Aghyaran take care of the Tatts

Aghyaran 2-10  Tattyreagh 0-9

RELIEVED Aghyaran registered an all too rare Championship victory at the expense of Tattyreagh on Friday night in Omagh, goals in either half from Ronan McHugh (penalty) and Ethan McHugh opening significant daylight on the scoreboard to see them home.

Prolonged progress in the Intermediate Championship has eluded St Davog’s for way too long at this stage so while league standings along suggested that they would have too much for the struggling Tatts, they will be content to have left O’Neill’s Healy Park with a workmanlike victory in the bag.

Thomas Devlin, Ronan McNamee, Brendan Gallen and Ronan McHugh all weighed in with effective showings for the winners, while Eoighain Murray, Colin Mimnagh and Johnny Harkin plugged away manfully for the St Patrick’s, but for them it is all about Intermediate football survival now through the precarious play-offs.

Tattyreagh endured a nightmare start, conceding a penalty goal on just five minutes after McNamee was sent sprawling as he made inroads into the square. Ronan McHugh cooly slotted away the resultant kick.

In the main though there was a muted opening to proceedings, though it took a superbly timed tackle by the backtracking Mimnagh to deny Eoghan McHugh getting in another shot at goal for Aghyaran around the quarter hour mark. All the Tatts had to show for their attacking endeavours in the first 20 minutes was a brace of Johnny Harkin frees, but even when the new floodlights instantly kicked in, the match struggled to flicker to life.

Gallen showed a rare moment of class when curling over a beauty on his left peg, while it took a fine save from Tatts keeper Niall Keyes to divert aside Eoghan’s McHugh’s fierce close range shot after his brother Ronan set him clear. Ronan McHugh landed the resultant ’45’ as well as a free soon after as he side eased out in front 1-3 to 0-2.

Tattyreagh though began to find their mojo in the run up to the interval, as half-forwards Keelan McDonagh and Callum Leonard were both given time to split the posts with some aplomb. In between, Gallen found the range at the other end from a narrow angle as his side went in leading 1-4 to 0-5.

The Tatts fate was effectively sealed in the third quarter as they were held scoreless, while Aghyaran recorded a goal and three points.

After Ronan McHugh had knocked over a ’45’ the key score was the second goal in the 40th minute.

A well crafted one it was too with Eoghan McHugh teeing up Ethan McHugh running at full pelt to caress a shot high to Keyes’ right into the net.

It took a fine reaction stop from St Davog’s netminder Niall Hilley to stop Tatts sub Ciaran McCrory fisting home a goal with his first touch, but with Ronan McHugh converting another free, and Ronan McNamee fisting over, Aghyaran were moving out of sight.

Ronan McHugh and Harkin then swapped frees, but there was no way back for Tattyreagh who also lost the services of Murray to a second booking. An excellent score from Ronan McHugh late on copperfastened Aghyaran’s progress to the last eight.