Moynalvey defeated Skryne by six points in round three of Group C of the Fairyhouse Steel Senior Football Championship at Dunshaughlin on a damp Sunday afternoon August 27th.
Moynalvey 4-6
Skryne 0-12
Ultimately Moynalvey’s win wasn’t enough to see them progress to the quarter final stages.
Despite picking up three points courtesy of this six point win and a second round draw v St. Colmcilles, St. Colmcilles final round victory over Ratoath sees them top the group on five points, with Ratoath also through to the quarter finals in second place on four points.
Moynalvey finish the group in third place on three points and head into the relegation play-off draw along with Skryne.
As the adage goes, goals win games!
Despite Skryne outkicking Moynalvey twelve scores to ten, it was Moynalvey’s ability to rattle the Skryne net which paved the way for their six point victory.
It was Moynalvey who opened up an early three point advantage with points from David McLoughlin (2) and Cillian O’Sullivan.
Skryne opened their account on the quarter hour mark with a point from Oisin Keogh, which was soon followed by a Conor O’Brien point to leave it 0-3 to 0-2 with 17 minutes played.
Wiliam Harnan split the uprights, before Stephen Donoghue followed in a breaking ball to bury to the Skryne net for the game’s first goal, 1-4 to 0-3.
Skryne responded with an Andrew Canavan point, but thirty seconds later the Tara men found themselves six points adrift of their opponents when Cillian O’Sullivan finished low past Cian Donohoe in the Skryne nets for his side’s second goal, leaving the two goals between the sides at half time, 2-4 to 0-4.
Whatever Davy Byrne and his management team said to his troops at half time had the desired effect, as they narrowed the deficit to two points within eight minutes of the restart, two frees and a ’45 from Ian Davis and a Mark Battersby effort from play leaving it 2-4 to 0-8.
Cillian O’Sullivan pointed to break the Skryne scoring, but Skryne continued their third quarter dominance with another brace of points from Ian Davis and John Finnerty to narrow the gap to the minimum, 2-5 to 0-10, with ten minutes remaining. Moynalvey might well have raised another green flag when Craig Gilsenan rattled the Skryne cross bar in between those two Skryne points.
Skryne’s momentum was broken when Cillian O’Sullivan won a penalty from the kickout, which he sent the spot kick low to Cian Donohoe’s left to give Moynalvey a four point advantage with 52 minutes played, 3-5 to 0-10.
Skryne fired over another pair of points to leave Moynalvey with an uneasy two point lead as the sixty minute mark approached, 3-5 to 0-12.
A foul on Padraic Harnan saw David McLoughlin convert the resulting free in the 61st minute.
Five minutes into additional time a peach of a cross field pass from substitute James Kelly found David McLoughlin in space who made no mistake firing past Cian Donohoe for Moynalvey’s fourth goal and round off a deserved six point win, 4-6 to 0-12.
Both Moynalvey and Skryne will find out their relegation play-off quarter-final opponents tomorrow night Monday 28th August, while St. Colmcilles and Ratoath await their quarter-final opponents at tomorrow night’s county committee meeting also.
Best for Moynalvey in this final round group game win were Conor Egan, David Reilly, Craig Gilsenan, Brian Harnan, Darren Brennan and Cillian O’Sullivan.
Moynalvey team and scorers:
Conor Egan, David Reilly, Fearghal McCabe, Craig Gilsenan, Brian Harnan, Mark O’Sullivan, Vinny Walsh, Stephen Donoghue (1-0), Donal Smith, Darren Brennan, Padraic Harnan, Darragh Branigan, Cillian O’Sullivan 2-2, 1p & 1f), David McLoughlin (1-3, 2f), William Harnan (0-1).
Subs used: Charlie McCormack for Branigan, James Kelly for W. Harnan, Eoin Corrigan for Donal Smith, David Donoghue for S. Donoghue, Shaun Deering for Walsh.
