Moynalvey clocked up their first Senior football championship win of the 2013 campaign when beating Nobber by double scores at Walterstown on bank holiday Sunday evening June 2nd.
Moynalvey 1-11 Nobber 0-7
With both sides residing at the basement of the Group A table prior to this third round clash of the senior football championship, this was a winner takes all encounter. At half time Nobber looked favourites to take the two points on offer when holding a two point lead, 0-5 to 0-3. However a much improved second half performance from Moynalvey resulted in them limiting their opponents to two points in the second half, while registering 1-8 themselves during the second period.
Nobber opened the scoring in the second minute through a converted free from county player Brian Farrell. The sides returned to level pegging in the 7rth minute when Moynalvey opened their account courtesy of wing half forward James Weldon. A brace of points from Farell, one from a free and one from play, left Nobber two points to the good after 14 minutes. A Ciaran Ennis free kick reduced the deficit to a single point in the 17th minute, before Fiachra McEntee fired over for Nobber sixty seconds later to restore their two point advantage. A second point of the evening from James Weldon in the 26th minute left a solitary point between the sides again, before Nobber’s Colin Clarke rounded off the first half scoring in the 28th minute, to leave the two points between the sides at the break on a 0-5 to 0-3 score line.
Having realised that they were playing nowhere near their potential in the first half a rejuvenated Moynalvey side took to the field for the second period outscoring Nobber 1-8 to 0-2. Within three minutes of the restart the sides were level following a brace of points from full forward Mark O’Sullivan, the first from play and the second from a free. Two minutes later Moynalvey took the lead for the first time when midfielder Donal Smith fisted over. Another Farrell free for Nobber in the 37th minute brought parity between the sides for what was to be the final time in the game. Moynalvey took the lead again in the 43rd minute through an O’sullivan free after Darren Brennan was fouled. The defining point of the game arrived a minute later when the only green flag of the game was raised when a goal bound effort from Ciaran Ennis found its way to the net courtesy of a deflection off a Nobber defender. Moynalvey kicked on from here and reeled off four points from Anthony forde (2), Ennis and a superb O’Sullivan effort throughout the remainder of the game. Stout defending from the Moynalvey rearguard ensured Nobber only added one further point to their tally deep into injury time from their talisman Farrell, resulting in Moynalvey running out seven point winners on a 1-11 to 0-7 score line.
Best for the winners were Robbie Kiernan, Paul Weldon, Darren Brennan, Stephen Donoghue, Padraic Harnan and Mark O’Sullivan.
Moynalvey: O. Regan, R. Kiernan, P. Weldon, B. O’Keeffe, D. Brennan, S. Donoghue, D. Donoghue, D. Smith (0-1), J. Donoghue, A. Forde (0-2), P. Harnan, J. Weldon (0-2), C. Ennis (1-2), M. O’Sullivan (0-4), R. Ryan. Subs used: W. Harnan for Ryan, K. Hyland for S. Donoghue.
