Westerns shoot down the Mitchels
WESTERNS remain on course to make the last eight of the Junior Championship after brushing aside the challenge of John Mitchels at Stabannon on Thursday evening.
Following their victory over Sean McDermotts in the opening game much was expected from the Mitchels in this game, but a disappointing display saw them fail to mount any real challenge.
The Reaghstown men were simply too strong in every sector and went about their business in a very disciplined manner throughout the game. The contest was all but over by half time as the Westerns went in ten points to the good, with the Mitchels failing to register a score during that 30 minutes.
Having opened their Group 4 account with victory over the Wolfe Tones, the Westerns looked determined from the outset to keep themselves on course for the quarter-finals with some good swift attacking play saw them take charge, with Tommy Durnin not surprisingly at the heart of it all.
However, it was brother, Anthony, who opened the scoring inside four minutes before Tommy picked out Conor Kerr on eight minutes to score the first goal of the game.
The Mitchels had no answer to their opponents and Cathal O’Hanlon’s side pressed home their advantage as points from Ciaran Campbell, Terence Sweeney and Johnny Lynch extended the gap to 1-4 to no score on 18 minutes.
The Ballybailie side rarely threatened at this stage and saw Tommy Durnin kick two points before their first real efforts on goal saw two ‘45s’ from Ben O’Brien fall short of the target. Just before the half time whistle Tommy Durnin pointed to make it 1-7 to 0-0.
Lynch and Trevor Baylon extended the gap to 12 points before Robbie Coyle finally got the Mitch- els off the mark on 36 minutes from a 30m free.
However, the Westerns response was to underline their dominance and after another Baylon point, Tommy Durnin burst through to set up Lynch for a well-taken second goal and extend the gap to 2-10 to 0-1 after 50 minutes.
With the victory all but assured, the Westerns relaxed their grip on the match, allowing the Mitchels to enjoy their best spell in the final quarter. After Conor Reilly added a second they did get the consolation of a goal on 21 minutes when Barry Kirk flicked home a MikeyNulty centre.
Reilly added another free late on but the Reaghstown men wrapped up the victory with scores from the Durnin brothers and sub Patrick Kerley.
The victory is almost certain to send the Westerns through but they can confirm their place by avoiding defeat against the Sean McDermotts in the final group outing in a game the Mountrush Pictures: Paul Connor side need to win to have any hope of progressing.
Meanwhile the Mitchels will still fancy their chances of getting into the knock-out stages as they take on Wolfe Tones in their final match. However, the Ballybailie men will need to turn in an improved performance next time out but they will still be optimistic of making it through to the last eight. WESTERNS: Peter Shields; Michael Martin, James Ward, Colin Martin; John Murray, Stephen Boylan, Sean McGuinness; Tommy Durnin 0-4, Trevor Baylon 0-2; Terence Sweeney 0-1; Anthony Durnin 0-2, Dylan Ogle; Johnny Lynch 1-2, Conor Kerr 1-0, Ciaran Campbell 0-1. Subs: Andrew Kerr for C Campbell, Gerry Curtis for T Baylon, Patrick Kerley 0-1 for J Lynch, Shane Matthews for M Martin, Andrew Murray for S Boylan, Damien Boylan for T Sweeney.
JOHN MITCHELS: David Anderson; Mitchel Keenan, Emmet Farrell, Aaron Kane; Anthony Coyle, Neil Reilly, Brendan McDonnell; James Clarke, Aaron Keely; Ben O’Brien, Conor Reilly 0-2, Stephen Coyle; Alan Mackin, Robert Coyle 0-1, Barry Kirk 1-0. Subs: Rory Durnin for A Mackin, Mikey Nulty for C Reilly, Conor Reilly for N Reilly, Neil Reilly for S Coyle, Gareth Finnegan for A Coyle.
REFEREE: A Briscoe. GLYDE Rangers eased into the knockout stages of the Junior Football Championship thanks to a nine-point victory over a spirited Naomh Malachi outfit in a tempestuous match at Louth Village last Thursday evening.
The Tallanstown outfit, who raced into a six-point lead inside the opening quarter, were never headed in a contest where Brian Duffy and Niall Sharkey were to the fore. Indeed, but for their large tally of 13 wides the margin of victory would have been much greater.
This Group B clash was played in slippery conditions and the men in sky blue settled the quicker and opened the scoring inside 60 seconds through a Trevor O’Brien free kick.
Full forward Brian Duffy opened his account in the sixth minute and this was quickly added to by a brace of scores from placed balls by Niall Sharkey.
Conor Sheridan was next to find the range with a closerange effort, and when O’Brien claimed his second point on the quarter-hour mark the mid Louth side were six points in front.
Shane Rogers claimed the opening score for the Mals with a long-range effort, but his side were dealt a blow when talisman Collie Rooney left the field of play with a suspected broken collarbone.
However, the influential David Devanney also had to go off for Glyde and the border side were given a glimmer of hope were their opponents lost Sheridan to a black card following an earlier yellow, and he could not be replaced.
Pierce Caherty subsequently narrowed the gap with a curling effort in the 25th minute, but it was the Division 3 table-toppers who finished stronger in the half, with points from Barry and Niall Sharkey and a brace from the impressive Duffy to make it 0-10 to 0-2.
Gavin Duffy stretched the lead after the interval with a well-taken point and when he goaled past Mals netminder Niall Bird in the 43rd minute the Glyde men held a commanding 11-point advantage.
The Courtbane outfit didn’t wilt and a fine effort from Caherty reduced the arrears somewhat before their numerical advantage was wiped out as wing half Peter McShane was dismissed in the 45th minute for a challenge on Alan Brennan.
Mals were given a lifeline soon after when Glyde goalkeeper David Brennan was adjudged to have handled the ball on the ground inside the small rectangle, and up stepped Ronan Greene to slot home for a goal.
However, a placed ball from O’Brien and a point from wing forward Alan Brennan put paid to any hope of a comeback.
Caherty claimed his third point of the contest before veteran Mark Meegan slotted over his side’s fifth point as the Mals finished strongly.
The impressive Niall Sharkey and John Myles sandwiched a late effort from Meegan as the Glyde men ran out comfortable winners to leave the Mals and St Nicholas to fight it out for the remaining qualifying place in Group B.
GLYDE RANGERS: David Brennan; Peter Duffy, Cein Sheridan, Gerard Farrell; Niall Sharkey 0-4 (1f, 1 45’), Mark O’Brien, Conor McCullagh; Ciaran Sheridan, David Devenney; Aaron Devlin, Conor Sheridan, Alan Brennan 0-1; Trevor O’Brien 0-3 (2f), Brian Duffy 0-4, Gavin Duffy 1-1. Subs: Barry Sharkey 0-1, Niall Bird, John Myles 0-1, Jason Dullaghan, JP Boyle.
NAOMH MALACHI: Niall Bird; David Begley, David Rogers, Sean Gogarty; Peter McShane, Ronan Greene 1-0 (pen), Stephen Burns; Ronan McElroy, Pierce Caherty 0-3; Emmet Mullen, Shane Rogers 0-1, Donal Begley; Collie Rooney, Padraig Moley, Jamie Kelly. Subs: Noel Donaldson, Mark Meegan 0-2, Conor Gonnelly, Eamonn Agnew.
REFEREE: Noel Hand