Aghaloo squeeze past Sarsfields

ACL DIVISION THREE ROUND-UP

Drumragh 1-12 Aghaloo 1-13

THE rainy night sky above Clanabogan may have been losing light on Friday evening but the sheer effort from both these teams never dimmed as Aghaloo staged a late fight back to shade the verdict.

The hosts Sarsfields took to the field seeking an eighth win in nine outings, their only previous reversal coming narrowly at the hands of joint table toppers Cookstown. Aghaloo started play on Friday with 12 points from five wins and two draws in their eight fixtures thus far.

Drumragh did have their chances to grasp victory but Aghaloo weathered the storm and they landed some decisive scores in the closing phases of play. The home team were three points ahead at one stage of the second half but Aghaloo keeper Neil McKenna and his defence produced some fine saves to deny Drumragh.

Aghaloo looked under the cushion as the second half unfolded but they held Drumragh at bay when the home side had a few goal opportunities. The visiting side displayed plenty of resilience to unearth an extra gear in attack at the business end and turn this tie on its head. The O’Neill’s still have some players to come back into the team and will be boosted by the manner of their performance.

Close call for Fr Rocks

Cookstown 1-12 Clann na nGael 1-10

COOKSTOWN were aiming to continue their unbeaten run as Clann na nGael made the trip to Paddy Cullen Park but the visitors had the Fr Rocks clinging on to a narrow advantage by the finish of proceedings.

The Fr Rocks faced into round ten joint top with Fintona after nine victories before the holidays. Clann na nGael have found points tougher to source but the North Tyrone team were not beaten by much in games. This represented a tough assignment for the away side but they responded to the task admirably.

Two points divided the teams both over half-time and at full-time, Cookstown leading 1-3 to 0-4 at midway after Michael McElhatton struck for a goal. McElhatton tagged on three points overall and Matthew Carberry sent over six scores in total. Shea Browne landed four points for Clann na nGael and Gareth McDermott got three, with their goal supplied by Joe Ball.

Pearses keep up gallop

Fintona 1-15 Donaghmore III 0-3

FINTONA went in search of league win number ten as Donaghmore III visited on Saturday and the Pearses delivered with a comfortable home success over the St Patrick’s.

The St Patrick’s have been battling gamely without any luck thus far on the league points front and they again tried hard in this tie. The guests were unable to match scoreboard strides with the hosts and they had to chase the game as a consequence. It was 1-9 to 0-2 over the interval and score of the first half came from Marius Monaghan who stormed upfield to net a fine goal.

Chances were few and far between for the St Patrick’s but they did find the target on three occasions. Fintona remained in control as Conor McGillion finished on nine points between play and placed efforts. Odhran Hughes and Cormac Watson both contributed 0-2, with Peter McGlynn(free) and a long-range score from Tommy McGrath completing the home account.

Tones edge excellent contest

Drumquin 3-11 Augher 3-10

THE Tones welcomed the St Macartan’s to a rainy McGirr Park but the inclement weather did not prevent a decent game of football from unfolding as Drumquin claimed a minimum margin victory.

Both teams began play well positioned table wise and the hunger for more league points was in clear evidence from the throw-in. Augher did best in the opening 30 minutes and showed ahead at 2-5 to 1-6. Darragh Kavanagh led the St Macartan scores overall on two goals and three points as Aidan McElroy, Eoghan Keenan and company joined in.

It was a night for small margins deciding the destination of the league points, with significant contributions to Drumquin’s cause made by Sean McDonagh and Oisin Gormley. McDonagh drove home two goals and tagged on a point plus Gormley guided over seven points for the Tones. Frankie McAlynn got a goal and two points as Niall McAlynn claimed one point.

Goals point Glenelly to victory

Glenelly 4-6 Eskra 1-13

TWO goals in each half gave Glenelly enough scoreboard leverage to chalk up a victory over Eskra at the St Joseph’s base on Friday evening.

The host St Joseph’s and the visiting Emmets served up an entertaining tussle as the two teams relished getting back to action following a two-week break in play. Eskra held sway in terms of points registered but the telling stat featured those four goals to one netted in favour of the St Joseph’s.

Garrett O’Neill bagged two first half goals in fairly quick succession as the St Joseph’s showed ahead at the break by 2-2 to 0-7. Joe McCarroll landed 0-3 for Eskra in the first 30 minutes and Mickey Woods scored a 20^th minute goal. Cathal Meegan contributed three second half points on Eskra’s behalf but Conor McAneney converted a few frees as Ronan O’Kane netted and Garrett O’Neill completed his hat-trick with a late major.

Away victory for Errigal III

Brocagh 0-7 Errigal Ciaran III 0-12

THE Emmets and Errigal Ciaran III encountered each other on a rainy loughshore as both sides strove to hit the ground running in the round ten exchanges,

Saturday’s match paired two teams separated by just a point in the league standings beforehand with Errigal Ciaran on six and Brocagh holding five. The first half exchanges reflected that closeness in league placings as Errigal edged into a 0-6 to 0-4 advantage by the midway juncture.

Brocagh began the second 30 minutes keen to wrestle back the lead but scoring was tough enough in the wet conditions. Brocagh claimed three second half points but Errigal fared better with six on their way to a five-point winning margin. Errigal, who drew with Augher in their previous game after Daniel Blake led the scoring returns, secured both points this time around. Brandon McKiver (0-3), Mickey Hughes (0-2) and Justin Campbell (0-2) scores comprised the home tally of 0-7.

First point for St Eugene’s

Castlederg 3-4 Derrytresk 0-13

ST EUGENE’S set out to try and secure their first points of the league season as Derrytresk came to call and a share of the honours gave each team something to build on going forward.

The first half of the league programme proved a frustrating time for the youthful St Eugene’s squad but there were more promising signs in performance terms as the fixtures unfolded. They are now on the board with a point and there is still plenty to play for over the next couple of months. Derrytresk had picked up two wins from their eight games played and added one more.

Niall Gavin got seven points for the Fir an nChoic and Pat Campbell also sent over a few tidy points as well. Cain Harper was the go-to man for Castlederg as he found the net three times, the late hat-trick clincher gaining that welcome opening league point in the process.

Third win for St Columba’s

Urney 2-12 Killyman 0-7

URNEY and Killyman met at the St Columba’s base on a wet evening as the St Columba’s secured their third league win of proceedings thus far.

The guest St Mary’s started here holding two league points and the St Columba’s had four in the locker from the first half pre the July holiday interlude. Killyman again battled gamely over the hour on this occasion but Urney utilised their opportunities pretty effectively to build up a decent advantage as play progressed.

Johnny Lafferty was on target with eight points on the evening for Urney and Ryan Henry matched that in total terms since Henry rattled home two goals plus two points for the St Columba’s. Both Ryan Henry efforts arrived in a first half that ended with his team leading 2-6 to 0-4. Enda McGahan (0-3) and Ronan McVeigh (0-2) provided the greater percentage of scores for the St Mary’s.