Moynalvey bowed out of the Fairyhouse Steel Meath Senior Football Championship at the quarter final stage with a seven point loss to Ratoath at Dunshaughlin on Sunday afternoon.
Moynalvey 0-10
Ratoath 3-8
Despite the game being eleven scores to ten it was the ability of the 2019 & 2020 keegan cup winners to rattle the net three times which proved the difference.
Moynalvey were slow to trouble the score board keeper, while David Brady’s charges made the opposite start racking up 1-3 without reply in the first quarter with 1-1 from Bryan McMahon and a point each for Eamonn Wallace and Cian O’Brien.
Moynalvey’s first score came in the 16th minute from a David McLoughlin free. Sixty seconds later Ratoath had the ball in the back of the Moynalvey net for a second time when a combination of lackadaisical defending and quick thinking from Daithi McGowan saw him slam home a free from the 13m line to leave it 2-3 to 0-1.
David McLoughlin and Bryan McMahon traded scores to leave it 2-4 to 0-0-2 with eight minutes of the half remaining.
Points from Adam Murphy and a Cillian O’Sullivan brace of frees with a Cian Rogers free for Ratoath left the two goals between the sides at half time, 2-5 to 0-5.
A David McLoughlin free two minutes after the restart reduced the deficit to five points, but this was a near as Moynalvey got to their opponents. Any Moynalvey momentum was quashed ninety seconds later when Eamonn Wallace dispatched a penalty past Ray Ryan to leave it 3-5 to 0-6.
Points from Cillian O’Sullivan and David McLoughlin in response to a pair of Ratoath points saw the score board read 3-7 to 0-8 at the three quarter hour mark.
With ten minutes remaining the three goals were the difference between the sides after Daithi McGowan pointed a free, 3-8 to 0-8.
Moynalvey points from McLoughlin and Cillian O’Sullivan rounded off the scoring to leave seven between the sides at the full time whistle, 3-8 to 0-10.
Ratoath now advance to a semi-final meeting with Na Fianna, while Moynalvey’s championship action is over for another year.
Best for Moynalvey in this contest were Scott Tuite, Brian O’Reilly, Conor Shirren, Darren Brennan, Padraic Harnan and David McLoughlin.
Moynalvey Team & Scorers:
Ray Ryan, Scott Tuite, Conor Harnan, Cathal McCabe, Brian O’Reilly, Darren Brennan, Conor Shirren, Donal Smith, David Reilly, Ciaran Harnan, Adam Murphy (0-1), Padraic Harnan, David McLoughlin (0-5, 3f), Cillian O’Sullivan (0-4, 3f), Mark O’Sullivan.
Subs used: Vinny Walsh for Mark O’Sullivan, Stephen Donoghue for Smith, Sean Duggan for Ciaran Harnan, Mark O’Sullivan for Murphy, Brian Harnan for Shirren.
