Tower’s wait for senior title goes on

ROUND Tower’s dream of ending their 50-year wait for a senior football championship title as St Maur’s direct running eventually
served to cut them apart in the second half of their B final at Parnell Park last Monday evening.
The Clondalkin club’s last success dates all the way back to 1965 and they just about shaded a low scoring first half.
But the signs were ominous as Maur’s bossed possession only to clip nine first half wides. Their shooting was far better in the second half while goals from Ciaran Reddin, Kevin Watson and Vinny Whelan put Tower’s to the sword.
Tower’s had led 1-2, to 0-4 at the break with all the scores coming in the opening 17 minutes before the game broke down with a series of blood delays.
Derek Murray found the net barely 40 seconds in with a cool finish while Ciaran Corrigan’s free extended out a four-point gap.
Maur’s, for their part, were largely bossing the midfield exchanges and scored some classy points in between a string of wides. Ciaran Reddin’s swinging effort from wide on the left and a couple of Conor McGuire scores reined in the gap to one before a 14-minute scoreless detente as the Rush side shot wide eight times.
But the tide turned quickly in the second period with Reddin pulling back into midfield and McGuire probing in the full-forward
line.
Both scored to swap the lead before the former landed a key goal in the 41st minute. It had an element of debate about it as his long-range ball into the square bounced in off the post, neither the back-pedalling goalkeeper nor full-forward deemed to have laid a mitt on the ball. Square-ball was ruled out on discussion between the referee and umpire. Conor L’Estrange’s classy left foot free pulled it back to 1-6 to 1-3 but the tie was swiftly taken out of reach. McGuire landed two in quick succession while David McGuinness fisted another score before Kevin Watson scored a block-busting second goal. Mikey O’Reilly’s driving run cut through the centre of the Tower’s defence before popping up a pass to the substitute who thrashed home over the head of Keith Graham. Whelan poked home a third goal for good measure while the Clondalkin club could only muster a couple more points as they ended the tie falling 3-10 to 1-5 to an all action St Maur’s.