Trócaire Down Intermediate Football Championship final:
An Ríocht 0-8 Loughinisland 3-11
DAN GORDON played a massive role as his Loughinisland side emphatically defeated An Ríocht in the Trócaire Down Intermediate Championship at Páirc Esler last Sunday.
The former county star and 'Island skipper, who was a far and away man-of-the-match, pointed three times in the opening half and his presence in both defence and attack boosted his team and struck fear into the hearts of the Kilkeel side.
Jerome Johnstone’s Loughinisland led by 1-8 to 0-5 at the break and, in the second half, the 'Island’s dominance continued and they ran out comfortable 3-11 to 0-8 victors. Ross Carr’s An Ríocht, however, never threw in the towel, but such was the 'Island’s mastery that Down man Marty Clarke was starved of the ball, although he did point three times.
The first of the 'Island goals came on 25 minutes when Aaron McClements played in John McCarthy, who fired past ex-county keeper Brendan McVeigh. And on 39 minutes, John McCarthy netted a second after a Michael Brannigan pass. With one minute of normal time left, Conor Megoran ran onto a Patrick McKenny pass to fist into the net and rubber-stamp Loughinisland’s first Intermediate success since 1958.
Morgan Fuels Down Minor Football Championship final: Newry Shamrocks 1-6 Rostrevor 1-11
ROSTREVOR claimed the Down Minor Championship when they defeated a hard-working Newry Shamrocks side at Páirc Esler last Sunday afternoon.
The mighty Reds were worthy winners, but the Newry side edged a low-scoring contest at the break with a 1-2 to 0-4 margin. The high point of the first half was a classy Jody McGovern goal on 26 minutes. Shamrocks' best player won a high ball from skipper Mark Harte before racing clear and thundering a blistering drive into the roof of the net.
But Rostrevor were always simmering underneath and, in the second half, with big midfielders Arghal McMahon and James Rice on song, their class emerged and, in the end, they won with quite a bit to spare. The turning point came on 47 minutes when substitute Ryan Caulfield snapped up a fine opportunist goal with his first kick after Blaine McGrath and Christopher Killen had done the spadework.
Shamrocks' misery was complete in injury-time when referee Darren O’Hare first black-carded and then red-carded Jody McGovern.
Rostrevor fittingly celebrated their second win in three years after Down chairman Seán Rooney and Jamie Curran presented the Collie Curran Cup to their skipper Conall Gordon.
MATCH STATS
An Ríocht: B McVeigh, J O’Rourke, L McVeigh, M Clarke, C Doyle, P Sherry, S Clarke, R Cunningham (0-1), D O’Reilly, D Doyle, D Morgan, C Cole, C Killen (0-1), N McArdle (0-3), M Clarke (0-3); Subs: P Allen for P Sherry (22), D Sherry for Cole (35), P Murney for Morgan (46), J Cunningham for L McVeigh (49).
Loughinisland: K Gordon, P Digney, P Megoran, R Nixon, D McLoughlin, J Flynn, M Doran, D O’Toole, D Gordon (0-3), M Brannigan (0-1), R Mason (0-2), A McClements (0-1), S Mason (0-2), C Magoran (1-2), J McCarthy (2-0); Subs: P McKenny for Flynn (35), C O’Reilly for Brannigan (38), S O’Hare for S Mason (50), R Stranney for R Mason (53), C O’Toole for M Doran (54), M O’Rourke for C Killen (55), D McClements for A McClements (56).
Newry Shamrocks: J Heaney, D Murphy, O McCaffrey, D McManus, C Hughes, M Harte, S Harper, G Fox, J Mallon, B Tumilty, C McKeown, J Doherty, J McGovern (1-3), J Murphy (0-1), J Durnin; Subs: J O’Doherty for McKeown (14), L Rafferty (0-1) for Doherty (27), S Hanna (0-1) for Tumilty (ht), D Power for Murphy (49).
Rostrevor: A Magee, C Killen (0-1), J Donaghy, M Doyle, C Gordon (0-2), N Murray, C McGrath, J Rice, A McMahon (0-3), C Owens (0-3), J Morgan (0-1), B McGrath, A Fearon (0-1), P Magee, F Murphy; Subs: R Caulfield (1-0) for Rice (39).
