Conway’s class helps Moy down Naomh Eoghan

Naomh Eoghan 0-12  Moy 1-13

A classy attacking display from sharpshooter Michael Conroy fired Moy through to the quarter-finals of the Intermdiate Championship at sunny Loughmacrory on Saturday afternoon, despite a spirited showing from Naomh Eoghan.

Conroy hoisted over seven scores (all bar one from open play), several coming at key junctures in the contest when their opponents were theatening a comeback.

Eoin Devine’s display up front for Naomh Eoghan can’t be sniffed at either (three from play and three frees), while Damien Coyle, Kevin Gallagher and Michael Corless also produced stouthearted efforts for them, but no doubt Conroy’s input made all the difference.

After an early Devine free, Conroy then helped set up Moy’s third minute goal, his booming delivery from deep being touched home by captain Declan Conroy lurking on the edge of the Naomh Eoghan square.

Despite this exciting start, the first half never really caught fire in the suffocating heat, both sides probing for openings.

Conal McConomy and Devine did plant thunderous long range efforts between the Moy sticks but for the last 22 minutes of the period Naomh Eoghan were held scoreless.

The Tir na Nogs, who came into the match struggling for form, looked below par again, but in Conroy they held the ace card and he swung over two fantastic scores, before midfielder Matthew Laverty did likewise.

A close range Sean Cananagh free proved to be the final score of the half, though Naomh Eoghan did pass up a decent goal chance before the interval, when defender Eoin Bradley fired off target, after Eamonn McGovern’s free cannoned back into play off the upright. (Half-time Naomh Eoghan 0-3 Moy 1-4)

Conroy picked up where he left off within fifteen seconds of the restart with another sublime strike, and while Devine (free) and Gallagher responded at the other end, it always felt that Moy were just about holding their opponents at arms length.

Conroy again (free) and Diarmuid McKeown put five between the sides, but to their huge credit Naomh Eoghan kept perservering.

Half back Damien Coyle fisted over, while fellow defender Piaras McSorley also ventured up field to convert and Devine sent over a rocket.

Inspite of Conroy flashing a goal chance wide (his only blemish on the afternoon) scores from Ryan Coleman and Canavan (free) seemed to switch momentum back in Moy’s favour.

However another three point spurt by Naomh Eoghan, two from Devine and Corless with the other, had the north Tyrone boys dreaming again of the upset.

But Moy and in particular Conroy were not going to be denied and a hat-trick of devestating scores on the counter-attack by him put his side into the last eight.

The Scorers

Naomh Eoghan

Eoin Devine (0-6,3f), Piaras McSorley, Damien Coyle, Michael Corless, Kevin Gallagher, Conal McConomy (0-1 each), Conor Langan (0-1,f)

Moy

Michael Conroy (0-7,1f), Declan Conroy (1-0), Sean Cavanagh (0-2,2f), Diarmuid McKeown, Matthew Laverty, Ryan Coleman, Ryan McAlary (0-1 each)