Cuchullains Book Place in Quarter Finals

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13 hours ago

Northern Switchgear Senior Football Championship

Group 1

Tír nan Óg 1-16 Dunloy 2-27

Saturday 22 August

Brendan McTaggart reports from Whitehill

Reigning champions Dunloy made it two from two on Saturday afternoon as they defeated a spirited Tír na nÓg side with 14 to spare. To say this was a shootout would be an understatement given there was 12 two point scores over the hour between the sides with the Cuchullains just edging that statistic.

Keelan Molloy was at his imperious best with 1-12 beside his name before being taken off, he would raise the orange flag on five occasions as well as scoring a first half penalty. Luke McFerran got the second Dunloy major, bundling home from close range as the visitors to Whitehill excelled in the second half.

The home side were excellent for long periods of this game and more than contributed to the spectacle the game turned out to be. Ciaran O’Neill firing over three two point scores while Darragh Fagan’s presence on the edge of the square was a telling factor although the Tír na nÓg forward would come further out the field when required.

Despite a slow start to the game, Dunloy’s ability to create chances at will was a telling factor in the game. Scoring in bursts, once the Cuchullains attacking machine clicked into gear, Tír na nÓg were powerless to resist.

The game was barely 25 seconds old when Ciaran O’Neill split the uprights from outside the 40 meter arc for the opening score of the game and while Tom McFerran replied with a two pointer of his own for the visitors, it was Tír na nÓg who had the upper hand in the opening exchanges.

The home side fired over three unanswered points with McAtamney, Sean Duffin and Fagan all raising the white flag before Dunloy created the first goal chance of the game. Tom McFerran’s audacious chip coming back off the crossbar with the Tír na nÓg ‘keeper beaten.

The opening goal of the contest came in the 14^th minute with Molloy converting from the penalty spot. Barry McCloskey making something from a nothing ball played into the danger area and he was dragged to the ground.

Tír na nÓg responded with O’Neill’s second two pointer but it was Dunloy who hit a scoring burst of their own. Points from Conal Cunning and Nigel Elliott either side of a two point free from Molloy as a result of a breech infringement gave the Cuchullains a two point lead with 10 minutes of the half remaining.

The home side responded with Fagan scoring their goal in the 21^st minute however. O’Neill’s long range effort coming back off the upright and Fagan reacted first to the danger and showed tremendous composure before firing home.

Dunloy finished the half strongly however with Molloy, Conal Cunning, Luke McFerran and a two pointer from Eoin McFerran while a solitary point from Ciaran Logan was the only response from the home side to leave the half time score 1-11 to 1-8 in Dunloy’s favour.

Tír na nÓg made an excellent start to the second half with a brace of points from Fagan (free) and McAtamney reducing the deficit to the minimum only for Molloy to open Dunloy’s account with his second two point score and first from open play.

The game momentum swung hugely in Dunloy’s favour when Ciaran McGrellis was black carded during an altercation, referee Ritchie Leahy seeing his involvement in a ‘coming together’ as needless and the home side were reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes.

Before he would re-enter the game, Dunloy took control of the game. Three two point scores from Molloy, fisted points from Tom and Eoin McFerran, Tom would add another while substitute Eoghan McGrath got his name on the score sheet. A two pointer from a Fagan free outside the 40 meter arch the response from the home side but the Cuchullains stretched into a nine point lead in those ten minutes and effectively controlled the game for the remainder of the contest.

Nigel Elliott added another Dunloy score before Fagan’s second two pointer free of the second half left 10 between the sides but the Cuchullains showed no let up. Molloy fired over a ’45 and while Ciaran O’Neill split the uprights for his third two pointer of the evening to leave nine between the sides with four minutes remaining, Dunloy finished strongly.

Points from McGrath and Luke McFerran preceded McFerran bagging the second major in the last minute of the hour. Much like Tír na nÓg’s major in the first half, it was Molloy’s shot that came back off the upright before McFerran palmed the ball to the empty net.

Dunloy will look now to a meeting with Con Magees in two weeks time in Ballymena with the knowledge that their place in the quarter final is booked and a win for Rossa against the men from Glenravel tomorrow would see the Cuchullains finish top with a game to spare. Tír na nÓg’s fate is a little less clear but they will face Rossa in Hannahstown in match day three.

TEAMS

Tír nan Óg Starting XV: Conor McKenna; Ciaran McGrellis, Daniel McLornan, Ryan Crilly; Aodhan Tolan, Barry McCormick, Ciaran Logan; Cormac Devlin, Ciaran O’Neill; Sean McKeown, Sean Duffin, Oliver McAtamney; Eamon Og McAllister, Darragh Fagan, Caleb Smith

Subs: Conor O’Neill for C Smith (HT); Jude Storrie for S McKeown (48); Manus Smith for C Logan (53)
Scorers: D Fagan 1-6 (2TPF, 1F); Ciaran O’Neill 0-6 (3TP); O McAtamney 0-2; C Logan 0-1; S Duffin 0-1

Dunloy Starting XV: Chrissy McMahon; Sean Og Blaney, Ryan McGarry, Reece Cunning; Aaron Crawford, Aodhan McGarry, James Scally; Eoin McFerran, Conal Cunning; Eoin O’Neill, Tom McFerran, Luke McFerran; Nigel Elliott, Keelan Molloy, Barry McCloskey

Subs: Eoghan McGrath for E O’Neill (45); Cathair McCloskey for S Og Blaney (52); Callum Scullion for K Molloy (60); Padraig McGilligan for R McGarry (60+3)
Scorers: K Molloy 1-12 (1-00pen, 3TPF, 2TP, 1’45); L McFerran 1-2; T McFerran 0-4 (1TP); E McFerran 0-3 (1TP); C Cunning 0-2; N Elliott 0-2; E McGrath 0-2