Powerful Pomeroy batter Barrys

ACL DIVISION ONE

Pomeroy 2-21 Derrylaughan 0-7

POMEROY at least ensured they will avoid finishing in bottom spot in the Division One table with this facile triumph over an out of sorts Derrylaughan on Wednesday night at Plunkett Park and kept alive their prospects of escaping the drop zone heading into the final round of fixtures.

Goals in either half from Hugh McNamee and Marty Coyle helped to ease the hosts out of sight against the Kevin Barrys, who also lost the services of a host of pivotal figures to injury which added to their woes.

The Gervins-Liam and Ciaran- each left the fray during the first half, while their inspirational leader Brian Kennedy also failed to reappear after the break, having hobbled about for much of the opening period.

In contrast Pomeroy’s top stars like Frank Burns and the recently married Kieran McGeary were firing on all cylinders as they swept to victory.

McGeary fisted over the opening point before in the second minute McNamee tucked a lot shot past Derrylaughan keeper James Kennedy, after captain Ronan Duffin picked him out with an excellent delivery.

It was all one way traffic from the get-go and Barrys defender Gavin Corr had to react sharply on his own goal-line to divert away McNamee’s close range fisted effort. The athletic Ryan Loughran and full-back Lorcan Kilpatrick added to Pomeroy’s advantage before Darragh Carney belted over a much needed two pointer for Derrylaughan which left them trailing 1-3 to 0-2.

That gap had widened by the midway stage of the half with Frank Burns and Ryan McCallan afforded acres of space to line up scoring opportunities which they availed of, as did Brendan Burns shortly afterwards.

Goal chances were few and far between for the visitors on the night, though Brian Kennedy did trail an attempt low off target after plucking the ball out of the skies around the edge of the Pomeroy square.

Danny Ball (free) did get the scoreboard moving again for the Barrys, but with Loughran arching over a quality two pointer with the outside of the foot, and Marty Coyle and Kevin Armstrong also registering, the game looked already up at half-time for the visitors, trailing 1-11 to 0-3.

McGeary and Adan Cushnahan (free) traded scores when action resumed, but in the main the action meandered along with no realistic sign of a Derrylaughan fightback, especially with Kennedy no longer in the middle.

Fine efforts from Duffin and Burns, after slicing up the centre, suggested that there was to be no let-up from Pomeroy against their by now dispirited opponents.

The only sporadic moment of cheer for Derrylaughan was a magnificent two pointer from Joseph Donnelly, but the nippy Coyle responded with a brace of neat attempts at the other end.

He then smashed home the clinching second goal in the 48th minute, capitalising on further hesitation in the visitors back unit, and a spree of late scores, with Ryan McCallan getting in on the act, rounded off a satisfactory night’s work for the hosts.

Scorers

Pomeroy: Marty Coyle (1-4), Ryan Loughran (0-3, 1tp), Hugh McNamee (1-0), Kieran McGeary (0-3,1f), Ryan McCallan (0-3,1f), Frank Burns (0-2), Ronan Duffin (0-2), Lorcan Kilpatrick, Ryan Begley, Brendan Burns, Kevin Armstrong (0-1 each)

Derrylaughan: Darragh Carney (0-2,tp), Joseph Donnelly (0-2,tp), Ciaran Quinn, Danny Ball, Adam Cushnahan (0-1 each)

Teams

Pomeroy: John McCourt, Micky McDonald, Lorcan Kilpatrick, Ryan Begley, Jude Campbell, Brendan Burns, Kevin Armstrong, Ryan Loughran, Frank Burns, Ryan McCallan, Peter Rafferty, Ronan Duffin, Marty Coyle, Hugh McNamee, Kieran McGeary. Subs used: Packie Quinn for R Loughran (42), Nuno Silva for B Burns (51), Pearse Quinn for K Armstrong (53), Callum Stewart for K McGeary (56)

Derrylaughan: James Kennedy, Caomhain Hughes, Gavin Corr, Conor Kennedy, Liam Gervin, Colm O’Hagan, Liam Cushnahan, Brian Kennedy, Shane Scullion, Fintan Cullen, Darragh Carney, Ciaran Quinn, Danny Ball, Ciaran Gervin, Joseph Donnelly. Subs used: Oisin McAliskey for L Gervin (9mins), Adam Cushnahan for C Gervin (24), Andre Devlin for B Kennedy (h-time), Niall Robinson for J Kennedy (46)

Referee: Mark Loughran (Errigal Ciaran)