Clongeen comfortable in dealing with Martin’s challenge

IT WAS certainly an impressive second-half display from Clongeen as they looked comfortable and composed in fashioning an eight-point victory over St. Martin’s in this Joyces Expert Intermediate ‘A’ football championship Group B game in Grantstown on Saturday.

Clongeen were eyeing up both points as they contemplate an immediate return to the higher grade, but through the opening 30 minutes they looked sluggish.

Once they came to life on the resumption, they dominated the game and put significant daylight between the sides through the closing 20 minutes.

The New Ross District side enjoyed the ideal start, pointing themselves in front through a Paul Curtis free, while after ten minutes Shane Cahill got on the end of a sweeping movement to finish to the net from close range and give them a 1-1 to nil lead.

Diarmuid Byrne’s frees along with a Conor Coleman effort kept St. Martin’s in touch while playing into the breeze, but with Jamie Keating, Curtis, Jamie O’Grady and Cahill all pointing, the eventual winners led by 1-8 to 1-3 at the interval.

A Pádraig Rossiter 30th-minute goal had handed the opposition a lifeline, and when Diarmuid Byrne and Seán Stafford reduced the deficit with points inside the opening four minutes on the resumption, it looked as if St. Martin’s were about to take the initiative away from their opponents.

The Clongeen response was positive, producing points from Curtis and Robert Farrell, before Cahill found the net at the end of the third quarter to hand his side a 2-12 to 1-5 lead.

While St. Martin’s responded with three Diarmuid Byrne points, Clongeen proved the superior outfit.

Clongeen: Danny Redmond; Stephen Curtis, Enda Murphy, Jamie Keating (0-1); Leon Stafford, Páraic Curtis, Richard Rochford (0-1); Shane Kilkenny, Collie Byrne; Robert Farrell (0-1), Shane Cahill (2-1), Jim Bennett; Paul Curtis (0-7, 3 frees), Jamie O’Grady (0-3), Jamesie Rochford.

St. Martin’s: Nicky Greene; Rory Cullen, Tony Kelly, Sam Audsley; Pádraig Rossiter (1-0), Donal Kelly, Adrian Ryan; Conor Coleman (0-1), Philip McDermott (0-1); Eoghan Rackard, Diarmuid Byrne (0-6, 3 frees, 1 ‘45), Adam McLoughlin; Seán Stafford (0-1), Philip Waters, Liam O Lionáin.

Referee: Philip Murphy (Faythe Harriers).