Coolaney do enough to see off Molaise
COOLANEY/M 1:19 ST MOLAISE G 1:16
In a match featuring two teams vying for a spot in the Division 1 League final, it was the more experienced outfit that won out in a tight, yet highly entertaining affair, albeit with a considerable amount of good fortune.
St. Molaise Gaels, led by manager Willie Gormley, came into Nace’O’Dowd Park looking for the full complement of points against a depleted Coolaney/ Mullinabreena side, themselves managed by Padraig McGourty.
However, it was the home side who got off to the brighter start,with Gavin Gorman scoring twice in the first five minutes.
Fellow forwards Shane O’ Brien and Kieran Finan quickly followed suit with two free kicks.
In hindsight, St. Molaise Gaels will rue their slow start to the first half, with several missed opportunities to score coupled with some indiscipline leading to frees contributing to that.
The upshot of this was a 0-06 to 0-02 lead to Coolaney/Mullinabreena after 15 minutes.
St. Molaise Gaels righted the ship in the second quarter, and markedly improved their shot efficiency in that period.
A goal courtesy of midfielder Daragh Gallagher helped close the gap,
But Coolaney/Mullinabreena quickly responded with one of their own through wing forward Conor McCormack.
When the half time whistle blew, Coolaney/ Mullinabreena went in with a distinct advantage, reflected in the scoreline of 1:09 to 1:06.
The intensity in this match went up a notch in the second half, with St. Molaise putting on serious pressure in an effort to overturn the lead.
Baring down on goal several times, a combination of missed chances,superb defending and a dose of bad luck meant that Coolaney/Mullinabreena always kept their noses in front, and must be commended for the clinical nature of some of their scores.
A major turning point of match was a goal by Anthony Walsh of Coolaney/Mullinabreena, whose speculative effort was aided by a slice of good fortune.
This gave Coolaney/ Mullinabreena some much-needed breathing space for much of the second half.
This was negated by a goal from substitute Alan McLoughlin , bringing the lead to the bare minimum, but you could not help but feel that time was on Coolaney/ Mullinabreena’s side at that stage.
The win was secured for the home team by a long range point from midfielder Barry Gorman, and, as referee John Gilmartin blew the final whistle, Coolaney/ Mullinabreena won on a scoreline of 1:19 to 1:16.
Up next for St. Molaise Gaels is a meeting with Coolera/Strandhill, while Coolaney/Mullinabreena can look forward to a meeting with defending champions and current leaders of the competition Tourlestrane in a top of the table clash.
THIS WAS A HIGHLY ENTERTAINING AFFAIR