Frayne on fire for rampant Rovers with haul of 2-3

DUFFRY ROVERS ADAMSTOWN

SHOT-SHY Adamstown were given a lesson in attacking style as unbeaten Duffry Rovers racked up an eight-point victory on their merry way into the knockout phase of the Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship.

The men from the Blackstairs were never behind from the moment in the sixth minute when Niall Beggan’s high kicked shot came down over the bar at the town end in Bellefield to secure the opening point of a Group B game on Sunday which produced plenty of open football.

The eventual losers had ample possession throughout but the absence of several key forwards from the line-up was reflected in a weak scoring return, their tally made respectable only by a couple of goals tacked on when it was far too late to rescue their cause.

Adamstown threw plenty of the right shapes in the build-up phase, with captain Tony French and Seán Barden capable of creativity in midfield but promising moves too often petered out up blind alleys at the hands of a hard-working Duffry defence.

Meanwhile, Rovers had the star player of the day in Robert Frayne who looked equally at home as a free-ranging centre-forward or in the role of target man at the edge of the square, finishing the day with 2-3 to his name.

Frayne had a hard-running ally in Stephen Watchorn and they linked up profitably and repeatedly with Johnny Flynn-O’Connor who also notched a couple of goals.

Thanks to the first of these, the Duffry held a 1-8 to 0-5 advantage at half-time, Adamstown having been denied a goal at the other end by a fine save from Cathal Clince to thwart Peter Finn.

A couple of points for the New Ross District outfit from ever-enterprising centre-back Michael Furlong kept them in touch after the break, only for a chasm to open at the start of the final quarter as Frayne pounced for a couple of game-deciding goals.

The Duffry management then had the luxury of being able to empty the bench and, as their teamwork began to suffer amidst all the changes, Adamstown belatedly found their attacking edge.

Colm Boland finally found the net behind Clince after Seán Barden surged from deep, and then Conor Hickey blasted home the second from close range for the eventual losers.

The optimists in the Adamstown ranks, wondering if they could yet pull an unlikely rabbit out of the hat, began to ask how much time was remaining.

The answer was not enough, not enough by a long chalk.

Duffry Rovers now top the table on six points and remain unbeaten, after this second win coupled with a brace of draws.

Duffry Rovers: Cathal Clince; Liam Pender, Craig Casey, Thomas Dunne; John Dunne, Eamonn Doyle (0-1), Aidan Byrne; Gavin Watchorn, Alan Doyle; Glenn Rafter, Robert Frayne (2-3), Stephen Watchorn (0-4, 3 frees); Cian Fitzhenry (0-1), Johnny Flynn-O’Connor (2-2), Niall Beggan (0-2, 1 free). Subs. - Feargal Kenny for A. Doyle, black card (38), Gavin Rafter for Beggan (48), John McCarthy for S. Watchorn (49), Ted O’Brien for E. Doyle (51).

Adamstown: Daryl Walsh; Johnny Connors, P.J. Carroll, Kieron Finn; Seán Barden (0-1), Michael Furlong (0-4, 2 frees), Andrew Boland; Tony French (0-1), Shane O’Gorman; Lorcan French, Tomás Harrington, Harry Cosgrave; Conor Hickey (1-3, 0-2 frees), Peter Finn, Ian Bradley (0-1). Subs. - Brendan Furlong for Cosgrave (30), Michael Boland for Harrington (42), Colm Boland (1-0) for Bradley (45), Bradley for French (49), Cosgrave for Finn, temp. (52).

Referee: Kevin Kehoe (Our Lady’s Island).