JOYCES EXPERT IAFC GROUP B Cloughbawn clinch it
GAA Victors move to second spot in table
CLOUGHBAWN CAME out victors in a hard-fought encounter with Geraldine O’Hanrahans on Saturday in their Joyces Expert Intermediate ‘A’ football championship Group B game in Farmleigh.
The win moves the Clonroche side to second position within touching distance of leaders Crossabeg-Ballymurn.
Cloughbawn’s superior start through Colm Kehoe, Harry Kehoe, Bob Whitty and Martin Kehoe gave them a slight advantage which they held on to for the entirety of the first-half.
Despite the New Ross side edging their way back to level on the t20th minute with an impressive Shane Roche minor, the boys in green shot themselves back into a three-point lead moments later when Shane Greene pounced on Colm Kehoe’s ball and finished low.
Cloughbawn exchanged points with their opponents to take a two-point lead into the half-time break, Martin Kehoe with their majority while Roche dominated the scoring for the Geraldines.
The sides continued to chip away at each other in the second-half. Bob Whitty and Gavin Murphy minors were answered by the Geraldines through Seán Culleton and Roche to cut the gap to just a point before the game exploded into life in a crucial 60 seconds.
In the 54th minute, Matt Crowdle and Roche linked up before feeding Jack Foran who rocketed a strike off the ground past goalkeeper Lee Keely after his first attempt was blocked, giving the Barrowsiders their first lead.
Yet the drama didn’t end there, as from the resulting kick-out Cloughbawn launched themselves forward. Harry Kehoe found Whitty whose run carved a hole in the middle of defence, and he made no mistake with his placed finish as he produced the game’s second goal in 30 seconds.
Three late points courtesy of Harry Kehoe, Whitty and Barry Carton then sealed a hard-earned Cloughbawn win at the expense of Geraldine O’Hanrahans, who drop into fourth position in Group B and with work to do to qualify.
Cloughbawn: Lee Keely; Alan Carton, Johnny Cullen, David Doyle-Murphy; Gavin Murphy (0-1), Barry Kehoe, Harry Kehoe (0-2); Páidí Cullen, Colm Kehoe (capt., 0-2, 1 free); Barry Carton (0-1), Bob Whitty (1-5, 0-1 free), Robert Kinsella; Martin Kehoe (0-2), Billy Wickham, Shane Greene (1-0). Subs. - Dean Murphy for Kinsella (46), Cathal Spratt for Carton (57).
Geraldine O’Hanrahans: David Caulfield; Gary Hill, Conor Cleere, Enda Kelly; Eoin Kelly, Robbie Vallejo, Matt Crowdle; Jamie Cullen, Shane Roche (0-8, 6 frees); Darryl Thomas, Dylan Egan, Barry Kelly (0-2); Jack Foran (1-1), Seán Culleton (capt., 0-2), David Crowdle. Subs. - John Sutton for Cleere (35), Danny Convey for Cullen (40).
Referee: Ian Plunkett (Marshallstown-Castledockrell).