Moynalvey snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when overcoming Donaghmore/Ashbourne on a 2-12 to 2-8 score line in the Junior ‘B’ Football Championship at Walterstown on Saturday evening August 11th.
Moynalvey 2-12 Donaghmore/Ashbourne 2-8
Moynalvey started the game at a whirlwind pace reeling off four unanswered points in the opening 12 minutes, with the scores coming from Cathal McCabe, Ciaran Ennis and Robbie Quinlan (2). Donaghmore Ashbourne opened their account in the 13th minute but sixty seconds later Ciaran Ennis had restored Moynalvey’s four point advantage. A brace of points from the town side saw the deficit narrowed to two, 0-5 to 0-3 after 19 minutes of play. Four minutes later Donaghmore/Ashbourne raised the first green flag of the game taking the lead for the first time and furthered their advantage with a point two minutes later. Moynalvey responded with Cathal McCabe’s second point of the evening in the 28th minute, but Donaghmore/Ashbourne pointed twice more before the break, leaving the goal between the sides at the interval, 1-6 to 0-6.
Some positional switches from Moynalvey at half time paid immediate dividends as the placing of William Harnan at full forward resulted in him posting the first two points of the second period, reducing the difference between the sides to the minimum. However just as Moynalvey were gaining momentum they suffered a setback when sloppy defending allowed their opponents in for their second goal in the 36th minute. Moynalvey levelled matters when they raised a green flag of their own on the three quarter mark when William Harnan fielded a high ball in from Cathal McCabe and buried to the back of the net from close range, leaving the minimum between the sides once again. Donaghmore/Ashbourne tagged on a further point before a brace of Ciaran Ennis frees drew the side’s level for the first time with nine minutes remaining. Despite dominating possession over the final quarter, a series of wasted opportunities and hasty shooting from Moynalvey looked set to see the win they so badly needed to be evading them and found themselves a point down with three minutes of normal time remaining.
A burst forward from Paul Conneely left the sides level once again, but last year’s Junior ‘C’ winners knew that a point from this game may be of no good in the long run. Victory was needed to ensure Moynalvey’s run in this year’s Junior ‘B’ Chahampionship remained in their own hands. A late smash and grab raid ensured Moynalvey came out four point winners when a somewhat fortuitous goal arrived in the final minute of normal time when a high ball in was followed in by the industrious Luke Duffy who put enough pressure on the Donaghmore/Ashbourne keeper to bundle the ball over the line. A security score from Cathal McCabe sixty seconds later ensured victory for Moynalvey on a 2-12 to 2-8 score line.
Moynalvey: C. Egan, A. Brien, D. Kane, D. Brannigan, J. Carey, P. Conneely (0-1), A. Donnelly, B. Conneely, W. Mahady, R. Quinlan (0-2), W. Harnan (1-2), C. McCabe (0-3), C. Ennis (0-4), C. Collins, L. Duffy (1-0). Subs: S. Whyte for Carey, B. Dixon for Donnelly, G. Fagan for Quinlan.
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