ACFL Division 1
Roger Casements 7 – 23 v 1 – 04 Patrick Sarsfields
Mattie McGleenan’s Portglenone hosted Sarsfields at O’Cahan Park on Wednesday night, and in front of a decent sized attendance posted a mid-season league performance that was simply too strong for their opponents.
McGleenan’s men took a few minutes to settle into the match, but when Oisin Doherty popped over the opening score of the game after four minutes, the floodgates started to open. Although Joe McNally Matthew Skillen and Daniel Smyth raised white flags and the lively Kevin Barry McArdle found the net for the visitors, the reality is this contest had been well and truly decided long before that, as the hosts ran in comfortable leaders at half time by the score of 5 – 09 to 1 – 04.
Despite their best efforts Sarsfield never gave up when many other teams may have done so, but the Stewartstown road outfit just couldn’t manage to add to their tally, and in the end Casements ran up an impressive score tally and comfortably took both points on offer.
Ably led from the front by captain, Dermot McAleese who was in the middle of the action throughout, the hosts also had yet another eye catching performances from minors Tom Duffin and Odhran Doherty and Convery brothers Johnny and Ryan. Big Niall McKeever looks to be really enjoying his football at the minute and is another who was in the thick of things throughout, whilst free scoring Ronan Kelly has burst onto the scene this year with renewed vigour, as his ten individual scores during this contest will testify.
Sarsfields will pick their battles and will remain competitive in the second half of the table, and in Liam Mitchell, Cormac Murray, Conor Moley and Daniel Smyth they have a solid and competitive midfield diamond, but Casements look like a team that still have something to prove and on this performance will be firmly in the mix as the season progresses.
Referee Conall Roberts
Scorers;
Casements; Ronan Kelly 0 – 10, Odhran Doherty 1 – 04, Ciaran McAleese 2 – 00, Oisin Doherty 1 – 01, Stephen Kelly 1 – 02, Niall McKeever 1 – 00, Tom Duffin 0 – 03, Dermot McAleese 1 – 00, Caolan Tierney 0 – 01, Sean Byrne 0 – 02.
Sarsfields; Kevin Barry McArdle 1 – 00, Matthew Skillen 0 – 01, Joseph McNally 0 – 01, Daniel smyth 0 – 01.
