Universal Graphics Junior Football Championship Preliminary Round
Seán McDermotts 3-14 Toome 0-13 24/5/13
Seán McDermotts eased through this JFC preliminary-round match in Drumhowan on Friday evening. Goals by Derek McMahon, Damien Larkin and Patrick Kieran were the key scores as the Threemilehouse men secured a first-round place with minimum fuss. All three goal-scorers were to the fore for the Seáns along with Brian McQuaid and Noel Rice, while Gavin Flanagan and Stephen McCooey led Toome’s challenge.
The Seáns got going with a brace of points by Patrick Kieran, another effort from play by Noel Rice and a free by Derek McMahon. Gavin Flanagan won and scored a 13-metre free to get Toome off the mark, but the Seáns then struck for their first goal when good work by Conor McElroy and Damien Larkin set up McMahon to fire home. Brian McQuaid added a fine point from play and Rice curled over a great score with the outside of his boot, before a short free by McMahon set up James Treanor to kick a nice point on the turn.
Larkin added a point from a free and although Flanagan finally got Toome’s first score from play on 25 minutes, the Seáns quickly responded through Danny McNally at the end of a move involving Rice and McQuaid. Liam McCooey tapped over a close-range free for a foul on Gary Wilson, but Toome still trailed by 1-9 to 0-3 at half-time.
Toome made a better start to the second half, as Flanagan converted a 20-metre free for a foul on Stephen McCooey, who then linked up with Gary Wilson to kick a point. Larkin responded after a one-two with Kieran, who added a point of his own after Stephen McCooey had punched a Flanagan free over the bar. Frees by Flanagan and Liam McCooey, after fouls on Cormac Quinn and Gary Wilson, closed the gap and Wilson then released substitute Nathan Adair for a point.
Larkin and Flanagan swapped points from frees after fouls on Treanor and Wilson, before the Seáns put the game out of reach when Larkin won a long free from Mark Keogh and danced around the Toome defence to fire to the net. Toome got a point back from a 13-metre free by Liam McCooey, after a foul on Adair, but disaster struck for them when goalkeeper Stephen Murphy gave the ball away to Larkin, who laid it off for Kieran to hit the empty net. Quinn kicked what proved to be Toome’s last point, but Larkin hit a quick brace, both after long frees by Keogh, to seal victory for Seán McDermotts.
Seán McDermotts: M Cleere; J McElvaney, E Clerkin, E McElvaney; C McElroy, P Farrell, B McQuaid (0-1); M Keogh, J McAleer; D McNally (0-1), N Rice (0-2), P Kieran (1-3); J Treanor (0-1), D McMahon (1-1, 0-1f), D Larkin (1-5, 0-2f).
Subs: E McQuillan for McAleer (46 mins), S Larkin for Treanor (59), D Keely for McMahon (60).
Toome: S Murphy; M O’Reilly, J Murphy, G Connolly; D Conlon, F Quinn, PJ Kelly; C Quinn (0-1), S McCooey (0-2); D Wilson, C Wilson, R Fee; G Wilson, G Flanagan (0-5, 4f), L McCooey (0-3f).
Subs: N Adair (0-1) for Conlon (20), S McMahon (0-1) for Fee (H-T).
Referee: M McGinn (Aughnamullen).
By cshalvey Fri 24th May
