Gormley uPVC Senior Football Championship
Scotstown 3-12 Carrickmacross 0-6 26/8/12
Scotstown powered past Carrickmacross in a one-sided SFC qualifier at Clontibret on Sunday. The victory came at a price, however, as straight red cards for Emmet Caulfield and Darren Hughes look set to keep them out of next week’s clash with Castleblayney (plus the semi-finals if they get there). Carrick also had two players sent off in an at times tempestuous clash. Scotstown had the game wrapped up by half-time, helped by a goal by Darren Hughes, sandwiched by a brace from Orin Heaphey, who continued his fine form up front. Kieran Hughes, James Turley, Paul Grant and Donal Morgan also played well for Scotstown, who have now had two comprehensive wins in the space of a week and six consecutive wins in all.
Scotstown took a first-minute lead thanks to a long-range free by Kieran Hughes, who then crossed the ball for Orin Heaphey to fire home his third goal in three championship games. After Heaphey had a point ruled out following consultation between the referee and his umpires, Stephen Gollogly got Carrick on the scoreboard with a ninth-minute point from a 20-metre free after Donal Morgan touched the ball on the ground and Paddy Lonergan added a 30-metre free after a foul on Cillian Cromwell. Darren Hughes got on the end of a cross-field ball by Daniel McNally to fist over and he added Scotstown’s second goal on 15 minutes after he had been released by Shane Carey. Paul Grant linked up with Kieran Hughes to open up a seven-point gap, before Darren Hughes took his tally to 1-2 in the space of five minutes when he booted over a great score after taking a pass from James Turley. Daniel McNally added another point for Scotstown at the end of a well-worked move involving Dermot McCrudden and Grant and Heaphey made it 2-4 without reply when he tapped home from point-blank range after Carrick keeper Andrew O’Rourke had parried a McNally shot. Scotstown keeper Rory Beggan got down quickly to save a Cromwell effort at the other end and although Carrick got a point back through Conor McEnaney, 30-metre frees by Carey and Kieran Hughes, after fouls on Grant and Darren Hughes, continued the Blues’ dominance. Grant then punished a poor kick-out by tapping over to make the half-time score 3-8 to 0-3, albeit not before Scotstown’s Emmet Caulfield and Carrick’s Ronan McMahon were both shown straight red cards following an off-the-ball incident.
A strong run by Kieran Hughes put Daniel McNally in space in front of the Carrick goal five minutes into the second half, but he drilled the ball wide. Heaphey linked up with McCrudden to add a point for Scotstown and although Lonergan replied from a 30-metre free after a foul on Cromwell, Grant put 15 between the teams. Scotstown were reduced to 13 men when Darren Hughes was red-carded for an off-the-ball trip on James Conlon, before Gollogly kicked only Carrick’s second point from play. A foul on Gollogly allowed Lonergan to convert a 30-metre free, but Kieran Hughes curled over a 40-metre free with the outside of his boot after a foul on Grant, before Beggan tipped a pile-driver from Carrick sub David Murnaghan onto the crossbar and Carey kicked a point from play after Heaphey kept a James Hamill shot in play. Both sides played the last few minutes with 13 men after Gollogly picked up a second booking for a late tackle and Carrick’s day was summed up when Cromwell volleyed a shot well wide in injury-time. The Emmets must now concentrate on staying in the senior league, while Scotstown advance to a quarter-final against old rivals Castleblayney, which will be played in Clontibret on Saturday evening.
Scotstown: R Beggan; D Morgan, W Carroll, E Caulfield; F McPhillips, J Turley, M Duffy; F Caulfield (Capt.), D Hughes (1-2); S Carey (0-2, 1f), P Grant (0-3), K Hughes (0-3f); D McCrudden, D McNally (0-1), O Heaphey (2-1).
Subs: J Hamill for F Caulfield (39 mins), E Beggan for McNally (47), P O’Hara for McCrudden (53), B McGinnity for Heaphey, S Sherry for Grant (both 56).
Carrickmacross: A O’Rourke; R McCabe, J McGeown, O McNally; D Finnegan, M McNally, D Finnegan; J Conlon, C Cromwell; A Murray, C McEnaney (0-1), E Sherry; R McMahon, P Lonergan (0-3f), S Gollogly (Capt., 0-2, 1f).
Subs: D Murnaghan for Sherry (46), J Guinan for C McEnaney (53), J G Conlon for Lonergan (54), K O’Rourke for N McEnaney, D Ogle for Murray (both 57).
Referee: C Mulligan (Aghabog).
By michael Mon 27th Aug
