Scoring surge helps Aghaloo repel Pearses

Aghaloo 3-13 Fintona 0-17

By Damien Donnelly

PRODUCTIVE finishing assisted hosts Aghaloo as they overcame Fintona’s challenge in an important Division Two encounter on Friday evening.

Both sides started play placed together in the table on four points each. A win for either camp was therefore going to be significant and Aghaloo claimed the honours here.

It was an evenly-balanced contest in the first 30 minutes and the sides went in all-square as Aghaloo scored 1-7 to 0-10 in reply. Fintona did miss some opportunities when gaining the third quarter ascendancy and Aghaloo subsequently rallied again to seal matters on the run down to the final whistle.

There were some tidy two-pointers kicked on the night by both teams and Jody McGlone set the tone when blasting over from outside the ‘arc’ after two minutes.

Niall McElroy tagged on a home free not long after but Aidan Donnelly put Fintona on the board with a good score.

Jared Brogan caused the Aghaloo defence problems on various occasions and the Fintona half-back fired over a double pointer midway through the first half. Conor Mullen and the Aghaloo defence, though, did well overall.

Ruairi McGlone for Aghaloo and Aaron McCarney on behalf of the Pearses swapped scores plus Conan Hegarty landed a well-judged Fintona contribution as the game flowed well from one end to the other.

Home midfielder Stewart Douglas stormed through to thump in a cracking goal after 22 minutes and Jody McGlone angled over a free conversion in a follow-up attack. Another tidy Jared Brogan effort and a double courtesy of Conan Hegarty kept Fintona well in the mix.

James O’Hara got back to make a decisive defensive block as Fintona pushed into the danger zone and an excellent Mark McGlinn conversion preceded a fine two-pointer on Aghaloo’s side of the board via Conor Quinn. That sent the teams in level at the break.

Eoghan Doherty curled over an opening second half score for Fintona but Aghaloo responded when Jody McGlone and Tiarnan Donnelly (0-2) maintained the host team’s accuracy at a time when Fintona were fluffing a few chances in range of the posts.

Aghaloo half back Michael Maguire joined the attack to telling effect in the 42nd minutes as he flicked home his side’s second goal of the game following well-worked approach play. Niall Donnelly replied from a Fintona free but the Pearses had ground to make up with time starting to tick away.

More good score taking by Jared Brogan and a fisted Conan Hegarty point kept Fintona within range but a surging run by influential Aghaloo midfielder Jody McGlone saw McGlone brought down and Niall McElroy placed his penalty tidily to the net on 57 minutes.

McElroy’s penalty conversion arrived either side of Conor McGoldrick’s point and a Fintona two-pointer scored by Mark McGlinn. Tiarnan Donnelly, though, got the concluding point as Aghaloo reached full-time with a third win of the campaign wrapped up.

Scorers

Aghaloo: Stewart Douglas 1-1, Niall McElroy 1-1(1 pen), Tiarnan Donnelly 0-4(1f, 1 x 0-2), Michael Maguire 1-0, Jody McGlone 0-3( 1 x 0-2), Conor Quinn 0-2( 1 x 0-2), James O’Hara 0-1, Ruairi McGlone 0-1

Fintona: Jared Brogan 0-3(1 x 0-2), Mark McGlinn 0-3(1 x 0-2), Aaron McCarney 0-3(1 x 0-2), Oran Hughes 0-2(1 x 0-2), Conan Hegarty 0-2, Caolan Donnelly 0-1, Conor McGoldrick 0-1, Eoghan Hegarty 0-1, Niall Donnelly 0-1

Teams

Aghaloo: Jason Mulgrew, Miceal Muldoon, Padraig McGeary, Mark McCormack, Michael Maguire, Conor Mullen, Enda McGarrity, Jody McGlone, Stewart Douglas, James O’Hara, Tiarnan Donnelly, Jay McKenna Douglas, Niall McElroy, Ruairi McGlone, Conor Quinn. Sub: Dillon Mullen for C Quinn

Fintona: Oisin Watson, Patrick McWilliams, Mark McGlinn, Niall Murray, Caolan Donnelly, Cathal Starrs, Jared Brogan, Conor McGoldrick, Niall Donnelly, Eoghan Hagarty, Eugene Liam McCarroll, Aidan Donnelly, Conan Hegarty, Aaron McCarney, Oran Hughes. Subs: Pauric Kelly for A Donnelly, Eugene Colton for E Hegarty, Tiernan Watson for E McCarroll

Referee: Sean Hurson, Galbally