Div 2 round-up: Beragh, Castle and Drumragh get off the mark

ACL DIVISION 2 ROUND-UP

Beragh 3-12   Fintona 0-10

FRIDAY night at St Mary’s Park marked a challenging return to intermediate football for Fintona Pearses as they faced a resounding 11-point defeat against Beragh Red Knights.

Fintona’s Peter McGlinn opened the scoring by tipping over an early free, but Beragh quickly took control.
Woods, alongside Oisin Donnelly, Jack Campbell, and Seamus Grant, orchestrated Beragh’s dominance.

Oisin Donnelly and Conor Owens found the target before Craig McSweeney set up Woods for an eighth-minute goal, putting Beragh ahead 1-3 to 0-1. Despite an injury to Damian Meenagh, Beragh continued to press, with Owens and Campbell extending their lead.

Fintona responded with points from McGillion and Oran Hughes, narrowing the gap to three points before injury time. Oisin Donnelly’s point and McSweeney’s second goal just before the break reestablished Beragh’s six-point lead, leaving the score at 2-6 to 0-5 at halftime.

Both teams were guilty of early second half wides, Beragh three in as many minutes as they pressed to see off their opponents. A third goal seemed to do just that six minutes into the half, again Donnelly was the talisman when his long pass to Owens who slotted past Cathal Gillespie.

As the wide tally rose, Fintona had a glorious opportunity to haul themselves right back into the game with multiple goal-scoring opportunities in a crowded goalmouth, but Beragh’s goalkeeper Killian Kerr made critical saves to maintain their lead.

Woods teed up Owens for a sixth point but once again Beragh failed to capitalise on possession, although the gap was by then nine at the start of the final quarter with McCarney dropping over a free from close range.

The Donnellys – Oisin and Caolan – exchanged points and McSweeney swung over a great point from a tight angle on the right before Kerr made another stunning save to deny the lively Jared Brogan as he went through to try and finish after a sweeping move, the resultant ‘45 pointed by Pearse’s keeper, Gillespie.

Late points from Campbell and substitute Matty McSorley, along with McCarney’s double, confirmed Beragh’s comprehensive 3-12 to 0-10 victory

Greencastle 0-12 Stewartstown 0-10

SIX unanswered points in the second half proved to be the crucial spell in the game as Greencastle opened their Intermediate league campaign with a hard earned victory at home to Stewartstown.

The Harps were seeing to bounce back after an opening day defeat and they greeted the short whistle a point to the good thanks to scores from Theo Lowe, Gareth Devlin and Conor Quinn, Sean Warnock and Enda Clarke among the points for Greencastle.

Warnock levelled matters on the restart but then Stewartstown hit three on the trot from Shea O’Neill and Devlin (2). It was at that stage that Greencastle hit their purple patch with Warnock taking his personal haul to 0-7 and Clarke and John McGlinchey also on target and while Devlin had a late brace Stewartstown’s efforts came up just short.

Gortin 0-10 Kildress 0-10

TWO sides who had recorded wins first day out went head to head here and it finished in stalemate with Kildress’s attacker Shea Quinn holding his nerve to convert a late free to deny Gortin back to back wins.

It was a contest that was close throughout with the sides locked together on 0-5 each at the interval. Shea Murphy and Quinn with points for the Wolfe Tones with Liam Og Mossey and Sadam McAleer getting all five Gortin points between them.

Caolan McNamee and Eoin Brannigan had second half points for the visitors with Cathal McCullagh and Brolly responding for the hosts. A 5^th point for Mossey gave Gortin a slender lead and they looked like holding on until Quinn had the final say from a placed ball two minutes into injury time.

Rock 1-12 Derrylaughan 2-10

BOTH of these teams experienced contrasting results last weekend and this time around it was Derrylaughan who entered the winners enclosure after having the minimum to spare at Rock.

The Kevin Barrys looked to their scorer in chief Tomas Carney for a big game and he didn’t disappoint for the Loughshore men with 1-5 to his name. Thomas Mackle bagged the Rock goal with Liam Nugent positing four points and Conor McGarrity and Conor Ward weighing in with a brace apiece.

Derrylaughan though just about done enough to secure the victory with Shane Scullion getting a crucial goal with points also coming from Liam Cushnahan and James Donnelly.

Naomh Eoghan 1-8 Moy 1-12

THE key period in this contest came in a fifteen minute spell either side of halftime as Moy got on top to make it two wins from two at the expense of Naomh Eoghan.

At that stage the sides were level after Kevin Gallagher and Ryan Coleman had both found the net for their respective teams. Coleman, Michael Conroy and Patrick McGeary all registered points either side of the break as Moy hit five in a row and they never looked back.

Things got worse for Naomh Eoghan in the 40^th minute when they lost Ryan Mayse to a straight red card but four points from Eoin Devine still left them in with a chance. Moy though struck the last two points of the game on a night when Coleman and Conroy finished with 1-8 between them.

Owen Roes 2-10 Clogher 1-11

TWO goals early in the second half from Ronan McNulty helped to turn this game on its head as Owen Roes fought back from a poor start to secure a narrow win over Clogher.

The Eire Ogs were quickly into their stride and 1-2 from the inform Ciaran Bogue helped them to establish a five point advantage. Gradually though the hosts began to play their way into the game and points from Ryan McShane, Conor O’Neill, Daire McGonigle and Ryan Kelly helped them get on level terms by the turnaround, 0-7 to 1-4.

McNulty’s two majors were to ultimately prove to be the difference between the two sides especially as Bogue landed another five points with Marc McConnell getting a brace. Conall McCormack and Ricki Devine ha second half scores for Owen Roes as well to enable them to get over the line.

Drumragh 0-9 Cookstown 1-5

THIS was a big game for both sides who were promoted last season and who had suffered heavy defeats first day out and it was a strong second half display from Drumragh that gave them victory.

Scores proved difficult to come by throughout with Cookstown leading 0-3 to 0-2 approaching halftime thanks to a brace from Callan Kelly, Daniel O’Neill on target for the hosts. On the stroke of halftime Luke Neeson fired in the game’s only goal and the Father Rocks looked to be in a strong position.

Drumragh though dominated the opening twenty minutes of the second half as they held their opponents scoreless while hitting six points without reply via O’Neill, Tommy Murphy, Malachy McManus, Niall McCarney and the Montgomerys Aaron and Eoin. Matthew Carberry finally opened Cookstown’s second half account and when Barry Potter levelled it looked like ending in a stalemate until Eoin Montgomery won the day from a tricky free.

Aghyaran 1-18 Moortown 1-14

AGHYARAN withstood a late rally from Moortown as they made home advantage count to leave them with maximum points from their opening two outings.

The St.Davogs were the better side in the opening period and that was reflected on the scoreboard as they led by double scores, 1-11 to 0-7. Benny Gallen got their goal as early as the 3^rd minute with Ronan McNamee getting a couple of points while the return from injury of Ronan McHugh was a massive boost for them, he scored six points in the first half.

McHugh, Gallen and Caolan McGinity tagged on second half points but Moortown fought back with a number of points from Shea Lawn and Ryan Kelly and Liam Lawn contributing as well. Brian McLernon scored a 58^th minute goal but it came too late in the day to save the Loughshore men.