Gormley uPVC Senior Football Championship
Latton 0-14 Currin 1-9 2/9/12
Latton kept their defence of the Senior Football Championship title on track after surviving a scare against Currin in Aughnamullen on Sunday. Currin put it up to the county champions in the first half, helped by an early goal by Stephen Smyth, but Latton’s experience eventually told, as they took control in midfield after the restart. Latton had six wides in the second half, as well as a Hugh McElroy penalty which was well saved by Currin goalkeeper Fergal Connolly, but they did enough to edge through to a last-four meeting with neighbours Ballybay. Owen Lennon, McElroy, Aidan Farmer, Edmund Lennon, Owen Duffy and Shane and Owen Coyle were on form for Latton, while Smyth, Ciarán McCaffrey and Jack McCarron led the way for Currin.
Latton were first off the mark with a point from Owen Duffy, but Currin took the lead on five minutes when a quickly-taken free by Jack McCarron set up Stephen Smyth to score what would prove to be the game’s only goal. McCarron added a good point from play before winning a 20-metre free for Smyth to convert and move Currin four clear, but Bernard O’Brien got one back for Latton after Patrick Shannon had knocked a high centre from Aidan Farmer down to Hugh McElroy. McElroy added a point from a 45-metre free after a foul on Owen Duffy and he went close to finding the net when he raced onto an Owen Lennon pass, only to be denied by Currin keeper Fergal Connolly.
Smyth linked up with Philip O’Callaghan to kick a fine point from play for Currin, but Owen Duffy replied with a well-taken left-footed point, before Shane Coyle and Smyth swapped points from 25-metre frees, following fouls on McElroy and Philip O’Callaghan. O’Callaghan added a nice point to restore Currin’s three-point advantage, but Aidan Farmer kicked a big point off the outside of his boot to keep Latton in touch and McElroy added a point after a quickly-taken free by O’Brien to leave just a point between the teams at half-time: Currin 1-5 Latton 0-7.
Just over a minute of the second half was played when an Owen Lennon shot dropped dangerously on the edge of the small square, where Shane Coyle was pushed for a Latton penalty. McElroy’s spot-kick was low and hard towards the corner, but Connolly got down to his left to make a great save. McElroy got on the end of a high ball from Aidan Farmer to land a good point and Owen Lennon quickly tagged on a great score, following a pass from Shane Coyle, to edge Latton ahead.
Smyth replied with a point from play before converting a 30-metre free for a foul on Stephen Beattie to regain the lead for Currin, but McElroy responded with a similar effort after a foul on Shane Coyle and a huge point from distance by Owen Lennon gave Latton a lead which they held from there to the finish. McElroy converted another 30-metre free for a foul on Shane Coyle to double Latton’s lead, before Coyle hit a point from play at the end of a move involving Kieran Duffy and O’Brien.
A brace of frees by McCarron, after fouls on Kieran Kearns and Philip O’Callaghan, made it a one-point game with two minutes remaining, but O’Brien restored the two-point gap after McElroy had caught a long pass from Farmer. Latton will now take on Ballybay in the semi-finals for the second year in a row, while Currin will need to reproduce this sort of form if they are to make an unlikely escape from the relegation trap-door.
Latton: S Farmer; J Kingston, E Lennon, O Coyle; S Fitzpatrick, K Duffy, P Fitzpatrick; O Lennon (Capt., 0-2), A Farmer (0-1); P Shannon, O Duffy (0-2), T Connolly; S Coyle (0-2, 1f), H McElroy (0-5, 3f), B O’Brien (0-2).
Sub: S McElroy for Shannon (40 mins).
Currin: F Connolly; E McCaffrey, Conor McCaffrey, S Brady; Ciarán McCaffrey (Capt.), B Clerkin, G O’Callaghan; D Clerkin, F O’Callaghan; S Beattie, S Smyth (1-5, 0-3f), M Quigley; K Kearns, J McCarron (0-3, 2f), P O’Callaghan (0-1).
Subs: G Beattie for B Clerkin (52), E Morrow for Kearns (59).
Referee: J McAndrew (Ballybay).
By michael Mon 3rd Sep
