Olympus scraped home by the odd goal in this uninspiring bottom of the table Leinster Junior League Division 3B clash with Ashbourne at Limekiln Road last Sunday. A strong wind blowing down the hill of the pitch made controlled football impossible and, as a result, much of the play was scrappy and haphazard.

Only Ashbourne’s defensive midfielder David Kearns seemed capable of controlling the pace to any extent, while the odd surge forward by the Olympus midfield man-com-striker Denis O’Hare caused any problems for the Meath side’s defence.

In an evenly contested first half Ashbourne went close on two occasions to scoring as both John Steward and Martin Cassidy had shots skimming the crossbar, but it was Olympus facing up the hill and in the face of a strong breeze who took the lead.

Seamus Whelan took the ball down the left wing, cut into the penalty area and shot from fifteen yards. The ‘keeper failed to hold it and Derek Brady latched unto it finding Tom Maguire at the far post who knocked the ball high into the net over the stranded ‘keeper.

Just before half-time O’Hare could have made it two as he beat two players on a run from midfield only to momentarily lose control of the ball in the penalty area and the ‘keeper thankfully smothered it.

What few chances there were in the first half dried up in the second half as neither side came to terms with the wind. Olympus second goal was due more to a criminal lack of marking in the Ashbourne defence than to any great innovation by Olympus.

Taking a free from the right of the Ashbourne area, O’Hare pushed the ball across the face of the goal and Tom Maguire, unmarked on the six-yard line made no mistake for his second goal of the game.

What little attacking that was done came from Olympus. Their best move of the half was initiated by Seamus Whelan who took the ball down the right wing, chipped across to substitute Pascal O’Dea in the centre who controlled and volleyed it from ten yards but Ashbourne’s ‘keeper Tom Flanagan brought off a spectacular point blank save to keep his side in contention.

Ashbourne’s goal came five minutes later when a floated free by John Steward on the left of the Olympus area was chested down by Reg Kavanagh and rammed home on the volley to make it 2-1.

Just on full time, Denis O’Hare went close for Olympus with a well-driven free kick from twenty yards, which narrowly missed the target.

TEAMS:

Olympus: - Brian Connelly, James Morrissy, Brian Scollard, Eamonn O’Dea, Gearoid O’Sullivan, Gerry Traynor, Tom Maguire, Brian O’Mahony, Derek Brady, Denis O’Hare, Seamus Whelan.

Subs: Paschal O’Dea for Brady (70 mins), Dermot Morrissy for O’Mahony (70 Mins).

Ashbourne United: Tom Flanagan, Jim Caffrey, Dave Cully, Noel Clarke, Dermot Reilly, David Kearns, John Steward, Trevor McDonald, Pat Cully, Martin Cassidy, Paul Beggy.

Subs: Reg Kavanagh for Cassidy (75 mins), Tony Barclay for Beggy (70 mins)