Aodh Ruadh deliver five star performance to maintain promotion drive
Senior Football Division 3
14 June 2014
Aodh Ruadh 5-8
Naomh Columba 0-12
John Hughes reports from Father Tierney Park
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A promotion four pointer went the way of the homesters as Aodh Ruadh hit five goals to see off the challenge of Naomh Columba on a beautiful evening for football.
There was just 16 seconds on the clock when Kevin McNern slotted over after Naomh Columba won the throw in with Oisín McGinley doubling that lead with less than two minutes gone. Aodh Ruadh's response was emphatic. First Michael Dolan sallied up from defence to take a sweet point, then David McGurrin found Diarmaid McInerney in space on the edge of the area and McInerney was able to pick his spot and finish with aplomb.
On seven minutes Pauric Patton bombed a poor ball in on the Aodh Ruadh attack, which David McGurrin rose well to claim and showed great strength to hold before winning his free, which he then slotted over to put a goal between the sides.
Paddy Byrne fashioned a response for Naomh Columba after a sustained spell where the visitors were under the cosh. A minute later and again it was David McGurrin who was creator, this time feeding Conor Patton who, despite his first preference being to off-load, decided to take on the shot when there were no options and delivered a neat point.
There was another hammer blow for the visitors moments later when David Dolan advanced with menace into the area forcing the Naomh Columba to foul and Enda McFeely had no hesitation pointing to the spot. Shane O'Gara made a great job getting down to his right, but David McGurrin's pin-point shot gave the Glen keeper no chance.
Philip Doherty clawed back the deficit with a point from play, but Peter Boyle quickly pushed the margin back out to two points with a 30 metre free on 20 minutes.
Johnny Gallagher then went on a run the length of the field before feeding David McGurrin who sneaked his shot inside the post.
Naomh Columba then had a spell pressure which saw then win a scoreable free. Oisín McGinley's placed ball effort was dropped short and batted out the field by Peter Boyle The ball was then rushed up the field once again by Johnny Gallagher who found McGurrin to loft over an action-replay point. Worse again for Glen, their talisman, Oisín McGinley, sustained an ankle injury taking the free and had to leave the fray.
Then came probably the best score of the half. Conor Patton found himself in the heart of the Naomh Columba defence and this time he had an option on in the form of Pauric Patton. Patton unleashed a real thunderbolt of a shot which nearly put a hole in the net.
And it got worse 30 seconds later when David Dolan posted his first point of the game to make the scores 3-7 to 0-4 with time almost up in the half. Aodh Ruadh still had time to spurn yet another gilt-edged goal chance before, a minute into added time, Declan McGuire struck over a quality long range free to give the visitors a bit of a lift before the break.
Andrew O'Gara came on as a second half sub in midfield and had an immediate effect winning the ball and then getting on the end of the move to shoot over in a congested Aodh Ruadh defence. Then Stephen Jones showed great strength to plough into the Aodh Ruadh area and fist over, putting three goals between the sides.
But all that early second half pressure was undone when Donagh McIntyre was allowed to lope through the Naomh Columba defence and get off a long range shot. It bounced before the keeper and David Dolan stood strong to put a hand on the ball and finish it to the net.
Naomh Columba were playing a high intensity game and the longer things went on the more the effort took its toll and their challenge wilted somewhat.
On 52 minutes they were made to pay in the harshest fashion. Once again Conor Patton was provider, this time he hit a ball into the wide open spaces of the Glen left flank.
Ronan McGurrin took possession of the ball and sent it on a shallow arc over Shane O'Gara's despairing grasp and into the back of the net. A really classy finish.
Noel McGinley came on for Naomh Columba and he gave the visitors something to cheer with a gutsy point, but Aodh Ruadh continued the tempo. David McGurrin hit a sublime pass into the heart heart of the Glen defence which was worked to Conor Patton, but Shane O'Gara got down well to block the shot.
With the Aodh Ruadh well ahead and the intensity gone out of the game, Naomh Columba were able to end the game with a rally of points. First Ryan Gillespie worked well to set up Philip Doherty to point. Then Pauric Ward and Declan McGuire both fired over the black spot from play.
Donagh McIntyre made a good impression from his introduction and he was on hand to set up Ronan McGurrin for the Ernesiders final score of the game. The last word however was left to Noel McGinley who split the post with another characteristic effort before Enda McFeeley sounded his long whistle with the final score Aodh Ruadh 5-8 Naomh Columba 0-12
David McGurrin was man of the match for the Ernesiders. His precision football was a pure joy to behold. There was a lot of drive from defence with Johnny Gallagher, Ciron Whoriskey and Conor Patton as often in the opposition's half as their own. Kerry Ryan was dominant in the middle of the pitch and made four vital interceptions to disrupt Naomh Columba attacking movements. Up front the physicality and accuracy of Ronan McGurrin, Pauric Patton and David Dolan proved too much for Glen to deal with.
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Aodh Ruadh Peter Boyle (0-1f); Michael Ward, Johnny Gallagher, Ciron Whoriskey; Conor Patton (0-1), Eamonn McGrath, Michael Dolan (0-1); Kerry Ryan, James O'Donnell; David McGurrin (1-3, 1 pen, 1f), Ronan McGurrin (1-1), Ronan Drummond; Pauric Patton (1-0), David Dolan (1-1), Diarmaid McInerney (1-0). Substitutes: Donagh McIntyre for James O'Donnell: 39 minutes; Kieran Keown for Ronan Drummond: 47 minutes; Jamie McDonald for Diarmaid McInerney: 47 minutes; Ryan Granaghan for David McGurrin: 56 minutes; Niall Thomas for Kerry Ryan: 61 minutes; Anthony Boyle, Daniel Kelly. Yellow cards: Kerry Ryan: 34 minutes; Ronan McGurrin: 44 minutes. Wides: 1st half: 2; 2nd half: 3; Total: 5. Short: 1st half: 3; 2nd half: 1; Total: 4. Frees conceded: 1st half: 2; 2nd half: 5; Total: 7. |
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Naomh Columba Shane O'Gara; Kieran McBrearty, Martin Cunningham, Barry Carr; Jamie McGinley, Kevin McNern (0-1), Stephen Jones (0-1); Declan McGuire (0-2, 1f), Paddy Byrne (0-1); Pauric Cunningham, Oisín McGinley (0-1f); Philip McNern, Philip Doherty (0-2), Ryan McNern. Substitutes: Substitutes: Ryan Gillespie for Oisín McGinley: 27 minutes; Pauric Ward (0-1) for Jamie McGinley: 27 minutes; Andrew O'Gara (0-1) for Gavin McGinley: half-time; Noel McGinley (0-2) for Kevin McNern: 46 minutes. Yellow cards: Stephen Jones: 44 minutes; Declan McGuire: 45 minutes. Wides: 1st half: 7; 2nd half: 6; Total: 13. Short: 1st half: 3; 2nd half: 5; Total: 8. Frees conceded: 1st half: 1; 2nd half: 0; Total: 1. |
| Referee: Enda McFeely (Robert Emmet's) |
Last modified: Monday, 1 June 2020 at 1:11pm