Flying Fintona take Minor Championship Gr 4 title in style

Fintona  2-16  Clogher  1-14

By Niall Gartland

THE lads from Fintona Pearses produced an impressively accomplished performance against Clogher on Tuesday evening to clinch the Grade Four Minor Championship title at a resplendent Ballinamullan.

With eight different Fintona players scoring from play, this was a well-rounded display against a gallant Clogher side that battled right to the final whistle in a sporting contest between two fine teams.

Clogher started the stronger with the first three points of the game, coming courtesy of Niall McKenna, Ben Phair and the highly influential Vincent Lowry, who scored 1-6 across the hour.

But Fintona levelled matters in one fell swoop with an eye-catching goal, midfielder Eoin McMenamin showing excellent fielding ability before Dara McMenamin, who had a stunning game up front, teed up Sean Donnelly who made no mistake in front of the posts.

Clogher edged back in front with a superb two-point free off the deck from Micheál McConnell, preceding further Fintona points from McMenamin and Shane Donnelly.

The Eire Ogs looked dangerous on the attack and flung over the next three points, including two more efforts from the talented Vincent Lowry.

Fintona were doing well in the middle sector though, and stitched together a purple patch of 1-4 without reply deep in the first half, Ryan Myers, Shane Donnelly and Ryan Fee tagging on points while Eoin McMenamin scored their second goal after a superb defence-breaching pass from Dara McMenamin.

Clogher got the final two points of the half via Lowry and Niall McKenna, leaving themselves two points behind at the break, and they flew out of the traps in the second half with a very early goal from the determined Lowry and points from McKenna and McElroy.

All of a sudden Clogherhad found themselves in the ascendancy, leading by 1-12 to 2-6, but the pendulum swung back in Fintona’s favour in a sustained period of dominance.

Sean Donnelly scored a free before a fantastic point from Ryan Fee, who somehow managed to get the ball over the bar despite being off-balance, sub Connor Goodman found the target, before further downright excellent scores from McMenamin, Shane Donnelly and Donnchadh Bennet.

Down the other end of the pitch, the Fintona lads were exerting significant pressure on the Clogher shooters, though their opponents didn’t drop the heads and landed a couple of frees heading into the closing stages to keep themselves in contention.

There were only two points between the teams with 53 minutes on the clock, so it really was up for grabs, and it was Fintona who ultimately seized the title with a late flurry of scores from Sean Donnelly and Dara McMenamin (twice).

Scorers

Fintona: Sean Donnelly (1-2, 1f), Dara McMenamin (0-4), Eoin McMenamin (1-1), Ryan Fee and Shane Donnelly (0-3 each), Ryan Myers, Connor Goodman and Donnchadh Bennett (0-1 each)

Clogher: Vincent Lowry (1-6, 2f), Niall McKenna (0-3), Micheál McConnell (0-2, 1 2pt f), Ben Phair and Oisin McElroy (0-1 each), Eoin McCarron (0-1f)

Teams

Fintona: Sean Griffiths, Senan Goddman, Dara Cranny, Ronan McCann, Cahir Cassidy, Ryan Myers, Eoin McMenamin, Sean Donnelly, Donnchadh Bennett, Sean Donnelly, James McAtee, Ryan Fee, Dara McMenamin. Connor Goodman for McAtee

Clogher: Caden Noble, Conor Cullinan, Christoper Coyle, Micheál McConnell, Odhran O’Hanlon, Dara Stewart, Michael Lowry, Eoin McCarron, Ben Phair, Niall McKenna, Eoin Cullinan, Oisin McElroy, Vincent Lowry

Referee: Gerry Donaghy (Loughmacrory)