Moynalvey suffered a heavy 16 point beating at the hands of high flying St. Peter’s Dunboyne in this Hoganstand.com SFC Group A round 4 tie played at the well presented Summerhill grounds on Friday evening 7th August.
Moynalvey 0-10 St. Peter’s Dunboyne 2-20
Unbeaten St. Peter’s Dunboyne made it four wins from four in the SFC ensuring qualification to the knockout stages of the SFC with a group game to spare. With just a goal separating the sides at half time the side that topped Div. 1 of the All County A League upped the gears in the second half running out convincing 16 point winners on a 2-20 to 0-10 score line.
Moynalvey who were fielding minus six of the team that lined out in their 2nd and 3rd round wins over Summerhill & Duleek/Bellewstown were completely over run by a free flowing attacking Dunboyne side led predominantly by county player Donal Lenihan who proved to be a constant thorn in the Moynalvey defence throughout the hour.
It was Moynalvey who opened the scoring in the opening minute with corner forward David McLoughlin pointing, however this proved to be the only time they would hold the lead as the next score of the game put St. Peter’s two points up when Lenihan found the back of Moynalvey ‘keeper Paul Conneely’s net for their first goal.
Moynalvey reduced the deficit to a point with James O’Neill pointing in the 4th minute. The game’s next score came from Dunboyne’s Lenihan in the 13th minute. Moynalvey’s David McLoughlin converted a free following a foul on James O’Neill midway through the 1st half leaving it 1-1 to 0-3.
A brace of Dunboyne points were countered by two Moynalvey points from Anthony Forde & James Weldon within 45 seconds of each other in the 23rd minute. Another two Dunboyne points from Donal Lenihan & Cathal Finn left the goal separating the sides at the half time whistle, 1-5 to 0-5.
Whatever manager Conor O’Donoghue said to his charges at half time certainly had the required affect as St. Peter’s Dunboyne upped the gears in the second period to play like one of the championship favourites the bookmakers have installed them as.
Moynalvey did score the first score of the 2nd half within 30 seconds of the throw in through Anthony Forde; however this would prove to be as close as Moynalvey would get to their opponents. Six unanswered points saw the Dunboyne men forge ahead into an eight point lead within ten minutes of the restart, 1-11 to 0-6.
Moynalvey’s seventh score of the game came when David McLoughlin clipped over his second point from play in the 42nd minute. Two frees from that man Lenihan left the score board reading 1-13 to 0-7 after 45 minutes of play.
Two Moynalvey points, the 1st from James Weldon and the second a McLoughlin free either side of a Dunboyne point saw eight points between the sides again, 1-14 to 0-9. With their tails flying high St. Peter’s Dunboyne over ran a disheartened Moynalvey defence in the final 10 minutes adding a further 1-6, with a McLoughlin free all that was added to Moynalvey’s tally in this period.
Moynalvey manager Barry O’Keeffe now faces the task of lifting his troops for a final round group game against Rathkenny with chances of qualification to the knock out stages of the Senior Championship still on the radar despite this set back.
Best for Moynalvey in this game were Robert Lawless, Anthony Forde & William Harnan.
Moynalvey: Paul Conneely, Cathal McCabe, Robert Lawless, Darragh Branigan, Darren Brennan, Brian Harnan, Fearghal McCabe, Donal Smith, Anthony Forde (0-2), Stephen Donoghue, David Donoghue, James Weldon (0-2), David McLoughlin (0-5, 3f), William Harnan, James O’Neill (0-1).
Subs: Shane Lenehan for O’Neill, Daniel Treacy for D. Donoghue, Eamonn Walsh for Smith.
