Lannleire are too good for their neighbours
LANNLEIRE are seeking promotion from bridesmaid to bride as they await the identity of their Anglo Printers JFC semi-final opponents this week.
The Dunleer men booked their passage to the last four with minimum fuss on Saturday night, dispatching neighbours Stabannon Parnells with a business-like, if not quite spectacular, performance at the Grove.
The victory secures a third semi-final appearance on the trot, so John O’Connor and his team will be determined to make it third time lucky and not threefrom-three next month.
Of the four teams still standing, they’ll be fourth on most people’s list for Christy Bellew glory, but that might just stand to them in a clash with one of the so-called big guns.
The memory of pushing eventual champions Glen Emmets to the limit after a replay last summer, must still be painfully vivid for the mid-Louth men and they’ll be even more determined to take a scalp this time around.
That was the task facing Stabannon Parnells on Saturday, but with the exception of an encouraging third quarter, they were out-gunned and out-classed virtually from start to finish.
The derby element provided the potential for a decent contest, but it never really materialised as Lannleire refused to entertain any suggestions of an upset.
They opened with a carbon copy of Glyde Rangers’ start in the opening game, establishing a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after 13 minutes, but a spirited Stabannon second-half display kept the scoreboard a bit more respectable in this one.
Like their main rivals for junior success this summer, Lannleire boast a few forwards more than capable of stepping up to a higher level and on Saturday night Paul Callan, Bob Murphy Briain McGuinness and Colin Murphy gave Parnells plenty of food for thought.
The quartet scored all bar four points of Lannleire’s impressive final tally with Bob Murphy and Callan in particular dispatching a few superb long-range efforts.
Stabannon were surviving on scraps in the opening half, as three Aonghus Giggins frees and a solitary Shane Sweeney score left them eight adrift at the interval, 0-12 to 0-4.
They were better after the break, but Lannleire probably idled in front a little during that spell and even then they didn’t allow Parnells to close the gap below six points.
Perhaps more than a sluggish start, Stabannon will rue not making more of that second-half spell of dominance with Barry Lynch catching the eye with three fine scores.
But Bob and Colin Murphy and Paul Callan soon picked up where they left off and Alan Murphy also got in on the act as Lannleire made the game safe well before the finish.
LANNLEIRE: Liam Callan; Thomas Doyle, Jason Torris, Paul McGeough; Paul Doyle 0-2, Brendan McEvoy, Caoimhin Maher; Paul Callan 0-4, Pearse Hawkins 0-1; Colin Murphy 0-6 (4f), Briain McGuinness 0-2, Garry Monaghan; Alan Murphy 0-1, Bob Murphy 0-3, Cillian Gregory. Subs: Shane Kennedy for Doyle, Ciarán Dunne for Maher, Niall Lennon for C Murphy, Donal Clare for Monaghan, Shane O’Brien for Gregory.
STABANNON PARNELLS: Anto Byrne; Cathal Halpenny, Sean Halpenny, Thomas Campbell; Ken Lynch, Barry Lynch 0-3, Alan Lynch; Brendan O’Kane, Colm Giggins 0-1; Niall Fanning, Shane Sweeney 0-1, Aonghus Giggins 0-4f; Fintan Martin, Niall Cluskey, Wayne Lynch. Subs: Patrick Bell for Fanning, Anthony Briscoe for Halpenny.
REFEREE: Colm McCullough.