Donard drive

DONARD-THE GLEN CARNEW EMMETS 0-12 0-08

DONARD-THE GLEN did enough to see off a Carnew outfit shorn of the talents of Brendan McCrea and Padraig Doran on a greasy pitch in Baltinglass in the D’Arcy Sand Intermediate Football Championship last Sunday evening.

Donard-The Glen were full value for their win with Alan Daly, Conor Healy and Brian Lennon leading the charge over the course of the hour while the west side’s defence helped keep a limited Carnew attack to feeding on scraps.

There were rumblings of discontent from a section of the Carnew support regarding the fixing of the game in Baltinglass and the performance of the referee Garreth Whelan and while there might have been a very good case for a black card for a Donard player and a handful of frees over the course of the game, the Wexford border men will have to look closer to home for the ultimate cause of this defeat.

Keeping Alan Daly under wraps was always going to be a major ambition of Carnew’s for the evening and Adrian Myers put in a serious shift in that regard, but Daly only needs an inch and his four-point haul was considerable in the context of the game and the conditions but Myers’ efforts are the reason that personal tally is not much higher.

Carnew’s start was promising. Seanie Kinsella got on some early ball and looked to spray but both of his early attempts came to nothing other than Donard clearances.

Daly’s potential was revealed when he easily stepped back outside Myers to swing over a beautiful score to get the show underway.

Showing well early on for Carnew was Conal McCrea but his early effort was easily gathered by Mark Moore in the Donard-the Glen goal and Seanie Kinsella’s attempted ball into the full-forward line was dealt with competently by the Donard defence and the ball was moved forward and Alan Daly won a free for the gentlest of touches off Adrian Myers. A quick free over the top from Daly found the unmarked John Hanbidge and the midfielder stroked the ball over the bar.

Good work from the talented Cillian Gilligan along the end line provided Conal McCrea with a goal chance but his effort was blocked out for a 45 which was struck wide by Enda Donohue.

Carnew’s attacks were somewhat laboured, tired even, whereas Donard-The Glen had a pep in their step and nowhere was that pep more evident that in the bright orange boots of Alan Daly who