Moynalvey suffered their 3rd defeat of their 2018 A League campaign when going down to Gaeil Colmcille on a 1-12 to 1-8 score line on Saturday 24th March in Moynalvey.
Moynalvey 1-8
Gaeil Colmcille 1-12
In a repeat of last year’s SFC Quarter Final it was once again Lar Wall’s outfit that came out in top, this time by four points.
The game was an evenly contested affair throughout, with Moynalvey just shading the first half, with the Kells men four points to the good at the all important full time whistle.
Martin Barrett pointed for the visitors in the 3rd minute for the game’s opening score. James Weldon replied for Moynalvey two minutes later with the first of his three free kicks.
Points from Brian Hanlon and Seamus Mattimoe had Gaeil Colmcille 0-3 to 0-1 to the good after 14 minutes.
A brace of Moynalvey points from Sean Duggan and James Weldon had the side’s level for the first time in the game on the quarter hour mark, 0-3 each.
Points from Gaeil Colmcille’s Mattimoe and Oisin Reilly extended their advantage to two again, before Moynalvey were awarded two penalties within the space of three minutes. The first taken by James Weldon was saved by Justin Carry-Lynch, while the second was buried to the net by David McLoughlin to give Moynalvey the lead for the first time, 1-3 to 0-5.
Both sides added a point apiece before half time, Moynalvey’s point from a Weldon free and Gaeil Colmcilles’s from a Martin Barrett free, leaving it 1-4 to 0-6 at the break.
Moynalvey’s Mark O’Sullivan hit the first score of the second half, but three Gaeil Colmcille points in as many minutes, from Seamus Mattimoe (2) and Brian Hanlon saw the Kells men regain the lead again seven minutes into the second half, 0-9 to 1-5.
Fionn Ferguson traded points with Mark O’Sullivan to see the point remain between the sides, before the margin between the sides was extended to four when Seamus Mattimoe read the flight of the ball in better than the Moynalvey defence to fire past Moynalvey substitute goal keeper Conor Egan, leaving it 1-10 to 1-6 after 44 minutes.
An excellent Conor Egan save from a Brian Hanlon penalty kept the home side in the game, but they could not reel in their opponents as both sides added two points each to their tally before full time. Moynalvey’s points coming from James Weldon and Adam Murphy frees, with Gaeil Colmcille’s coming from Brian Hanlon placed balls, the first of which was a booming ‘45, leaving the full time score 1-12 to 1-8 in favour of the North Meath side.
The opening round of Championship games in two weeks time sees Moynalvey face Wolfe Tones, while Gaeil Colmcille take on Summerhill.
Moynalvey: Ray Ryan, Darren Brennan, Brian Harnan, Fearghal McCabe, Anthony Forde, Stephen Donoghue, Eamon Walsh, John Donoghue, Donal Smith, Padraig Kelly, James Weldon (0-4, 3f), David McLoughlin (1-0), Sean Duggan (0-1), Mark O’Sullivan (0-2), James Kelly.
Subs: Conor Egan for Ryan, Peter Durnin for Kelly, Adam Murphy (0-1, 1f) for Walsh, Scott Tuite for O’Sullivan, Ray Ryan for S. Donoghue (B/C).
