Groogan goal helps St Enda’s edge past Edendork

Omagh 1-10 Edendork 0-8

AN opportune goal from Ben Groogan midway through the second half played a big part in Omagh’s second league win of the season on Friday night.

The visitors came to O’Neill’s Healy Park with a 100% winning record in Division One but they found the going tough particularly in the last quarter as the hosts pulled away to win by five points.

It had been a dour struggle prior to the goal. Both defences were bolstered by everyone retreating behind the ball on numerous occasions. The sides had been level five times, prior to the goal.

Conor O’Donnell cut in to land the first point four minutes in for Omagh, before a brace of St Malachy’s points followed. A50m free courtesy of Stephen Corr and a fine executed score from Cullen on the right leapfrogged them ahead.

Fionbarr Taggart levelled with a good point on the run though both sides also shot some bad wides. O’Neill finished well from an O’Donnell pass and Omagh nudged further ahead through Taggart. Donal Manelly pulled a score back but with five minutes remaining in the half the St Enda’s should have stretched out their advantage, only for the upright to deny O’Neill.

An exchange of points between O’Donnell and Bell left Omagh ahead by a single point at the break in a contest that needed a spark.

In an open start to the second half, Conan Colton levelled things for Edendork and they could have went ahead in a dominant spell. The Omagh defence had to react sharply when Rian Nelis closed in on goal, while Corr saw his effort turned away by an alert Niall McGinn between the sticks.

An error in attack by Omagh saw them punished at the other end, Bell finishing off a sweeping move to put his side ahead on 41 minutes. The lead was short lived. Danny McGuigan fired over from distance to level things and from the resultant kick out came the goal.

Ben Groogan reacted quickest to intercept and as the keeper struggled to get back he expertly dropped the ball to the net over his head.

O’Neill sent McLaughlin in for another Omagh point, but Edendork replied with a brace from Bell and Mallon.

McGuigan rilled over an eighth Omagh point, while O’Donnell fisted over from an Oisin Miller pass before Miller himself wrapped up the scoring with a close range score.