The Brian Dillons Junior (A) Footballers, forced to field without three of their first team and reduced to fourteen players after twenty minutes of the first-half, were well beaten by St.Finbarrs, 2-14 to 1-5

 in the semi-final of the City Division Junior (A) Football Championship, at Ballinlough on Monday evening, 17th September,2012.

                This was a most disappointing performance by the Brian Dillons side who ,for the second year in a row, have failed to get past the semi-final stage of the Championship, having lost by four points to Douglas in 2011. Fielding without team captain, Cillian Brosnan, vice-captain Cian McCarthy and first choice goalkeeper, James Kirby, this was always going to be a difficult game ,especially as St.Finbarrs are the defending champions.

              The "Barrs had raced into an 0-5 to nil lead, after eighteen minutes, before Brian Dillons had their opening point from John Horgan, two minutes later.  Then, Brian Dillons were dealt another body blow, less than a minute later, when midfielder, Chris Daly was dismissed with a straight red card, which left his team with a mountain to climb. Ironically, Brian Dillons began to play their best football of the night in the remaining first-half minutes with John Horgan adding two more points and Dave O"Leary was most unlucky not to goal after a great run which saw his powerful shot comeback off the woodwork.    A pointed free from St.Finbarrs closed the first-half scoring which had them ahead, 0-6 to 0-3 at the interval.

         Brian Dillons began the second half in determined fashion and in less than a minute, they had levelled the game when the diminutive Dave O"Leary rattled the back of the net, after receiving an excellent pass from Brian Barrett,  for a great goal. Sadly, the depleted Brian Dillons side failed to drive on after this goal as playing with a man less eventually took its toll. The "Barrs were back in the driving seat with a goal of their own in the sixth minute of the second-half and they followed this score with a string of well-taken points which sucked the life out of the Brian Dillons challenge. The game was done and dusted before the "Barrs added a further goal and three points in the final five minutes of the second half.

        A disappointing end to the 2012 championship for Brian Dillons and it is hoped that the team will recover to make a strong bid for League and McSwiney Cup honours in the coming weeks.

          The Brian Dillons scorers were; John Horgan, 0-4,(0-1 free); Dave O"Leary,1-0; and Stephen Crowley,0-1;

         Team; (1) Tom Triggs; (2) Danny Murphy; (3) Edmund Hussey; (4) Martin Corbett; (5) Mark Walsh; (6) Tomas Lawrence; (7) Stephen Crowley; (8) Chris Daly; (9) Darragh Brosnan; (10) Niall Fahy; (11) Brian Barrett; (12) John Horgan; (13) Mark Buckley; (14) Darren McGrath    (15) Dave O"Leary;  Subs; Philip O"Brien for Darren McGrath (40 mins.); Michael Colohan for Niall Fahy,(47 mins.) Tom Holohan for Mark Buckley (50 mins.);