OB Construction Intermediate Football Championship
Con Magees Glenravel 1-14 Michael Davitt’s 1-07
A strong second half by Con Magees saw them safely through to the quarter final of the Intermediate Football Champpionship at Fr Maginn Park on Saturday evening. The home team led by two at half time but three points in four minutes after the restart eased them clear, a task made easier when Davitt’s had two men sent off in the 35th and 42nd minutes. To their credit Davitt’s rallied in the final quarter and three pointed frees from substitute Cricky Laverty saw them reduce the deficit to four. The home side were at sixes and sevens for a while but they found their radar again and three late points saw them win by seven.
Davitt’s goalkeeper Aaron Slane gave the Falls Road men the lead with a pointed free in the third minute, but straight from the kick-out Eoin Hynds made a great catch and called the mark before finding Eamon Fyfe with a great pass, and the full forward finished superbly to the net with the left foot. From the kick out Fyfe intercepted an attempted short pass and placed corner forward Ryan McQuillan for a point but soon afterwards Davitt’s centre forward Padraig McParland popped one over at the other end to cut the gap back to two points.
Davitt’s hit the front on ten minutes when centre back Niall McParand cut in along the Glenravel endline and fired home a goal and when they added a point on twenty minutes they appeared to be gaining control. However that was to be their last score of the first half and the Con Magees finished the half strongly with points from Eamon Fyfe, Eoin Hynds and Fyfe again to lead by 1-5 to 1-3 at half time.
After the restart Glenravel continued on where they left off and two excellent points from midfielder Calum Higgins and one from Rian Lennon stretched their lead to five. Davitt’s task got harder when they last a player to a second yellow card, and when Calum Higgins, who had a brilliant second half, added another they faced a real uphill battle.
They pulled one back with a great point direct from a sideline kick out on the right but when the lost their second player soon afterwards a difficult task became well-nigh impossible. A pointed free from Eoin Hynds and one from play by Eamon Fyfe stretched the home team lead to seven and appeared to be cruising. However the introduction of substitute Cricky Laverty heralded a ten minute spell when Davitt’s were on top again, Lavery cutting the gap back to four with three excellently finished points from free.
There was a nervousness among the home fans, seeing their team lose their way, but those nerves were settled when Eamon Fyfe sent over a free from 35 meters and when Calum Higgins and Ryan Lennon followed with well taken scores from play they were safely through to a quarter final meeting with old rivals All Saints, back at Fr Maginn Park in two weeks’ time.
