ACHL Division One
Dunloy 0-20 Rossa 3-20
Saturday 26 April
Brendan McTaggart reports from Pearse Park, Dunloy
Rossa made it three from three on Saturday evening as they inflicted Dunloy’s first league defeat of the season. In an entertaining game, it was a strong first half and ability to score goals that proved to be the difference.
All of Rossa’s goals came in the first half, two from James Connolly with Thomas Morgan adding the third. Both men contributed hugely throughout the hour with Morgan’s agility and pace causing problems while Connolly’s presence on the edge of the square gave the Dunloy defence their fill of it.
Deaglan Murphy gave an energetic display from the middle of the park but it was the back six that formed the basis for this victory. Dunloy trailed by 11 points at half time and with the wind at their back, looked to make inwards into that lead and while they threatened to make a comeback, five points was as close as they got. The Rossa defence soaked up the pressure, led superbly by Ciaran Orchin, Chris McGuinness and Daire Murphy.
Nicky McKeague continued his fine early season form, finishing top scorer for the Cuchullains with 11 white flags beside his name while Paudie Martin, Luke McFerran and Anton McGrath were always in the thick of things.
Tom McFerran put in a great shift in the middle of the pitch while Eamon Smyth and Deaglan Smith had good games in the half back line. The Dunloy management will look at the three goals as being avoidable as they looked to come to terms with the aerial bombardment sent their way. They created few clear cut goal scoring opportunities however as Rossa saw out the second half.
Despite Morgan opening the scoring, it was the home side who made the brighter start. Three points in as many minutes from Luke McFerran, Martin and Tom McFerran had them two clear inside six minutes but it was their last score for 14 minutes as the visitors to Pearse Park took a stranglehold. A run of 1-8 without reply, just two of those coming from placed ball and five different scorers. Eoin Trainor, Deaglan Murphy, Morgan, and Aodhan O’Brien dissecting the posts while Connolly grabbed his first goal of the game in the 16th minute. The goal coming from a long ball which he won himself with a piece of individual brilliance before rifling home. Indeed, it could have been better for the Shaw’s Road men but for O’Brien’s effort being saved by Eoghan Richmond between the sticks. The Dunloy netminder had the presence of mind to deny the follow up with a superb piece of bravery.
Dunloy got the scoreboard ticking once again with McKeague’s first point from a placed ball. He would follow up with another two in the space of five minutes along with Paudie Martin’s second of the game to leave five between the sides.
The home side had their own sight of goal amongst McKeague’s scoring spree, McGrath with a brilliant touch and burst of speed to evade the Rossa defence but his effort was well saved by Donal Armstrong between the sticks for Rossa.
Eoghan McMenamin extended the lead to six once again before Rossa added their second and third majors in the space of two first half minutes. Connolly grabbed his and his teams second and almost a carbon copy his first goal. Getting on the end of a long ball before finishing expertly while Morgan made the most of a mistake in the Dunloy full back line from close range for Rossa’s third.
Ryan Mort had the final say of the half as he fired over Dunloy’s eighth point to leave the half time score 3-10 to 0-8 in Rossa’s favour.
Dunloy had whatever wind was blowing at their backs for the second half and had added a further three points inside the opening minute of the second half. Tom McFerran, Paudie Martin and McKeague all dissecting the uprights and when McKegaue and Ronan Molloy added further scores, it made it five without reply and the Rossa lead reduced to six inside six minutes of the second half.
The sides went toe to toe with Deaglan Murphy and James Connolly prominent for the visitors while McKeague and Luke McFerran were firing for the Cuchullains.
Five points separated the sides with 10 minutes remaining but the visitors to Pearse Park finished strongly outscoring Dunloy five points to one with O’Brien, Connolly (two) and Deaglan Murphy (two) firing over with a McKeague free the solitary response for Dunloy. The Cuchullains had a sniff of a major in the closing stages with Anton McGrath going close but he was denied by a diving save from Oisin McVicker who turned the sliotar away at full stretch.
The action continues next Sunday for the Cuchullains as they host Cushendall while Rossa take on old rivals, St John’s on the same afternoon.
TEAMS
Dunloy: Eoghan Richmond; Conor Kinsella, Daire McMullan, Oran Quinn; Paudie McGilligan, Eamon Smyth, Deaglan Smith; Ciaran Elliott, Tom McFerran; Ryan Mort, Nicky McKeague, Luke McFerran; Paudie Martin, Ronan Molloy, Anton McGrath
Subs: Jack Martin for C Elliott (38); Ben O’Kane for D McMullan (51)
Scorers: N McKeague 0-11 (7fs, 1’65); P Martin 0-3; T McFerran 0-2; L McFerran 0-2; R Mort 0-1; R Molloy 0-1
Rossa: Donal Armstrong; Oisin McVicker, Ciaran Orchin, Patrick Moyes; Declan McCartney, Chris McGuinness, Daire Murphy; Diarmuid Rogan, Deaglan Murphy; Eoin Trainor, Pearce Short, Thomas Morgan; Eoghan McMenamin, James Connolly, Aodhan O’Brien
Subs: Michael Armstrong for E McMenamin (54); Liam McEnhill for D Rogan (57); Owen May for T Morgan (60); Darrach Morriarity for J Connolly (60+2)
Scorers: J Connolly 2-3; Deaglan Murphy 0-8 (6fs); T Morgan 1-3; E Trainor 0-2; A O’Brien 0-2; Daire Murphy 0-1; E McMenamin 0-1
Referee: Darren McKeown (St Galls)
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