ACFL Division One
Ahoghill 0-08-3-14 Lamh Dhearg
By Kevin Herron from Ahoghill
Lamh Dhearg made it back to back league victories with a comfortable 3-14-0-08 victory over Ahoghill this evening.
The visitors were always in control and moved 1-08-0-03 ahead at the break with Gerard Slane finding the net.
Ahoghill started the second-half brighter but conceded two penalties inside the space of two minutes and Paddy Cunningham twice converted as the Hannahstown men headed back to base with the spoils.
The Lamhs hit the front inside of fifteen seconds as Pearse Fitzsimons won the break ball in midfield and a quick attack saw the ball moved to Owen McKeown who popped it over.
Neil O’Connell responded for Ahoghill but the visitors established a 0-05-0-01 lead inside of ten minutes with four unanswered scores.
Paddy Cunningham converted two frees and the potent and quickfire options in the Lamh Dhearg attack were hungry as Owen McKeown doubled his account and Ryan Murray added a point when a goal may have been on.
Declan Lynch, Lamh Dhearg leaves the ball off as Martin Graham moves in
Declan Lynch squeezed the ball inside of the large posts and Murray doubled his account and just before the twenty minute mark; Kevin Quinn shot over the bar with the outside of the foot to move his side 0-08-0-01 ahead.
Having conceded seven points on the trot and without a score in over twenty minutes; Ahoghill responded – through a superb curling shot from Donal Graham .
Paddy Cunningham converted successive frees – one which was an excellent conversion from range and Ryan Murray brought his tally to 0-03.
Just before the break the opening goal fell to the visitors and it was one that their first-half play merited.
Pearse Fitzsimons and Stephen Tully worked magnificently in midfield -it was Fitzsimons who claimed a kick-out and switched the play to Ryan Murray whose intricate pass slipped in Gerard Slane and the centre half-forward rifled low into the corner past Francis Neeson to make it 1-11-0-02.
Donal Graham converted a free before the break but Ahoghill had a mountain to climb at the interval, trailing 1-11-0-03.
The hosts began the second period in the ascendancy and hit back to back scores through Daniel O’Neill and James Magee.
Though Ahoghill’s indiscipline at the back would lead to their own downfall – on 39 minutes it looked as though Lamh Dhearg were about to claim their second goal of the evening.
Michael Herron knitted the play to Paddy Cunningham, though the corner-forward saw his shot scrambled to safety. Herron picked up the reins but was fouled and referee Colm McDonald signalled for a penalty.
Cunningham seized responsibility and tucked the ball low into the bottom left hand corner past Neeson to make it 2-11-0-05.
Ahoghill’s Ronan Graham shoots as Mark McGarry, Lamh Dhearg moves in to challenge
It was déjà vu within two minutes as McDonald was forced to signal for a second penalty as scorer of the first goal; Gerard Slane was felled by a slide tackle.
Cunningham called for the ball and this time went for placement – rifling past Neeson to kill the game off at 3-11-0-05 with 43 minutes gone.
Donal Graham responded with successive scores – one from play and the other from a free – however in the grand scheme of things the hosts were only playing for pride.
Conor Murray continued his rehabilitation from his cruciate ligament injury suffered against Offaly last year and registered a fine score from the sideline with the outside of the boot to make it 3-12-0-07.
The game was becoming increasingly niggly with referee Colm McDonald forced to act upon a series of off the ball incidents.
Things then boiled over and a untidy fracas ensued – after consulting with an umpire, McDonald issued a red-card to Ryan Murray and Ahoghill duo Eamonn Brady and Gerard Graham with others perhaps lucky not to follow.
When the action resumed Paddy Cunningham converted his fifth free of the evening and that was followed by a point from Kevin Quinn – though Quinn would receive his marching orders for an off the ball incident in the immediate aftermath and both sides were reduced to 13-men.
Donal Graham hit the evening’s final score from a converted free as Lamh Dhearg ran out convincing winners at the end – but both sides could count the cost of their late indiscipline for their respective weekend encounters.
Ahoghill: F Neeson, E Brady, B Graham, G Graham, S O’Connell, T McGlone, D Graham, M Graham, N O’Connell (0-01), D O’Neill (0-01), PJ O’Connell, J Magee (0-01), O Neeson, D Graham (0-05, 0-03f), R Graham. Subs: C McGlone for PJ O’Connell (22 mins), S McKeever for D Graham (64 mins).
Lamh Dhearg: J Finucane, R Diamond, P Larkin, M McGarry, P Mervyn, M Herron, B Rice, S Tully, P Fitzsimons, O McKeown (0-02), G Slane (1-00), K Quinn (0-02), P Cunningham (2-05f), R Murray (0-03), D Lynch (0-01). Subs: C Murray (0-01) for S Tully (40 mins), D Bellew for O McKeown (43 mins), J Trainor for R Diamond (58 mins), D Dunne for D Lynch (61 mins).
Referee: Colm McDonald (St Galls)
