Coolera edge victory over Molaise in Championship opener
THIS first round of the Belry Senior Football Championship in Scarden between Coolera/Strandhill and St Molaise Gaels certainly didn’t disappoint and the hour long of football was certainly entertaining from both sides.
Both had spells of good momentum and the Grange men led for most of the match ahead by 2 points at the break but to their credit Coolera/Strandhill never gave up and even when the influential Cathal Herron scored St Molaise Gaels’s second goal on 49 minutes John McPartland Jnr’s side kept chipping away at the 4 point deficit. Points from brother Niall and Sean Murphy brought Coolera/Strandhill back within 2 points. With seven minutes to go and then a great move from Coolera/Strandhill saw Niall Murphy find the net to give his side a one point lead on 55 minutes and although the North Sligo men tried to equalise it wasn’t to be with Kevin Banks scoring the last point late into injury time.
To their credit Willie Gormley’s men displayed some excellent football in their opening Championship game. Coolera/Strandhill got the game’s first point after Barry O’Mahony was fouled with free taker Niall Murphy on target in the 2nd minute which was followed with another fine score from Murphy from play before Darragh Elliot got St Molaise Gaels on the scoreboard down the other end.
Mark Quinn assuredly equalised for the North Sligo men and from here they began to exert their dominance on the game with Herron getting his first from play to put them in front by one. Herron was involved again in the next score which came from Elliot as they led by 2 with 11 minutes played. Two minutes later and it was Herron again who pointed from play with another good score which was responded to by Murphy as moments later Evan Farrell of St Molaise Gaels defended well another attack from Coolera/ Strandhill. Darragh Gallagher of St Molaise Gaels was unlucky to see his shot go inches wide before O’Mahony neatly turned and pointed from play to bring it back to a one point game on 19 minutes.
St Molaise Gaels counter-attacked from the kick out with Gallagher finding Luke Towey who blasted into the net to give St Molaise Gaels a 1-5 0-4 lead.
Coolera/Strandhill’s Keelan Cawley was introduced to the action on 21 minutes and his introduction had a big impact on the game.
Alan McLoughlin pointed a free for St Molaise Gaels on 25 minutes as they led by 5 at this stage but it was Coolera/Strandhill who finished the half strongly, with points from Murphy and 2 from O’Mahony to see the scoreline reading 1-6 to 0-7 in favour of St Molaise Gaels at the interval in what was a very entertaining first half of football.
The second half too had plenty of action with Coolera/Strandhill getting the better start. Points from Murphy (2 frees), Peter Laffey and Cawley saw them take the lead once again with Cawley having a big influence since his introduction. It was 8 minutes since the resumption before St Molaise Gaels scored and it was McLoughlin again from a difficult angle that pointed a free on Towey. The next 3 scores all came from the North Sligo men. Coolera/Strandhill goalkeeper Kevin Kelly did well when Paddy McGowan sent a dangerous ball towards the goal mouth but on 44 minutes the ball was in the Coolera/Strandhill net again after Towey got his seconD. St Molaise Gaels were leading by 2 at this stage with 15 minutes remaining.
Herron was fouled again with McLoughlin sending over the resultant free before Herron himself added another with St Molaise Gaels leading by 4 points with 10 minutes to go. Apart from a point from Dean Carroll, all the scores in the remaining minutes came from Coolera/Strandhill with Niall Murphy (free) and Sean Murphy from play bringing it back to a 2 point game before Murphy found the net, adding another free followed by a Kevin Banks point as St Molaise Gaels.