Gormley uPVC Senior Football Championship
Castleblayney 1-8 Scotstown 1-6 1/9/12
Castleblayney battled into the SFC semi-finals with a narrow win over Scotstown in Clontibret on Saturday. The teams were level six times in a low-scoring game, but Blayney did enough to get over the line and get one over their old rivals, who were unable to replicate the form that saw them ease past Magheracloone and Carrickmacross in their previous two games. Scotstown were lucky to be on level terms at half-time and they looked to be well-placed when Shane Carey punched to the net at the end of the third quarter, but Blayney hit back through Ryan Treacy within a minute and although Scotstown drew level, points by goalkeeper Pauric McNally and substitute Jerry Brady decided the result. Dermot Malone, Cormac Brady, Kealan Duffy, Conor Gurn and Mark Treanor led the way for Blayney, while Carey, Mark Duffy and Donal Morgan were best for Scotstown, who lost James Turley to a facial injury midway through the first half.
Scotstown took the lead in the second minute when a patient move ended with Paul Grant setting up Shane Carey to kick a point, but Castleblayney hit back with a brace of 30-metre frees by Mark Hanratty, after fouls on Martin McElroy and Dermot Malone, who had a shot at goal saved by Scotstown keeper Rory Beggan in the eighth minute. The next 15 minutes were very scrappy, with Blayney missing a number of chances, including a pair of ‘45s by goalkeeper Pauric McNally. Kieran Hughes ended 20 scoreless minutes for Scotstown when he tapped over a 13-metre free after Liam McElroy had been penalised for over-carrying and Darren Hughes then exchanged passes with Carey to edge last year’s runners-up ahead with a fine left-footed point.
Blayney ended their own 20-minute wait for a score when Ryan Treacy got on the end of a high ball from Malone to hit their first point from play, before Scotstown saw a glorious chance go untaken when Carey and Dermot McCrudden combined to release substitute Damien McArdle, who fired off the crossbar. McCrudden got on the end of a move involving McArdle and Daniel McNally to restore Scotstown’s lead, but Malone landed a good score from out on the right wing to level it up at half-time on a scoreline of 0-4 apiece.
The first five minutes of the second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with both sides struggling for scores – the closest anyone got was when Kieran Hughes raced onto an Orin Heaphey pass, only to blaze the ball wide. Martin McElroy and Kieran Hughes swapped points from 30-metre frees after fouls on Niall Duffy and McArdle respectively, before McElroy got on the end of an attack involving Treacy and Malone to jink past his marker and send over a well-taken point. Scotstown scored the game’s first goal on 45 minutes when Carey sent a clever flick to the net from a Kieran Hughes free, but Blayney’s response was swift and clinical, as Malone took a pass from Niall Duffy and raced through to send the ball across the face of goal for Treacy to slot home his fourth major in three championship matches.
Carey won and scored a 13-metre free to bring Scotstown back on level terms, but Pauric McNally converted a ’45 (at the fourth time of asking) to edge Blayney ahead once again. After a delay for a suspected broken collarbone to Blayney forward Pauric Greene, the Faughs doubled their lead when a patient build-up finished with Damien Hughes releasing sub Jerry Brady to split the posts and that proved to be enough to book their place in the last four.
Castleblayney: P McNally (0-1, ’45); L McElroy, K Duffy, S Lynch; M Treanor, P Mallon (Capt.), D Hughes; C Brady, C Gurn; P Greene, N Duffy, M Hanratty (0-2f); M McElroy (0-2, 1f), R Treacy (1-1), D Malone (0-1).
Subs: C Hanratty for M Hanratty (49 mins), J Brady (0-1) for Greene (inj., 55).
Temporary sub: K Hill for Lynch (60-63).
Scotstown: R Beggan; D Morgan, W Carroll, M Duffy; E Beggan, J Turley, F McPhillips; F Caulfield (Capt.), D Hughes (0-1); S Carey (1-2, 0-1f), P Grant, K Hughes (0-2f); D McNally, O Heaphey, D McCrudden (0-1).
Subs: D McArdle for Turley (inj., 18), E Maguire for Grant (38), B McGinnity for Heaphey (44), P O’Hara for McCrudden (52), S Sherry for McNally (56).
Referee: D Lynch (Killeevan).
By michael Sat 1st Sep
