Easkey execute Glenfarne to progress
Connacht Club JFC Quarter-final
EASKEY GLENFARNE/KILTYCLOGHER
GLENFARNE/Kiltyclogher was no match for a very impressive Sligo junior champion’s outfit, Easkey when they contested Saturday’s provincial quarter-final in Páirc Seán MacDiarmada.
Easkey, who played in the Sligo senior club championship ranks just two years ago, were superior in many aspects of play and team work to their Leitrim opponents from start to finish.
The Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher men battled bravely for their entire clash with the Easkey side but the North Leitrim outfit came up well short at the end.
On Saturday Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher found that achieving further success at Connacht level proved to be a bridge too far for them despite their progress in Leitrim this year.
Playing against the breeze, Easkey made an impressive start when they put three points on the scoreboard less than six minutes into the action. After Eugene Mullen shot the Sligo side’s opening point, Ryan McKenna converted two frees for the visitors in this period.
Easkey had a let off when Padraig Sweeney drove a 9th minute goal chance inches wide across the goalmouth after what was one of Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher’s few early raids on their opponent’s territory. Two minutes later Easkey split the Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher defence wide open with a well orchestrated move that ended with Kevin Duffy finishing to the net and giving the Leitrim side’s goalkeeper, Stephen McPartland no chance between the sticks.
When Fergal Clancy opened Glenfarne/ Kiltyclogher’s account with a 14th minute point from play, the Leitrim men probably felt a turnabout might be coming in the siege they had been subject to at the other end of the field for most of the first quarter.
However Easkey increased their lead within the space of another minute when Ryan McKenna fired over from play. Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher Robert Broughton received a 16th minute yellow card and a minute later team mate, John McLoughlin also saw yellow.
Easkey stretched their lead to 0 – 8 by the 19th minute after Ryan McKenna tapped over a free and Joe McHugh shot a point from play. Five minutes later, Fergal Clancy replied with a Glenfarne/ Kiltyclogher point. Darren Murray became the third Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher player that referee, Brendan Healy admonished with a yellow card on the 26 minute mark. Over the next two minutes points were swapped at opposite ends from an Easkey free conversion by Ryan McKenna and from play by Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher’s Darren Murray. A further exchange of points at opposite ends occurred in the following two minutes when Joe McHugh shot over for Easkey and Fergal Clancy did likewise for Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher. Another Joe McHugh point before the break put Easkey ahead at halftime by 1 – 9 to 0 – 4. However, Easkey had matters more or less all sown-up nine minutes after the restart when they led by 2 – 12 to 0 – 6.
In this period Emmet Healy fired home a goal after the Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher defence found themselves at sixes and sevens and Healy then shot a point for Easkey while Joe McHugh and Ryan McKenna (free) also added a point each.
Meantime in this spell Glenfarne/ Kiltyclogher’s scoreboard response came with a Darren Murray point from play and a pointed Fergal Clancy free. However the Leitrim side did reduce Easkey’s lead to 0 – 8 midway through the second half after enjoying something of mini purple patch in the action.
This came about after Fergal Clancy clinically converted a penalty that was awarded for pick up of a ball off the ground by Easkey corner back, Bernard Feeney and then Padraig Sweeney followed up by hitting over a Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher point.
But Easkey stemmed the impetus of the Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher fight back by the 54th minute after Ryan McKenna and Emmet Healy hit over a point apiece. In the next minute Fergal Clancy replied with a pointed Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher free.
The Sligo side extended their lead to 0 – 11 by the 58th minute after Rory McHugh and Mikey Gordon shot over in turn. A minute later Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher’s Barry McDermott received a black card and was replaced by Neville McDermott.
In the final scoring action of the game Ryan McKenna for Easkey and Fergal Clancy for Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher swapped a point from play. Easkey ran out very convincing winners by a 0 – 11 margin and will now meet Mayo standard bearers, Balla in Saturday’s Connacht semi-final.
Game at a Glance: Main Man
As well as being Easkey’s top marksman, full-forward Ryan McKenna was also the Sligo side’s leading target man up front and chief play maker who also had a hand in both of his team’s goals. Talking Point
The fact that Easkey had come down from the Sligo senior championship ranks in 2016 suggested that they might overwhelm Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher. While the Leitrim side suffered a heavy defeat they still were a worthy match for their more highly regarded opponents. Turning Point
Emmet Healy’s 39th minute Easkey goal, which put his side 0 – 12 ahead, also paid to any chances that a battling Glenfarne/Kiltyclogher side might turn the tables in this game.
EASKEY: Scorers: Ryan McKenna 0 – 8 (5fs); Emmett Healy 1 – 2; Joe McHugh 0 – 3; Eugene Mullen, Rory McHugh & Mikie Gordon 0 – 1.
Team: Shane Kilgannon; Ian Barrett, Noel McGuire, Bernard Feeney; Eanna Moylan, Rory McHugh, Jonathan Conway; Eugene Mullen, Mikey Gordon; Dylan Sloyan, Joe McHugh, Emmet Healy; Andrew Kilcullen, Ryan McKenna, Kevin Duffy. Subs: Kieran Duffy for Kilcullen & Hayden Gilroy for Feeney (42); Declan Brennan for Duffy (52); James Lindsay for Healy (59); Ciarán Montague for Conway (60)
GLENFARNE/KILTYCLOGHER: Scorers: Fergal Clancy 1 – 6 (pen & 2fs); Darren Murray 0 – 2; Padraig Sweeney 0 – 1.
Team: Stephen McPartlan; Brian Fox, Jamie Kiernan, John McLoughlin; Dermot Harkin, Robert Broughton, Sean McLoughlin; Barry McDermott, Fergal Clancy; Niall Clancy, Diarmuid Clancy, Darren Murray; Oisín McDermott, Conor O’Rourke, Padraig Sweeney. Subs: Niall McManus for O. McDermott (HT); Evan Kerrigan for J. McLoughlin (42); Gary Slevin for Kiernan (45); Daire Clancy for Murray (51); Sean Dillon for Harkin (55); Neville McDermott for B. McDermott (BC 59); J. J. McManus for Sweeney (60).
REFEREE: Brendan Healy (Roscommon)