Down Morgan Fuels Senior Club Championship – round two
Burren 1-17 Carryduff 0-11
An impressive Paudie Poland kicked 1-4 to steer Burren past Carryduff and join Mayobridge, Kilcoo and Warrenpoint in the Down Senior Club Championship quarter-finals.
Played in Castlewellan on Saturday evening, the early signs were that this was going be a walk in the park for Burren, as five points in as many minutes from Conaill McGovern, Cathal Foy, David McEntee, Ronan McGrath and Poland was a warning that Paddy O’Rourke’s men meant business.
But Carryduff quickly stopped the rot and in fact replied with three points in as many minutes, started by Owen McCabe’s high fetch at the end of the square and point. John Henry and Donal McKeever chipped over the bar and a mobile Carryduff had held Burren scoreless for 12 minutes when Ronan Lawlor’s converted free closed the gap to a point.
Down U20 star McCabe has a spectacular leap and he beat Burren full-back Kevin McKernan to every high ball, but Carryduff didn’t push enough men forward to support and the young attacker was easily bottled up by the St Mary’s defence.
Burren then went on another rally of four points in five minutes with McEntee, McGrath, Conaill McGovern and Foy all on target. McKeever’s reply kept Carryduff in touch but Liam Kerr’s fisted point doubled Burren’s lead and then the lively Poland bagged the only goal of the game, with the last kick of the half, to give Burren a 1-10 to 0-05 lead at the break.
Carryduff’s Henry, Sean McGoingle, Daniel Guinness and McFlynn traded points with the exciting Liam Kerr and the quick Poland, scoring with both feet, for Burren. The St Mary’s side were on the back foot for periods but with Shay McArdle, Conaill McGovern, Shea Fitzpatrick and McGrath pushing the pace and Poland on fire up top, they had another gear to move up should they have needed too and they finished comfortable winners.
Division Two side Carryduff go into the Round Three pot, where they will give any of the remaining seven teams a game later this week.
Burren, who will be without Donal O’Hare for the rest of the campaign, are finding their stride at the right time and at this stage seem the team best equipped to challenge defending champions Kilcoo.
Burren scorers: P Poland (1-4), L Kerr (0-4), C Foy (0-3), C McGovern (0-2), D McEntee (0-2), R McGrath (0-2).
Carryduff scorers: J McFlynn (0-3, 0-2 frees), J Henry (0-2), D McKeever (0-2), D Guinness (0-1), R Lawlor (0-1, 0-1f), O McCabe (0-1), S McGoingle (0-1).
Down Morgan Fuels Senior Club Championship – round two
CPN 1-16 Glenn 1-12 (after extra-time)
Cumman Pheadair Naofa required extra-time to shake off a dogged Glenn to book their place in the Down Senior Club Championship quarter-finals.
The Seaside town side should have been home and hosed in normal time but in the dying seconds they gave away a silly free from 21-metres out and somehow Mattie Bagnall’s free-kick bounced over five defenders and the Point keeper to land in the net for a bizarre equalising goal and send the game to extra-time (0-12 to 1-09).
And it was only on the stroke of half-time of extra-time that Ryan Magee squeezed in a cracking goal to give CPN a healthy 1-15 to 1-10 lead, which was too big a gap for Glenn to plug.
Played in Mayobridge on Saturday, it was a congested and cagey affair for most of the afternoon. Glenn took a 0-3 to 0-1 lead, thanks to points from Shay and Ronan Millar and the speedy Jack McCartan and while Ronan tagged on another two points, the sides were all square at 0-5 each at half-time as John Boyle, Ryan Mallon (2), Gary McMahon (free) and Ross McGarry (free) replied for Warrenpoint.
Again there was little sign of any team cutting lose and running away with the win as Jack McCartan and Jarlath McConaghy nosed Glenn in front but points from McGarry, Mallon and Niall Trainor gave CPN the advantage. But for the fifth time the sides were level as Millar converted a free.
It was a compelling yet a frustrating watch as neither side seemed intent on breaking rank and going for the jugular.
However, Ryan Magee and Ross McGarry chipped in with points and Ryan Mallon’s fisted point on 58 minutes seemed to have been enough to see CPN through.
But Bagnall’s last gasp comical goal sent the game into extra-time where substitute Alan Davidson, midfielder Jamie Grant chipped in with points and Ryan Magee’s 70th minute goal set Warrenpoint on their way.
Glenn pushed for goals but Point keeper Gary McMahon was comfortable under the high ball and points from Ronan Millar and Bagnall didn’t concern Warrenpoint.
It wasn’t’ a performance that would worry the next opponents of either team but for Warrenpoint all that matters is their place in the quarter-finals, whereas Glenn are back in action later this week in Round Three of the Down Senior Club Championship.
Glenn scorers: R Millar (0-7, 0-6 frees), M Bagnall (1-1, 1-0 free), J McCartan (0-2), S Millar (0-1), J McConaghy (0-1).
CPN scorers: R Magee (1-2), R Mallon (0-3), R McGarry (0-3, 3f), A Davidson (0-2), G McMahon (0-2, 0-2 free), J Boyle (0-1), AJ Magee (0-1), N Trainor (0-1) J Grant (0-1).
Ambrose and Dan back in Pairc Esler
It is last chance saloon for the teams in tonight’s (Monday) Down Senior Club Championship second round games.
The all Division Two clash between Longstone and Loughinisland takes place in Newry’s Pairc Esler with a late throw in at 8.30pm.
The Blues are expected to navigate their way past the Stone and if the reach the standards they did in Monday night’s defeat to Burren they should have enough, especially if the sharp shooter Rory Mason is on form.
But Longstone are a battle-hardened Championship side and the big Newry pitch may suit players such as Mark and Conor Poland. It will also be an opportunity to see former Down stars Dan Gordon of Loughinsiland and Longstone’s Ambrose Rogers back in action at Pairc Esler.
The other game between Rostrevor and Byransford has the slightly earlier throw in time of 8.15pm in Ballymartin.
Rostrevor reached the Ulster Intermediate Final last season, but the step up to the Senior competition has been made tougher with the loss of key defender John Connolly, who is playing football in San Francisco. Byransford will be favourites to progress with Danny Savage , Timmy Hanna and Jarlath Brannagan possessing too much craft up front.
Rostrevor will need Down’s Caolan Mooney to try and cut through the Byransford defence with his burst of pace, while Conor Doyle and Piaras Kane need to improve on their shooting from last week’s derby defeat to Warrenpoint.
Anything other than a Bryansford win would be a surprise but the underdog tag will sit comfortably with Rostrevor.
