St Anne’s make a swift return to the senior football ranks
By Hayden Moore
AFTER being relegated from Senior Football for the first time in 35 years in 2018, St Anne’s beat Fingal Ravens 2-13 to 1-15 in this year’s Adult Football League Division Three Promotion Play-Off to secure a swift return to the senior ranks.
Sunday’s match up in Rolestown saw the Bohernabreena outfit promoted into Division Two once again by the narrowest of margins.
St Anne’s celebrate making a swift return to the senior football ranks following their victory over Fingal Ravens.
It was a defeat to the Ravens on the final day of the season last year that saw Anne’s relegated and now this year, it was the same two competitors vying for a chance to play senior football next season.
When Declan Patton took over the senior panel in January, he and his management team that includes former Dublin footballer Joe McNally had only one goal- a return to senior fold.
“It was just about resetting things for Anne’s this year. They are a proud senior club and always have been,” said Patton.
“The relegation and playing in AFL3 this year was just a blip. We were just trying to reset the balance because they are a proud senior club and that’s where they belong.
“35 years in senior football is unbelievable. If you don’t go back up right away then you run the risk of becoming an AFL3 club.
“There were no grounds whatsoever for staying in AFL3 this year. We had to go back up and that was it. I am absolutely delighted with how it turned out.”
The Fulham brothers, Scott and Darragh were in prolific form on Sunday, hitting 1-6 between them, while they also had a hand in the majority of other scores for their side.
Darragh Fulham rattled the net to send the Bohernabreena side into the break seven points up while Scott, who chalked up 0-5 alone, managed two frees either side of the break.
Several top-class saves were made by ‘keeper Lorcan Molloy to keep Ravens at bay, but coming up towards the final few minutes, the deficit was cut to two points before Darragh Fulham released Dan Galvin through.
Galvin pushed it back to five points between the sides with his goal but in the final five minutes of added-time, Ravens laid siege to the Anne’s box.
Still, through some excellent defending from corner-back Joey Quinn, centre-back Sean Delappe and wing-back John Lysaght they clung on to their lead.
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