GREENFIELD FOODS SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP.
Scotstown 1-14, Carrickmacross 2-8.
A more experienced, battle hardened. Scotstown got the defence of their senior football championship title off to a winning start but they had to battle back from being 6 points behind at one stage in the 1st half, to where they took the lead for the 1st time in the 13th minute of the 2nd half.
Carrickmacross had the better of the opening exchanges and led by 1-4 0-2, after just 12 minutes, the goal by Stephen O’Hanlon and Stephen Gollogly rattling over a number of points. Gollogly put Carrickmacross 6 points up in the 25th minute but Scotstown pulled back 2 in quick succession to reduce the margin to 4, and that margin still separated them at the break when Carrickmacross led by 1-6 to 0-5.
The reigning champions were a transformed side at the start of the second-half with Kieran Hughes, Darren Hughes, Shane Carey and Conor McCarthy putting in some hard work and Kieran Hughes crashing in a vital goal as Scotstown took increasing control.
An unanswered 1-7 in the opening 20 minutes of the second-half saw Scotstown open a 6 points lead and while Carrickmacross pulled one back Scotstown tagged on 2 further points to open a 7 points lead entering the final minutes of normal time. Carrickmacross their credit never gave up and they fought back for a goal and a point, the goal by Killian Cromwell in stoppage time to leave 3 points between them at the finish.
Teams and Scorers: Scotstown: R Beggan, P Sherlock 0-2, M Duffy, D McArdle, J McDevitt 0-1, J Turley, E Caulfield, F Caulfield, D Hughes 0-1, J Hamill, D Morgan, J McCarey, C McCarthy 0-3 (1f), K Hughes 1-3, S Carey 0-4 (3f). Subs: R McKenna for J hamill, O Heaphey for J McCarey, M McCarville for F Caulfield, B Boylan for J McDevitt.
Carrickmacross: M McNally, K McMenamin, C Duffy, C Cromwell 1-0, G McEnaney, J Conlon, C Martin, N Loughman, P O’Hanlon, A Lynch 0-1, S Gollogly 0-5 (3f), S O’Hanlon 1-2, Conor McEnaney, Cathal McEnaney, S Downey. Subs: R O’Connor for Conor McEnaney, M Downey for Cathal McEnaney, j McGeown for C Martin. Referee: Ciaran Mulligan (Aghabog) B Grimley (Cremartin).
