McGuigan Builders Intermediate Football Championship Round 2B
Tyholland 3-7 Inniskeen 0-15 14/9/13
Tyholland had to dig deep to edge out Inniskeen and stay in the IFC after an entertaining game under lights in Emyvale on Saturday evening. Inniskeen were the better team in the first half, but Dermot Coyle’s penalty before the break gave Tyholland a lifeline and early second-half goals by Shane Hughes and Paul McCormack turned the game in their favour. McCormack, Hughes, Karl O’Connell, Gary McQuaid and Brian McArdle were prominent for Tyholland, while Inniskeen’s Paul, Ronan and Dónal Meegan and Matthew McKenna were unlucky to be on the losing side.
It took just 15 seconds for Inniskeen to open the scoring through Matthew McKenna, but Peadar Farrelly got Tyholland up and running after a trademark Karl O’Connell run, while Paul McCormack turned a Raymond Ronaghan shot onto the post in the fourth minute. McKenna hit his second point at the end of a counter-attack started by Séamus Loftus, before Paul Meegan landed his first score of the evening and although Paul Askin replied from a 40-metre free after a foul on Karl O’Connell, a foul on Fergal Duffy allowed Meegan to double his tally from a close-range free.
Ronan Meegan added a point after Duffy had caught a high ball in by Gerard McArdle and he then turned provider when he won a long ball from Matthew McKenna and laid it off for Paul Meegan to split the posts in style. McKenna linked up with Dónal Meegan to add a fine score and the latter then converted a 25-metre free for a foul on Ronan Meegan, before Brian McArdle got a much-needed point for Tyholland at the end of a move involving O’Connell and Dermot Coyle.
Ryan McKenna was then off-target from a scoreable free and Inniskeen moved further clear when Dónal Meegan tapped over a 13-metre free for a foul on Ronan Meegan, but O’Connell linked up with McCormack to keep Tyholland in touch and the former Armagh player then won a penalty, which Dermot Coyle tucked away to close the gap to two. Dónal Meegan responded from another close-in free after a foul on McKenna and Paul Meegan tagged on a point to leave Inniskeen ahead by 0-11 to 1-4 at half-time.
Tyholland made a great start to the second half, as another O’Connell run set up Gary McQuaid to swing over a good point, before a high ball by Peadar Farrelly fell for Shane Hughes to fire home their second goal. Ronan Meegan got a point back after a surging run by Matthew McKenna and Paul Meegan curled over a fine score after a poor sideline by Ronan McNally went straight to Colm Meegan, but Tyholland edged ahead for the first time on 40 minutes when Coyle released Hughes and even though his shot hit the post, McCormack was on hand to net the rebound.
Paul Meegan brought Inniskeen level from a 20-metre free after a foul on Ronan Meegan, but Raymond Ronaghan replied from a similar effort, following a foul on McCormack. Ronaghan and Paul Meegan swapped points from frees, both after players had touched the ball on the ground, and that was that on the scoreboard, as Tyholland held on to advance to Round 3B, where they will play Cremartin.
Tyholland: P Myers; S Connolly, G Ronaghan, P Coyle; G McQuaid (0-1), R McNally (Capt.), T Connolly; S Hughes (1-0), B McArdle (0-1); R Ronaghan (0-2f), K O’Connell (0-1), P Farrelly (0-1); P Askin (0-1f), P McCormack (1-0), D Coyle (1-0, pen).
Subs: R McKenna for Askin (inj., 22 mins), P Askin for T Connolly (43), J McQuaid for McKenna (54).
Inniskeen: P Dowdall; S Callan, F McArdle, S Loftus; A Ryan, A Keenan, E McArdle; G McArdle, M McKenna (0-3); D Meegan (0-3f), M Lennon, C Meegan; P Meegan (Capt., 0-7, 3f), F Duffy, R Meegan (0-2).
Subs: M Fitzpatrick for Lennon (47), S Woods for E McArdle (54).
Referee: D Hurson (Drumhowan).
By cshalvey Thu 19th Sep
