McGuigan Builders Intermediate Football Championship
Tyholland 2-13 Cremartin 2-11 18/8/12
Tyholland became the first team to qualify for this year’s IFC semi-finals with a hard-earned win over Cremartin in an absorbing match at Scotstown on Saturday. A brace of goals by Kevin Brennan had Cremartin a point up at half-time, despite Dermot Coyle finding the net at the other end, but Raymond Ronaghan’s major turned midway through the second half turned it in favour of Tyholland.
The most that ever separated the teams was when Cremartin went four points ahead early on, although Tyholland could have had more to spare in the end but for a few fine saves by Cremartin goalkeeper Damien Lavelle. Dermot Coyle, Brian McArdle, Peadar Farrelly and Gary McQuaid shone for Tyholland, who had eight scorers, including all six starting forwards, while Darren Bishop, Brennan, Barry Carragher and Lavelle were best for Cremartin.
Cremartin made a dream start, as they punished a slack Tyholland pass when Declan Mulligan laid it off for Kevin Brennan to drill the ball to the net in the first minute. Darren Bishop added a point from play, but Dermot Coyle swung over a superb left-footed point from the left wing to get Tyholland off the mark. 30-metre frees by Coyle and Shane Treanor, after fouls on Brian McArdle and Ryan McKenna, closed the gap to a point, before Coyle popped up at the end of a move involving McKenna, Ronan McNally and Raymond Ronaghan to equalise.
Cremartin went close to a second goal in the 15th minute when Barry Carragher got a fist to a pass from Bishop, but Tyholland keeper Pauric Hamill kept it out, starting a swift counter-attack which finished with McKenna kicking a good point. Tyholland also had a couple of goal chances, but Cremartin keeper Damien Lavelle twice came to his side’s rescue; first denying Raymond Ronaghan, who had been released by a clever pass from Gary McQuaid and then Dermot Coyle after a Treanor free had come back off the left upright.
A brace of frees by Carragher, following fouls on Bishop and Shaun Buckley, brought Cremartin back on level terms, but Tyholland hit the front once again when Lavelle deflected an Adam Askin shot over the bar after Raymond Ronaghan had won a long ball in from Brian McArdle. Tyholland finally got the goal they had been threatening on 25 minutes when Gary McQuaid picked out Raymond Ronaghan, who exchanged a series of passes with Dermot Coyle, who fired the ball home from close range. Bishop curled a free over from a difficult angle after a foul on Kevin Atkinson, but McArdle quickly replied with a well-taken point for Tyholland, following good approach play by Cyril Ronaghan and Treanor.
Gary Boyd and Atkinson combined to set up Brennan for a point, before Bishop linked up with Carragher to kick a fine score and reduce the gap to two. Cremartin finished the half the way they had started it, with Brennan taking a pass from Johnny McGuigan and sending a low shot into the bottom corner, giving the Shamrocks a 2-6 to 1-8 interval lead.
Bishop got on the end of a Carragher pass to double Cremartin’s lead after the restart with a well-finished right-footed effort and he quickly added a point from a 25-metre free, following a foul on Brennan.
Lavelle once again denied Tyholland when he reacted quickly to Peadar Farrelly’s fisted effort after a long-range point-attempt by McKenna had rebounded off the crossbar, but Farrelly did get a nice point back for Tyholland after taking a pass from Raymond Ronaghan. Bishop and Treanor swapped points from frees, after fouls on Boyd and Coyle respectively, before Farrelly stuck over a couple of excellent points – one with either foot – to bring Tyholland level. The north-Monaghan men then struck for the game’s key score on 43 minutes when Gary McQuaid played a one-two with Coyle and raced through to set up Raymond Ronaghan for their second goal.
Carragher kept Cremartin in touch by kicking a left-footed point from play and winning and scoring a 35-metre free, but Tyholland regained their two-point lead when Stephen Connolly punched the ball just over the bar at the end of a move involving Coyle and sub Karl Mooney. That proved to be enough to send Tyholland through to the last four, while Cremartin head for the qualifiers.
Tyholland: P Hamill; S Connolly (0-1), G Ronaghan, P Coyle; R McNally, G McQuaid, M McQuaid; B McArdle (0-1), C Ronaghan; R McKenna (0-1), P Farrelly (0-3), S Treanor (0-2f); D Coyle (1-4, 0-1f), R Ronaghan (Capt., 1-0), A Askin (0-1).
Subs: Daniel Connolly for McKenna (45 mins), K Mooney for Askin (52).
Cremartin: D Lavelle; F Mulligan, N Flanagan, C Mulligan; P McGuigan, D Farrell, K Atkinson; M Magee, G Boyd (Capt.); C Farrell, J McGuigan, D Mulligan; K Brennan (2-1), D Bishop (0-6, 3f), B Carragher (0-4, 3f).
Subs: S Buckley for D Mulligan (17 mins), S Burke for C Farrell (20), R McVicar for F Mulligan (55).
Referee: D Lynch (Killeevan).
By michael Sat 18th Aug
