Naomh Eanna make winning start
NAOMH EANNA BALLYHOGUE 3-10 0-7
NAOMH EANNA eased into the last eight of the Greenstar Under-20 football Premier A championship with a comprehensive victory over Ballyhogue in Bree on Friday.
The Gorey boys built a ten-point lead at the interval and were able to hold off a spirited third quarter comeback before going away to win with a little to spare in the end.
On a freezing night, the visitors had most of the aces. In the early exchanges Enda Minogue looked to be the joker in the pack for Ballyhogue, someone that could take the game to the town club, but Gorey soon cut off that outlet with strong work in the middle of the field.
The town club were particularly strong in the half-forward line where Charlie McGuckin made early gains, Jack Doran was dynamic, and Darragh Canavan went on to have a strong showing.
It was McGuckin who had his side 0-2 to nil up with a couple of classy scores.
Dean Doyle pulled one back, but a McGuckin run was overlapped by Evan O’Dwyer in the 13th minute, and he took possession from his team-mate and flashed high to the Ballyhogue net. Jack Doran and Canavan popped over points as the lead swelled to 1-5 to 0-1.
Colm Parnell kicked a nice score but it was a fleeting riposte. Canavan pointed again but it was an excellent finish by McGuckin on the stroke of half-time, after great work by Jack Cullen and Canavan, that did huge damage to Ballyhogue.
Cullen scored the first point of the second-half, but four minors in five minutes, with Doyle (two), Minogue and Leigh Whelan on target, threatened to get Ballyhogue back in the game.
The energy of that revival was sapped away when Canavan and Jack Doran scored backto-back points.
The lights were finally flicked out on the Ballyhogue challenge when Paddy Dwyer fed Kevin Budeanu for the game’s final goal.
Larry Cullen came on to complete the scoring for the victors who now move into a quarter-final against Gusserane after this success.
Meanwhile, Ballyhogue will drop into the same stage of the Premier B competition.
Naomh Eanna: Cian Byrne; Oran Fitzpatrick, Seán Dowling, Micheál Kennedy; Evan O’Dwyer (1-0), David Christie, Seán Delaney; Jack Cullen (0-1), Cian Kenny; Jack Doran (0-2, 1 free), Charlie McGuckin (1-2), Darragh Canavan (0-4); Kevin Budeanu (1-0), Nathan Byrne, Aaron Byrne. Subs. - Paddy Dwyer for Kenny (45), Larry Cullen (0-1) for Budeanu (58), Mikey Cushe for A. Byrne (58).
Ballyhogue: Tommy Kennedy; Jack Kinsella, Cian Rochford, Ronan Byrne; Matthew Hope, Colm Parnell (0-1), Peter Rodgers; Enda Minogue (0-1), John Kehoe; Daire Cloke-Rochford, Peter Kelly (0-1), Lewis McComiskey; Leigh Whelan (0-1), Dean Doyle (0-3, 2 frees), Tadhg Malone. Subs. - Edward Byrne for McComiskey (34), Ian Donohoe for Rodgers (45).
Referee: Thomas Furlong (Adamstown).