poor Kinnegad kickout, intercepted cleanly, and fired over another point.
As Kinnegad struggled to retain possession, St Loman’s Mullingar took full advantage. A turnover by Ruairi Doonan started a counter which set up Dowdall for another score, as the tempo remained high. Substitutions brought fresh legs into the game, with Gerry Grehan replacing Ruairi Doonan, and Cian Daly coming on for the lively Dowdall in the 42nd minute. Adam O’Connor was also introduced for Mehan, and Johnston was replaced by Aaron Smith in the final stages to see the game out.
Goalkeeper Matthews, already solid between the posts, showcased his dead-ball ability by striking two excellent 45s, adding to an already commanding scoreline and capping off a superb individual display.
Throughout the second half, St. Loman’s maintained their discipline and focus, continuing to convert chances and keep Kinnegad at arm’s length. With slick interplay, aggressive pressing, and excellent communication across the lines, they ran out convincing winners on a scoreline of 1-23 to 0-07.
Team: Rory Matthes (0:02), Tristan Johnston, Riley Sheahan, Ruairi Doonan, Tom Dorr, Ciarian Smith, Shane Mulderry (0:01), Danno Fitzsimons (0:01), Nedas (0:01), Tadgh Kenny (0:01), Ryan Jones (0:03), Eoin Kenny, Daniel McCann (0:07), Paddy Dowdall (1:02), Thomas Mehan (0:01) Subs used : Seanan Russell (0:02), Cian Daly (0:01), Gerry Grehan, Adam O’Connor and Aaron Smith
Underage Boys Championship Fixtures – Week Ahead
Monday, July 28th – 7:00pm
• U16 Division 1 vs The Downs (Home)
Wednesday, July 30th – 7:30pm
• U14 Division 1 vs St Mary’s Rochfortbridge (Home – Grass Pitch)
• U14 Division 3 vs Millmore Gaels (Home – 3G Pitch)
• U14 Division 5 vs Caulry (Away – 7:00pm throw-in)
Friday, August 1st – 7:00pm
• U12 Division 1 vs Garrycastle (Home)
• U12 Division 5 vs Kilbeggan Shamrocks (Away)
Sunday, August 3rd – 11:30am
• Minor Division 1 vs Garrycastle (Home)
Please note: this minor fixture is subject to final confirmation.
Good luck to all our teams competing this week.
Senior Ladies Championship – Round 1
Our Senior Ladies begin their championship campaign this week with a home fixture in Round 1:
St. Loman’s (Dovida Lakepoint Park) vs The Downs
Thursday, 31st July at 7:30pm
All support is greatly appreciated as the team looks to get off to a strong start in this year’s championship. Best of luck to the players and management.
St Lomans Mullingar GAA Club Lotto
This week’s club lotto draw took place this evening
The Jackpot was €8,900 and there was no winner
The numbers drawn were 1- 2- 17 -28
The winner of the €50 Lucky Dip draws were Eddie Reilly and Ted Cronin
Congratulations to our winners.
The next Jackpot will be €9,000 and the draw will be on 28th July
Thank you for supporting St Lomans Mullingar GAA Club Lotto.
