Avoca off to a

BLESSINGTON AN TOCHAR 4-22 0-9

THE Blessington Junior B team got back to winning ways on Thursday night last following their defeat to Tinahely in the Division 4 league final with this comprehensive win over An Tochar in Blessington.

The Blues were on top throughout this game and led 1-8 to 0-3 after 15 minutes and 2-12 to 0-5 at half-time.

Although An Tochar emptied their bench with the addition of six substitutes in the second half it was to no avail adding four points to their half time total while the Blues went on to add a further 2-10.

Although well beaten on the night the young An Tochar side battled to the end against an experienced Blessington Junior B side having their third attempt at winning the JBFC.

Gavin Fogarty at number 10 ran constantly at the Blessington defence, however, the An Tochar team efforts could have been better had they scored from any of their 12 wides.

Blessington welcomed back Adam Boland, Jonathan Kelly and Conor Devlin on a night when the team kicked only six wides in total.

Blessington; Shane Breen; Damian Breen, Sean McGarr, Bradley Foster; Ciaran Mescall, Daniellis Saukausas, Glen Farrell; James Kearns, Alan Boland (1-4); Jonathan Kelly, David Behan (0-1), Stephen Carroll (0-5); Sean Mescall (2-7), Conor Devlin (1-2), Eddie Boylan (0-3). Subs: Ian Richardson, Barry Behan.

An Tochar: Donal Maher; Jimmy McGee, Jack Salley, Ronan Maher; Eoin Murphy, Paul Kenna, Joe Coen; Hugh Kenna, Kevin Belton; Gavin Fogarty (0-4), Johnny Carr, Michael Aherne (0-1); Kian Brady, Conor Kenna, Noel Brady (0-2). Subs: Rob Cullen, John McLoughlin, Shane Keenan, Enda Kavanagh (0-1), Rob Power, Kevin Lynch (0-1).

Referee: Liam Cullen (Hollywood)

CARNEW EMMETS AVOCA 0-5 1-14

AVOCA signalled their intentions of having a good run in this year’s Junior ‘B’ football championship with a fine win in Carnew last Thursday evening.

Never an easy place to come away from with a victory, a fit Avoca team overcame the dismissal of Martin Kenny in the 19th minute to fashion a good team performance with high work rate and make their edge in fitness pay.

Carnew battled gamely and for a brief period in the second half they looked like they could work their way back in to the game but the goal they desperately needed didn’t come despite a few good opportunities. The late arriving Gary Doran had strengthened their hand considerably in that second half but the 0-6 to 0-2 lead Avoca enjoyed at the interval was never really in danger.

PJ Fluskey got the opening score in a matter of seconds but ten scoreless minutes were to follow with Carnew having three wides in that time and Avoca also denied a goal by a good save from Robert Roche.

Martin Kenny pointed a free after the excellent Dean Power was felled and Adam Tuke and Jason Porter the two corner forwards also kicked Avoca points.

In the 18th minute Andy Doyle another who had a fine game kicked Avoca’s fifth point but they lost Kenny who was having a massive influence on the game seconds later. Tuke kicked another point before Willie Osborne finally got Carnew off the mark in the last minute of the half. Wing back Stephen Murphy got forward for a good point on the stroke of half time to give Carnew renewed hope as Doran was ordered to ‘get the boots on fast’ as the teams headed to the dressing rooms.

Eddie Leonard would have been glad of the break to sort out the problem of playing with 14 men but, as so often happens in this scenario, it seemed to matter little in the second half and the extra space probably suited a counter-attacking Avoca side in the second 30.

Six minutes in to that second half they got the tonic of a fine goal from Adam Tuke that was deflected past a helpless Roche in the Carnew goal. Patrick Kennedy had worked hard all evening at centre forward for the Avoca men and it was his hard work that created the