Owen Roes end Gortin’s double dreams

Owen Roes 2-9  Gortin 0-14

ON the hottest day of the year Division Two league champions Gortin were served up a cold dose of reality as their hopes of the double were dashed by a pumped-up Owen Roes in the Killyclogher heat.

First half goals from Cathal McShane and Ronan McNulty handed the O’Neills the platform to push on for victory, and while they had to withstand a gutsy rally in the closing stages from their opponents, who hit four points on the spin down the home stretch, the win for the men from Glenmornan was fully merited.

Obviously a player of McShane’s calibre was going to play a significant role if Owen Roes were to pull off the upset, but defensively in particular they were excellent, with the likes of Gerard McShane, Damian McCrossan and captain Stephen Kelly working manfully to hold a potent Gortin attack in check.

Peter Keenan, Ciaran Brolly and Liam Mossey tried their utmost for the St Patrick’s but even as they frantically pressed to salvage the tie in the last quarter, too many concrete scoring opportunities went abegging.

The one downside for Owen Roes was the sight of key midfielder Tony Devine going off clutching his collarbone in the first half, while Gortin themselves also had to withdraw their centre field inspiration Ruairi Keenan because of injury before the interval.

McShane made his intentions clear when he fisted over the opener on twenty seconds, before keeper Ryan McShane then doubled their lead by landing a ’45’. A brace of pointed Mossey frees quickly levelled things up, but it was Owen Roes who then struck for goal in the 12^th minute.

After slotting over a free, McShane was on hand to latch onto Conall McCormack’s release, after a poor Gortin clearance and he shrugged off his marker to fire past keeper Cathal McCullagh.

A wonderful score by Niall McAleer then sandwiched two Gortin points via Sean Og McAleer (‘mark’) and Ruairi Keenan, but the upset really looked on the cards with Owen Roes rippling the net again in the 20^th minute.

Seamus Dooher fed his midfield partner Devine storming through and he squared for Ronan McHugh to steer the ball into the goal at the back post.

Gortin almost found a route back into the contest straightaway but McShane in goals did superbly to turn aside Keenan’s close range piledriver with McAleer splitting the posts with the resultant ’45’. Mossey and McShane then swapped pointed frees before the interval, while McNulty missed out on his second goal, firing off target after being teed up by McCormack. (Half-time Owen Roes 2-5 Gortin 0-6)

There was a greater intensity to the Gortin approach work on the resumption, as Ciaran and Odhran Brolly belted over terrific scores and Mossey popped over a free.

To their credit though Owen Roes maintained their composure and self-belief, with McShane marauding up the middle to tap over, and Mickey Dooher and Conall McCormack finishing slick moves with real authority to leave it 2-8 to 0-9 with ten to play.

That remained the gap as Odhran Brolly and Conor O’Neill traded scores at either end. Despite a fine effort curled over by Mossey (his first from play), Gortin were running out of time as the match ticked into injury time.

Two pointed frees from Mossey let two in it, but it was a goal they craved and a last gasp point from sub Sean McKenna proved academic.

The Scorers

Owen Roes

Cathal McShane (1-4,2f), Ronan McNulty (1-0), Mickey Dooher, Conor O’Neill, Conall McCormack, Niall McAleer (0-1 each), Ryan McShane (0-1 ’45’)

Gortin

Liam Og Mossey (0-7,6f), Odhran Brolly (0-2), Sean Og McAleer (0-2,1m, 1’45’), Ruairi Keenan, Ciaran Brolly, Sean McKenna (0-1 each)