ACHL Division One
O’Donovan Rossa 0-24 Carey Faughs 0-13
Like the majority of sides that have stepped up from division 2 in recent years, Carey are finding life difficult in Division 1 and on Wednesday night the visit to Shaw’s Road proved another testing fixture for the Ballyvoy men.
They came up against a Rossa side inspired by Aodhán O’Brien who finished the evening with nine points to his name over the evening and with Thoams Morgan weighing in with 0-7 there was only going to be one winner.
Morgan’s pace and finishing ability created problems for the visitors throughout, while team-mate O’Brien top-scored with nine from placed balls and play on a good night for the city side.
Carey opened brightly with early points from Michael McVeigh and James Black in the opening minutes before Thomas Morgan got Rossa’s opening score when he fired over.
There was a great pace to the game but both were guilty of missed chances before Aodhán O’Brien got his first of the night from a free to level but another pair of Carey scores through Colm McBride and Patrick Gillan moved the visitors two ahead.
Rossa were starting to find their feet however and O’Brien and Morgan brought them level again with excellent points but again Cathaoir an Ri responded through Daniel Martin. Gradually the hosts began to get on top however as they hit the next four points on the bounce with Morgan, Stephen Shannon from distance and Dara Rocks with two inside a minute.
Daniel Martin replied for the visitors but the momentum was now with the home side as they hit the next three through the impressive Morgan, O’Brien and Eoghan McMenamin to put a bit of distance between the sides.
Colm McBride and O’Brien traded points, the Rossa man from a 65 after Carey goalkeeper Daniel McBride did well to recover with Stephen Beatty breathing down his neck and another Morgan score on the run in from the right helped the hosts into a 0-13 to 0-7 lead at the interval.
The hosts continued to carry the game to their opponents on the restart with Darra Rocks, O’Brien and Morgan all on target, while McBride was again called into action for Carey to deny Owen May when a goal looked on.
The game was threatening to get away from the North Antrim side, but they dug deep with James Black and Martin pointing but they never really looked like getting the goal they needed to get themselves back into contention.
The home side continued to keep the score board ticking with O’Brien landing back-to-back points and James Black responding from a 65 for the Faughs.
Owen May got his name on the Rossa score card and Morgan added his seventh of the evening with John McBride’s 20-metre free tipped over and James Black landing another from midway in response, but the hosts finished strongly through O’Brien (two), McMenamin and substitute Diarmuid Rogan.
Black did have the final point of the evening, but Rossa were long out of sight as they move into seventh place in the table while Cathaoir an Ri await their first win of the season in a division that has proved testing for newly promoted sides in recent years.
O’Donovan Rossa: D Armstrong; C Boyle, C McGuinness, C Shannon; R Murray, Stephen Shannon (0-1), P Short; Seaghan Shannon, C Orchin; D Rocks (0-3), S Beatty, A O’Brien (0-9, 4 frees, 1 65); T Morgan (0-7), E McMenamin (0-2), O May (0-1).
Subs: D Rogan (0-1) for Seaghan Shannon (43), J Kerr for S Beatty (51), C O’Neill for T Morgan (54), J Reynolds for C Orchin (58), B McCauley for O May (58)
Cathaoir an Ri: D McBride; S Mathers, S McBride, C McBride (0-2); D Hill, J McCouaig, M McVeigh (0-1); C McKinley, J Black (0-5, 1 free, 1 65); F McVeigh, C McCaughan, J McBride (0-1 free); P Gillen (0-1), D Martin (0-3), E McKinley.
Subs: A McBride for E McKinley (49), J Mullan for D Martin (52)
Referee: Kevin Parke (Naomh Éanna)