Mary’s off to a flyer
Clearcut win over 2018 runners-up
ST. MARY’S (Maudlintown) got their Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship campaign off to the ideal start with a thoroughly convincing win in their Group B clash in Tagoat on Saturday.
From the moment Christy Lane opened the scoring in the fourth minute until the final whistle, the town side made the running all the way, and last year’s beaten finalists could barely lay a glove on them throughout.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn found it difficult to get any change out of a resolute St. Mary’s defence and were left living off scraps in the forward line, while at the other end the Maudlintown men always look dangerous.
They couldn’t have asked for a better start as, seconds after Lane’s opener, Martin O’Connor fisted over the bar and they had the green flag waving in the seventh minute, when Lane fed Richie Kehoe and the full-forward turned and looped a shot out of the reach of goalkeeper Ben Turner.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn looked to have settled, with scores from Rob Byrne, Cormac O’Rourke and Sam Kelly (free) reducing the deficit to just two points by the 20th minute, but St. Mary’s replied with a hat-trick of unanswered points, with a long-range Dermot Flood free sandwiched between two fine efforts from Jason Swords and Eddie Pitman.
A brace of Cormac O’Rourke scores, either side of a Dermot Flood point, kept Crossabeg-Ballymurn in the contest, but they had it all to do after the change of ends, trailing by four at the break (1-6 to 0-5).
Paddy Devereux pared a point off that lead six minutes into the second-half, but they couldn’t get any closer than that as St. Mary’s comfortably kept them at arm’s length.
After Martin O’Connor and substitute Ronan Devereux had swapped points, the wind was well and truly taken out of Crossabeg-Ballymurn’s sails when St. Mary’s sliced through their defence for their second goal in the 46th minute.
Richie Kehoe sent the inrushing Eddie Pitman on his way and he picked out Jason Swords who had the simple task of tapping the ball to the net from the far post.
A 48th-minute Sam Kelly free proved to be Crossabeg-Ballymurn’s final score, and St. Mary’s finished the job with a real swagger as they attacked with style and purpose, while continuing to defend tenaciously.
Todd Hynes curled over an eye-catching point after good work from Alex Lynch, and Jason Swords weaved through the defence and popped over a nice score, before gathering a Christy Lane pass and forcing a good save out of Turner.
Pierce Dooley also got in on the act, finishing off a flowing move, while Richie Kehoe added two late points to put the icing on the cake.
St. Mary’s: Dylan Owens; Tre Long, Donal O’Leary, Alex Lynch; Jamie Thomas, Mark Doyle, Eddie Pitman (0-1); Graham Carty, Dermot Flood (0-2, 1 free); Todd Hynes (0-1), Christy Lane (capt., 0-1), Martin O’Connor (02, 1 free); Pierce Dooley (0-1), Richie Kehoe (1-2), Jason Swords (1-2). Subs. - Gary Murphy for Long, Paul Dempsey for O’Connor
Crossabeg-Ballymurn: Ben Turner; Conor Devereux, Oisín Foley (capt.), Martin Redmond; Bill Eviston, Seamus Carroll, Jack Fortune; Paddy Devereux (0-1), Davy Kehoe; Cian Lambert, Sam Kelly (0-2 frees), Cormac O’Rourke (0-3, 1 free), Rob Byrne (0-1), Pádraig Foley, Mark O’Connor. Subs. - Andy Butler for Carroll, Ronan Devereux (0-1) for Eviston, Matty Sludds for Butler.
Referee: Seán Whelan (St. Martin’s).