Cookstown see off Glenelly to remain undefeated

Glenelly 2-11   Cookstown 0-25

COOKSTOWN made it three wins from three starts in ACL Division 3A but it was only in the second half at Glenelly on Friday night that they managed to put their determined opponents away.

In the first half Glenelly gave as good as they got in the first half in search of their first points of the campaign with two goals enabling them to lead.

Man of the match Karol Wawrynkiewicz then took central stage with three successful two-point frees inside three minutes to leave the Father Rocks ahead by the minimum margin in the second half.

The scene was set for a close second half but Cookstown landed eight of the first nine second half points to put the game beyond the hosts with Wawrynkiewicz outstanding finishing with a very impressive 0-15 to his name.

Wawrynkiewicz opened the scoring inside 60 seconds but Glenelly were quickly on level terms thanks to Ronan O’Kane. Another Wawrynkiewicz score was followed by a Matthew Carberry two-pointer before O’Kane and Lorcan McMurray exchanged points.

Glenelly then enjoyed their best spell of the game as they got their noses in front. They struck for their first goal in the tenth minute when a long, dangerous ball broke inside the Cookstown box and Aodhan McCullagh reacted first to toe poke it home from close range.

Lorcan McCullagh then converted a free before quickly tagging on a point from play as Glenelly began to ask questions of the promotion favourites. A two-pointer from a placed ball from Wawrynkiewicz kept the visitors in touch but by the 20th minute O’Kane and Barry McConnell had added points for Glenelly.

Nathan Connolly got a much-needed Cookstown point before Glenelly grabbed their second major. Garrett O’Neill sent in a high ball that dropped short but his fellow midfielder got on the end of it ahead of Matthew McCann and keeper Eoghan Donnelly to punch to the net.

Glenelly at that stage held a 2-6 to 0-8 lead but that man Wawrynkiewicz soon helped turn things around. He coolly knocked over three two-point frees in a row to give his side an advantage that they were never to lose and while O’Kane had the final say of the half from a free it was Cookstown who led 0-14 to 2-7 at the short whistle.

Wawrynkiewicz and Lorcan McMurray had the opening two scores of the second half before O’Kane responded from another placed ball.

Things were still very much up for grabs but in the next ten minutes Cookstown took full control as they landed half-a-dozen points without reply. McMurray and Wawrynkiewicz added to their personal hauls with substitute Michael McElhatton kicking three points in as many minutes.

Full forward Barry McConnell stopped the rot for Glenelly in the 54th minute but the issue was beyond doubt at that stage. Wawrynkiewicz scored a two-pointer from play with McMurray on target again and while Barry McConnell had the final say with a free conversion that was worth two points it was only academic at that stage.

Scorers

Glenelly: Ronan O’Kane 0-5 (3F, 1M), Barry McConnell 0-3 (1 x 2ptf), Aodhan McConnell 1-0, Rory Kennedy 1-0, Lorcan McCullagh 0-2 (1F), Eamonn McConnell 0-1.

Cookstown: Karol Wawrynkiewicz 0-15 (4 x 2ptF, 1 x 2pt, 2F), Lorcan McMurray 0-4, Michael McElhatton 0-3 (1F), Matthew Carberry 0-2 (2pt), Nathan Connolly 0-1.

Teams

Glenelly: Stephen McGarvey, Rian Furey, Cormac McKeown, Karl McCormack, Cathal O’Neill, Kevin McConnell, Thomas Coyle, Rory Kennedy, Garrett O’Neill, Sean Harley, Eamonn McConnell, Lorcan McCullagh, Aodhan McConnell, Barry McConnell, Ronan O’Kane. Subs: None used.

Cookstown: Eoghan Donnelly, Darragh McHugh, Matthew McCann, Callan Kelly, Michael Oscar Devlin, Luke Neeson, Conor Donnelly, Yasim Baba, Luke Cullen, Conal Sheehy, Karol Wawrynkiewicz, Nial McMurray, Lorcan McMurray, Matthew Carberry, Nathan Connolly. Subs: Michael McElhatton for Baba, Barry Potter for Niall McMurray, John McIvor for Connolly, Ronan Donnelly for McCann, Keegan Hampsey for Devlin.

Referee: Mickey Kelly, Urney.