ACFL Division 1B
Rossa 1-14 Moneyglass 2-7
St. Ergnat’s Moneyglass travelled to Shaw’s Road on Sunday to face O’Donovan Rossa with the points at stake vital to both sides. After an hour’s football it is the home side who have greatly enhanced their chances of survival while Moneyglass drop into the bottom two after a gallant but in the end unproductive effort.
With so much at stake this game took a while to settle before Rossa took the lead after 5 minutes through Cormac McGettigan and this brought an immediate reply through a long range effort from Aidan McErlain to draw the side’s level.
Scores continued to be hard come but Rossa struck with a brace through Stephen Beatty to move the home side two ahead at the midway point of half but Moneyglass, playing with a strong breeze registered the next score from a Conor Boyd free
This was quickly followed by another Aidan McErlain score from play to leave it 3 apiece with 20 minutes gone and the visitors appeared to be gaining a foothold.
The next phase of play would see the home side reassert their early dominance, reeling off 3 on the trot through a Michael Byrne free and points from play by Tommy Morgan and Stephen Beatty to leave it 6 to 3 with four minutes remaining to the break.
To their credit Moneyglass finished the half strongly with points from a Conor Boyd free and one from play by Colum Duffin to trail 6 to 5 at halftime and all to play for in the second half .
With a stiff breeze behind them, Rossa got off to a good start early in the second half as they fired over 3 unanswered points through Cormac McGettigan, Dominic McEnhill and Stephen Beatty to move four in front after five minutes play.
Any notion that Moneyglass would go away was quickly dispelled however as Conor O’Kane replied with a close range goal to leave just a point between the sides.
The home side looked rattled and things got even better for St. Ergnat’s following a turnover when Kevin McCann added a second goal in the 21st minute to put his side ahead for the first time.
Rossa refused to panic and replied with points from Dominic McEnhill, Eoghan McMenamin and Morgan to edge ahead 0-12 to 2-05 once more but it still looked anybody’s game at this stage.
Colm Duffin steadied the ship from a free to level the contest once more at the end of the third quarter but Rossa struck a decisive blow when a quick fire breakaway saw Tommy Morgan finish to the net.
A Conor Boyd converted free reduced the gap to two with seven minutes remaining but that was as good as it would get for St. Ergnat’s as the home side finished strongly.
Stephen Beatty replied with a point at the other end and Eoghan McMenamin made the points secure as he fired over with only a minute remaining.
This win looks like securing division 1 football for Hugh McGettigan’s side while plunging St. Ergnat’s into deep trouble and they must now rely on results going their way elsewhere while winning their final game at home to St. Enda’s if they are to have any chance of survival
