Mannok Fermanagh SFC semi-final Enniskillen 0-9 Belleek 1-10
ERNE Gaels avenged last year’s final defeat to Enniskillen as they booked their place in this year’s decider with a deserved four-point victory in Kinawley yesterday.
Ultan Kelm’s 54th minute goal proved decisive for the Belleek men, who showed a greater hunger throughout to set up a clash with Derrygonnelly next weekend.
Erne Gaels got off to the perfect start to the game as they raced into a 0-6 to no score lead after 13 minutes.
Ultan Kelm opened up the scoring in the first minute from a free and he tagged on another free soon after to double the Belleek outfit’s advantage.
Odhran Johnston then fired over after Enniskillen had coughed up possession and Ryan Lyons added a point from a long range free.
While Erne Gaels were making the most of their chances, Enniskillen’s shooting was wayward at the other end as they hit four wides in the opening 12 minutes.
Erne Gaels continued to push on as Brian Mullin fired over before Shane Rooney made it 0-6 to 0-0 with 13 minutes on the clock.
Enniskillen finally started to settle into the tie after this and Brandon Horan landed their opening score in the 16th minute, although Mullin
answered straight away to put six in it again. It was Enniskillen, however, who went on to dictate things over the remainder of the half as they hit the next five points.
Ethan Beresford and Conor Love both rattled over two points while Conor Watson landed a fine effort from the right to leave it 0-7 to 0-6 at half-time.
Enniskillen had the chance to take the lead early in the second half as Jack Tierney latched on to the ball close to goal, but his shot was superbly saved by Barry McCann in the Erne Gaels goal.
It took 10 minutes for the first score of the second half to arrive with Ultan Kelm knocking over Erne Gaels’s first point in 24 minutes
before Ultan O’Reilly stretched their lead out to three, 0-9 to 0-6.
A free from distance by goalkeeper Ross Bogue kept Enniskillen in touch, and although they then lost Beresford to a black card a good score from Love closed the gap back to one with eight minutes left.
However, the key score of the game then arrived for Erne Gaels as Kelm powered his way through from the left-hand side before bundling the ball to the back of the net to leave four in it, 1-9 to 0-8.
A Love point left the goal separating the sides in added on time but Michael Óg McGarrigle then came up with the insurance point for Erne Gaels as they finished up 1-10 to 0-9 winners.
Mannok Fermanagh SFC semi-final Derrygonnelly 5-8 Kinawley 3-10
Derrygonnelly sealed their place in the Mannok Fermanagh SFC final as they produced a stunning late fightback to see off Kinawley in Ederney on Saturday.
Dom Corrigan’s Kinawley side appeared to be in firm control as they led 3-1 0 to 2-6 with just over 10 minutes to go, but a Garvan
Jones goal in the 53rd minutes got the Harps’ tails up.
And with momentum now swinging their way, the Harps piled forward and two Gary McKenna goals secured a four-point victory.
Derrygonnelly got off to an ideal start to the game as an early Garvan Jones goal in the fourth minutes helped them into a 1-1 to 0-1 advantage.
It was tit-for-tat, though, over the remainder of the half with Tomás Corrigan providing a cutting edge to the Boru’s attack as he landed five first half points.
Eoghan McManus started and finished a Kinawley move to the net at the end of the half as they went in at the break leading by the
minimum, 1-6 to 1-5.
Derrygonnelly regained the lead inside 30 seconds of the second half as Shane McGullion arrowed to the net, but Kinawley took over after this as they dictated matters around the pitch.
Ciaran Breen and Conor Murphy both found the net for Kinawley, while Tomás Corrigan kicked three frees and a mark to push the Boru’s seven points clear.
However, Corrigan’s 48th minute point was Kinawley’s final score as Derrygonnelly threw everything at Kinawley to get back into the game.
Garvan Jones flicked the ball to the net to close the gap back to three with seven minutes to play and Gary McKenna then palmed to the goal to level matters in the 56th minute.
McKenna then turned over Kinawley goalkeeper Owen Melanaphy to bag a fifth goal for Derrygonnelly before that man Garvan Jones popped over an insurance point deep into added time to send the Harps into the decider where they will face Belleek.
