Moynalvey came out of their final reserve league group game as table toppers with a two point victory over Donaghmore/Ashbourne on a 2-14 to 2-12 score line at Moynalvey on Wednesday evening August 31st.
Moynalvey 2-14 Donaghmore/Ashbourne 2-12
In a highly entertaining game of football, it was Moynalvey who came out trumps to take pole position and earn promotion in Division 3 of the B League with a two point win over previous table toppers Donaghmore/Ashbourne. It was the visitors who started brightest of the two sides, clocking up 0-2 in the opening three minutes. Moynalvey’s first effort on target came in the 8th minute courtesy of a Ciaran Ennis point and the sides were level two minutes later when Brian Conneely split the posts. A Ciaran Ennis goal midway through the half laid the platform for the home side to build up a commanding 2-6 to 0-4 lead after 24 minutes, with scores coming from Willie Byrne (0-2), Alan Donnelly (0-1), an Ennis free and a goal for Padraic Harnan. However over the remaining six minutes of the half Moynalvey failed to register again and Donaghmore/Ashbourne raised their first green flag of the evening before tagging on 0-3 before the interval, leaving Moynalvey two points ahead at the break on a 2-6 to 1-7 score line.
Thirty seconds after the break Willie Byrne posted his third effort of the evening to leave three points between the sides once again. Twelve minutes into the second period Donaghmore/Ashbourne levelled matters 2-9 apiece, and two minutes later found themselves ahead for only the second time in the game. However Moynalvey dug deep and following a neat pass from Ciaran Ennis substitute Eoin Maher sent over to restore parity between the sides. The visitors pointed to take the lead again, only for Ennis to send over a super effort, to leave the sides level 2-11 apiece with 50 minutes played. Resolute defending from the Moynalvey rearguard and a further 0-2 from the boots of Ennis and Donal Smith in response to a single Donaghmore/Ashbourne point in the remaining 10 minutes saw the men in maroon and white run out 2-14 to 2-12 winners. Best for Moynalvey were Anthony Brien, Ger Fagan, Brian Conneely, Willie Byrne and Ciaran Ennis.
Moynalvey: C. Egan, S. Browne, A. Brien, B. Byrne, D. Durkan, D. Smith (0-1), D. Brennan, G. Fagan, B. Conneely (0-1), C. McCabe, C. Ennis (1-5), P. Harnan (1-1), A. Donnelly (0-1), W, Byrne (0-4), J. Carey. Subs: E. Maher (0-1) for McCabe, S. Cummins for Carey, S. Collins for Donnelly.
