Cronin leads Drumcliffe-Rosses
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Homeland SFC
Group Two – Round Four Drumcliffe-Rosses Pt 7-11 St Farnan’s 0-8
T
HIS WILL be the game that Danny Cronin will always remember. But it’s the fixture that St Farnan’s will want to forget. Corner-forward Cronin scored four goals for Drumcliffe-Rosses Point as the 2020 county finalists all but secured their place in this year’s last four.
Last Saturday’s comprehensive 24-point win at Kent Park, 7-11 to 0-8, gives Drumcliffe-Rosses Point a conclusive scoring difference edge over fellow semi-final hopefuls margin would see DrumcliffeRosses Point miss out on a semi-final berth in the Homeland-sponsored Sligo Senior Football Championship.
Because St Farnan’s had played so admirably against defending champions Tourlestrane and CooleraStrandhill, albeit losing both fixtures, the west Sligo side had a chance here in this Group Two round four contest.
However, their defeat in round three to CoolaneyMullinabreena – where they conceded four first-half goals – was proof of defensive fragility.
For the contest against DrumcliffeRosses Point, goalkeeper Simon
Given their massive score difference (compared to CooleraStrandhill), they can afford to lose to county champions Tourlestrane at Markievicz Park on Sunday (1pm). A defeat of Tourlestrane would see Fergal O’Flaherty’s side top the group.
ST FARNAN’S: After four losses, last year’s Intermediate champions are plunged into the relegation play-offs where they’ll face the team that finishes second from bottom in Group One. But they are one win away from safety.
Coolera-Strandhill.
Only two outcomes this coming Sunday – Drumcliffe-Rosses Point losing heavily to Tourlestrane and Coolera-Strandhill overwhelming Coolaney-Mullinabreena by a 20+
Mullarkey joined the injured list that already included defenders Shane Molloy and Conor Gordon.
Even with talisman Patrick O’Connor, the competition’s current top scorer, leading their attack, St Farnan’s were up against it.
Still, they made a game of it in the opening 10 minutes. A perfect point from Patrick O’Connor in the ninth minute left St Farnan’s 0-2 to 0-1 ahead – they only time they were in front – and Eamonn Kilgannon had already won one contest with dangerman Cian Lally, who was stationed at full-forward for the breeze-assisted Drumcliffe-Rosses Point.
The winners, who welcomed back Sligo U-20 player Eoghan Smith, went back in front via points from Ciaran Smith and the excellent Cian Oates, turned the game when they goaled in
HOMELAND SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP (After four rounds)
Patrick O’Connor (St Farnan’s) 0-26;
Niall Murphy (Coolera-Strandhill) 2-16; 21 POINTS: Daire O’Boyle (Calry-St Joseph’s) 2-15; Shane Deignan (Shamrock Gaels) 4-8; Aaron Perry (Tubbercurry) 1-16, David Quinn (Shamrock Gaels) 0-19; 18 POINTS: Shane O’Brien (Coolaney-Mullinabreena) 4-6; 16 POINTS: Adrian Marren (Curry) 0-16; 15 POINTS: Cathal Henry (Tourlestrane) 2-9; 14 POINTS: Liam Gaughan (Tourlestrane) 0-14; 13 POINTS: Alan Reilly (Curry) 1-10, Danny Cronin (Drumcliffe-Rosses Point) 4-1, Nathan Rooney (St Mary’s) 0-13; 12 POINTS: Ciaran O’Connor (St Farnan’s) 2-6; 11 POINTS: Stephen Coen (St Mary’s) 2-5. the 14th minute.
Aaron McCormack’s ball released Cian McBride and the wing-back, brilliantly productive and selfless throughout, set up Danny Cronin for a simple close-range finish. Drumcliffe-Rosses Point, who were inspired by the aforementioned McBride, Cian Oates and Ross Chambers, were assured from once the first of their seven goals went in. While errors from St Farnan’s helped, Drumcliffe-Rosses Point were still creating their own momentum – a fine example of this was Ciaran Smith’s 26th minute point. It all started with a ball played into Eoghan Smith and then James Donlon and Stephen Regan got involved before this streamlined combination ended with Drumcliffe-Rosses Point’s fourth point of the day. Danny Cronin’s
LEADING SCORERS