Connolly’s of Moy Tyrone SFC round one
Ardboe 1-12 Edendork 0-10
ARDBOE produced a strong second-half performance to get the better of Edendork in last night’s Tyrone championship opener.
They performed with a freshness and directness that delighted a loyal band of fans hoping for a big championship performance from their side.
It was the first match played under the new floodlights at O’Neill Park, where a £2m redevelopment scheme has transformed the famous ground.
Mickey O’Neill hit the game’s only goal from a penalty 10 minutes into the second half, and the anticipated Edendork response never materialised.
It was point for point throughout an opening quarter which saw the teams deadlocked at 0-3 each.
David Mulgrew, Shea Quinn and corner-back Conor Devlin were on target for the loughshore men, while Conn Kilpatrick and Darren McCurry replied for the St Malachy’s.
But Ardboe, with the wind in their backs, made a push, with Mickey O’Neill driving from deep and Shay McGuigan probing for openings. They hit four points in a row, Quinn landing another superb score and O’Neill finding the range from distance.
It was Mulgrew who pushed them four clear from a mark, but Edendork finished the half strongly, McCurry landing a point and setting up another for wing-back Fiachra Nelis.
Ardboe led by 0-7 to 0-5 at the interval, and controlled the second half, with McGuigan, O’Neill and Mulgrew all playing influential roles.
McCurry, and Morgan, with a ‘45, were on target for Edendork, but they struggled to penetrate a stubborn defence.
Mulgrew and McGuigan kept the Rossas comfortably in front, and when Mulgrew was fouled, O’Neill drilled the penalty to the net in the 40th minute.
Using possession cleverly, the loughshore men made certain their opponents could find no way back into the game, as they crafted their own scores with accurate passing and support runs.
Ardboe M O’Neill 1-1 (1-0 pen), D Mulgrew 0-3, S McGuigan (2f), S Quinn 0-2 each, O Mulgrew, C Devlin, P Devlin 0-1 each.
Edendork D McCurry 0-6 (2f), N Morgan (’45), D Conway (m), C Kilpatrick, F Nelis 0-1 each
