Moynalvey open B league with hard fought win

Moynalvey got their 2009 Div 3 B League campaign off to the best possible start with a hard fought victory against Rathkenny in a game played under lights in Rathkenny on Tuesday night, 3^rd March 2009.

Rathkenny 1-10 Moynalvey 1-12

The first half of this game was a nip and tuck affair with little between the teams. Rathkenny opened the scoring with a pointed free after 2 minutes, before Moynalvey replied through a pointed free from Ciaran Collins. The home side then pushed a point ahead with another free, before Moynalvey raised the green flag in the 11^thminute through James Weldon after he fielded a high ball sent in by midfielder Brian Conneely to leave the visitors 2 points ahead. Peter Durnin added a point from play for the visitors, before Rathkenny came more into the game over the next 15 minutes tagging on the next 5 points, while Ciaran Collins landed a free for Moynalvey just before the interval, to leave the score 0-7 to 1-3 in favour of the home side at the break.

Moynalvey got the first 2 scores on the restart, coming from pointed efforts from play by William Mahady & James Weldon while Rathkenny responded with 2 points of their own, before Ciaran Ennis landed a fantastic point from play to leave the teams level 10 minutes into the second half on a scoreline of 0-9 to 1-6. Rathkenny then raised their own green flag in the 43^rd minute when the ball rebounded off the post into an attackers hands leaving Moynalvey goalkeeper Giles Drumm with little chance from close range.

Moynalvey added the next point of the game through a Collins free, before Rathkenny responded with a point and looked to have the game sown up on a score of 1-10 to 1-7 with 5 minutes remaining. However, Moynalvey rallied hard and with the aid of tenacious defending by Paul Conneely & William Mahady and some monstrous frees landed by Ciaran Collins (4), sandwiched by a superbly taken free from an acute angle by Ciaran Ennis, the visitors bagged a deserved win on a final scoreline of 1-12 to 1-10.

Team & Scorers: G. Drum, D. Durkan, P. Conneely, S. White, B. Byrne, W. Mahady (0-1), A. Brien, B. Conneely, P. Corcoran, C. Ennis (0-2), W. Harnan, S. Reilly, P. Durnin (0-1), C. Collins (0-7), J. Weldon (1-1). Subs used: S. Carroll for P. Corcoran, G. McHale for W. Harnan, S. Courtney for P. Durnin.