The mighty McCoy
Craig’s late point secures sweet victory for Laragh
LARAGH ASHFORD 1-10 1-9
ASHFORD will wonder how they lost this one.
Cruising after 28 minutes and pretty much dominating all over the field it only looked like there was going to be one winner.
A few positional changes and the awakening of some Laragh players to the fact that if they didn’t step up they were going to be on the end of a big defeat turned the tide back in Laragh’s favour. Even still, at the end a flurry of Ashford wides and the crossbar prevented a share of the spoils that their early dominance probably deserved.
Ashford started the better of the two teams and a first minute score from Gavin Weir playing at full forward after a Cal Connolly pass was soon added to by a Trevor Conyard pointed free after Connolly himself was fouled.
An Eric Olohan free opened Laragh’s account back in the 8th minute but even at that stage they were feeding off scraps in the forward line and some over-elaboration was hurting them.
Joey Doyle was particularly dominant for Ashford around the middle and he played a super pass to Weir who pointed.
Weir was a willing target man and was causing plenty or problems. Damien Hanlon was on the end of a patient Laragh build up to keep them in touch, but Ashford were just about to hit a purple patch.
In the 16th minute a Brendan Manning shot for a score was gathered by Gavin Weir and he turned to shoot another point, Conyard pointed another free and before the scoreboard operator had time to put that up Weir was in on the end of a rebounded Connolly shot to finish to the net. The best Ashford score of the game followed as Joey Doyle swept up the break in the middle, he fed Manning who cleverly played in Weir who then found the hard-running Ross Quinn to point and as the clock ticked in to the 23rd minute Ashford at that stage enjoyed a fully deserved 1-6 to 0-2 lead.
Craig McCoy lifted the siege and darted forward to shoot wide before John Nolan broke the run of Ashford scores and had Laragh’s first score in 11 minutes from a free after David Miley was fouled. Gavin Weir drew another foul and Trevor Conyard duly obliged from the placed ball, with just a couple of minutes to the half time break but things were about to change massively.
Mark Miley had by now been switched to centre forward in a switch with John Nolan and this change was central to the swing in the game. Miley snook in behind the Ashford defence to win a free for Nolan to point. Form the kick out Nolan found Damien Hanlon coming from deep and the midfielder finished expertly to the net. David Miley shot the last point of the half and amazingly after looking like they were in serious trouble at one stage the Laragh men were back in the game and only 1-7 to 1-5 behind at the break.
Deccie Byrne’s team talk would have taken on a whole new tone while Philip Doyle would have to look for his team to find the form they had shown prior to the last five minutes of the half.
Myles Conway was introduced at the break and his work rate and movement created space for Mark Miley to point straight from the throw in. Cal Connolly had an Ashford score from a free, but this was to be one of their rare shots at goal in that period as Peter Merrigan, and the excellent pairing of Andrew Kenny and Craig McCoy began to dominate proceedings. Kenny was all alone time after time to cut out Ashford attacks while McCoy as well as performing his defensive duties was carrying plenty of ball in to enemy territory. A poorly directed free from the Ashford full back line was snapped up by an alert Mark Miley who soloed forward to point.
Trevor Conyard pointed a difficult free to double the Ashford lead again, but they would fail to score in the final 23 minutes of the game. A long range free from Damien Hanlon was broken down and recycled to Keane Murphy to slot a good Laragh score. Ashford escaped a disastrous moment soon after as Paul Conyard was dispossessed coming out from goal, but John Nolan’s rushed shot shaved the post on the way past as the open net stared him in the face. They did level the game in the 49th minute when Miley found the range again. The belief was now growing in the Laragh men who were playing their first game in Intermediate for some time and they bring a good vociferous following on match days who really got behind them in the second half turnaround.
Ashford lifted the siege and shot three wides in quick succession before McCoy came bursting forward to kick what was to prove the winning score in the 55th minute. It was then Laragh’s turn to turn wasteful with three wides of their own before Ashford almost robbed it when Thomas Kearns who had a fine game got forward and shot for the equalising point only to see his shot hit the crossbar and come down behind goalkeeper James Nolan and somehow bounce harmlessly wide. Anthony Nolan brought proceedings to an end moments later.
James Nolan; Ian Merrigan, Peter Merrigan, Brendan Ward; Craig McCoy (0-1), Andrew Kenny, Aaron Lynham; David McDonald, Damien Hanlon (1-1); Keane Murphy (0-1), John Nolan (0-2f), David Miley (0-1); Dan Power, Mark Miley (0-3), Eric Olohan (0-1). Subs: Myles Conway for Power, Jamie Cullen for Aaron Lynham, Stephen Olohan for E Olohan,
Paul Conyard; Rob Clarkson, Iarla O’Donnell, Mick Taylor; Thomas Kearns, Daniel Kavanagh, Michael Traynor; Joey Doyle, David Dowling; Cal Connolly (0-1), Brendan Manning, Ross Quinn (0-2, 1f); Trevor Conyard (0-4fs), Gavin Weir (1-2), Michal Dickenson. Subs: Cormac Doyle for Dickenson, James Byrne for T Conyard, Trevor Conyard for Dowling.
Anthony Nolan (Baltinglass)