Lough launch their campaign with stylish victory

Loughmacrory 2-15  Galbally 2-7

LAST to enter the Senior Championship stage on a hectic weekend, Loughmacrory laid out their credentials as legitimate contenders at O’Neills Healy Park on Sunday night, coasting to an eight point derby victory over Galbally.

The fact the Pearses finished comfortably inside the top four in the Senior League underlines that they are no mugs, but St Teresa’s young terriers such as Eoin McElholm, Ruairi McCullagh and Eoin Donaghy were out to stamp their mark.

Between them they chipped in with 1-10 on the night (McElholm’s audacious second half goal from distance highlighting the swagger with which they went about their business) and when you weigh in the fact too that their opening 1-3 of the contest was contributed by defenders, it shows they have a few strings to their bow.

Aside from a ten minute spell after the interval, when they closed a six point deficit to the bare minimum, Galbally were strangely off-colour, though you couldn’t question the workrate and appetite of Enda McGarrity, Mark Donnelly and Conor Quinn. Overall however they finished a distant second best.

The tone of the evening was set on two minutes when corner back Pearse Grimes ghosted in unmarked to the edge of the opposition square and having been fed by Pauraic Meenagh he swivelled to find the net. Further quality points followed from Dara Curran and Arnoldas Macidulskas leaving the Pearses quickly playing a game of catch up.

They responded positively however, Daniel Kerr teeing up Mark Donnelly to lash home a sixth minute goal after a poor Loughmacrory clearance.

With the platform set, it was an absorbing first period, albeit scoring opportunities probably came more frequently than either management would have liked.

Dara Curran hoisted another excellent score for St Teresa’s while Meenagh and O’Kane thumped over frees, and at the other end three placed balls courtesy of Conor Donaghy (one free, one ’45’) and Daniel Kerr kept the Pearses in contention.

Yet in the run up to the break Loughmacrory eased through the gears, with McCullagh slipping over a free, and then the stylish McElholm twice darting into space to split the posts. (Half-time Loughmacrory 1-8 Galbally 1-3).

McElholm continued to wreak havoc on the restart with another sublime finish, but after Donnelly and McCullagh traded top notch efforts at either end, Galbally found some momentum courtesy of a 34^th minute goal.

Half tine sub Darragh Donaghy delivered a dangerous low cross from the left and McGarrity came running in at full steam to direct the ball with his hand past O’Kane at the back post. With Joseph Corrigan and Donnelly again adding points, the scoreline now reach 1-10 to 2-6 in Loughmacrory’s favour.

If the crowd sensed a nervy finale then Loughmacory had other ideas. After McCullagh floated over a brilliant score, McElholm then capitalised on a poor kick-out by Ronan McGeary in the 41^st minute to send the ball sailing back with interest over the stranded keeper’ head from fully 30metres into the net.

That dazzling strike appeared to knock the stuffing out of Galbally who registered just one more score on the night, and instead it was St Teresa’s who kicked on for home. Eoin Donaghy, McElholm and McCullagh all added to their tally before the close.

The Scorers

Loughmacrory

Eoin McElholm (1-4), Ruairi McCullagh (0-5,3f), Pearse Grimes (1-0), Dara Curran (0-2), Arnoldas Macidulskas, Eoin Donaghy (0-1 each), Oisin O’Kane, Pauraic Meenagh (0-1 each,f)

Galbally

Mark Donnelly (1-2), Enda McGarrity (1-0), Conor Donaghy (0-2,1’45’), Daniel Kerr (0-2,2f), Joseph Corrigan (0-1)