Éire Óg Celtic Break New Ground

24^th August 2010

Eire Óg Celtic        4 - 09              Blackwater Gaels      0 - 04

The novel amalgam of Drumgoon Eire Óg and Cootehill Celtic hit the jackpot on cue at Kingspan Breffni Park when they sauntered their way to an epochal MFC Division Two title triumph. In what proved to be an anti-climactic county final, clinical finishing up front and a Tyrone-esque performance by their backline were the twin engines that drove the championship debutants into the winners' enclosure.

The Eire Óg Celtic rear-guard conceded just two points from play over the hour-plus and were a revelation as they continually snuffed out their opponents' efforts to nick a foothold in the match especially in the opening 20 minutes. The Gaels were giving as good as they were getting from open play at that juncture but they were thwarted time and time again as they faced into a mountainous task of trying to eat into their opposition's 2 - 3 to 0 - 1 lead.

Shorn of the influence of suspended midfielder Barry Givney, the Gaels laboured to provide the ammunition up front to a willing but when they did manage to fire some decent deliveries ahead, the winner's defence invariably snuffed out the danger. Masters over Drumgoon earlier this year in the MFL Division Three final, Blackwater found the step up in standard a bridge too far against re-enforced opponents whose shaper teeth was manifest in a potent, clinical attack.

The Gaels (Munterconnacht - Mountnugent - Maghera) were minus suspended influential midfielder Barry Givney but nevertheless acquitted themselves well in the cockpit overall where Henry Reyburn also had to sit it out for the winners. In truth, the losers were hard done by in going down by a 17 point margin as the winners' keeper Ryan saved a penalty, executed two other saves to deny the Gaels a goal each time while on one other occasion the crossbar came to Eire Óg Celtic's rescue.

Eire Óg Celtic were all vim and vigour as the game opened up and after a fluid move involving John Carney, Paddy Smith and Ian Craddock, Tom Hayes put the icing on the cake with a faultless finish to the net after just three minutes. Almost everything the leaders touched going forward turned to gold early on but the Gaels were impoverished in comparison with Tommy McKitterick doing an excellent job policing the Gaels' go-to-guy Garry Rock.

The Gael's first strike on goal didn't arrive 'till the 16th minute by which stage they trailed by 0 - 0 to 1 - 2 when a foul on Adam Patterson saw Liam Hennessy pop over the resultant free. Blackwater recorded two wides in succession to add to their growing frustration and when young Hayes poached his second goal (21st minute) to complement a Paddy Smith point, the Gaels were left threading deep water.

With Conor Moynagh dervish-like in the engine room and man-of-the-match Enda Hessin adept at finding space, Eire Óg Celtic continued to pour forward with menace but the Gaels got off the hook in the 22nd minute when Liam Smyth saved at point blank from the aforementioned Smith.

The Gaels did forge promising moves but they lacked conviction in their shooting and also by dint of the excellence of the Eire Óg Celtic defence, their attempts going forward often saw them forced laterally across the field away from the danger area.

That said, between the 23rd and 31st minutes, the chasing team did conjure up three goal chances but Liam Hennessy (fist) and Garry Rock (soccer-like) were denied in turn but the athletic Carroll in the winners' goal and then Mark Rehill's shot off the ground ricocheted to safety off the crossbar.

Eire Óg Celtic experienced much more joy with their goal chances and Paddy Smith (25th minute) latched onto Enda Hessin's long delivery to slide the ball under the advancing Smyth and then Hessin goaled (29th minute) himself to all but seal the issue. Trailing by 0 - 2 to 4 - 4 at the start of the second half, Blackwater needed to make a deep impression on the scoreboard and quickly.

However once John Carney skinned his marker and raced in to fist the ball over the bar, it became patently obvious that the lights would remain fixed on green for the long-time leaders. Five minute later, Conor Moynagh's rasping shot burned the fingers of Liam Smyth as Eire Óg Celtic continued to aim for the jugular.

Less than 90 seconds later Reamonn Finnegan converted Blackwater's first point from open minute in the 40th minute. Then came Carroll's penalty save from Garry Rock's strike (44th minute) after Nigel Sheridan was hauled down.

In an instant, the faintest glimmer of an unlikely Gaels renaissance was extinguished. So after tentative beginnings, the Eire Óg Celtic experiment could finally be afforded an un-qualified thumbs-ups at the final whistle.

Eire Óg Celtics: Ryan Carroll; Dominic Donegan, Tommy McKitterick, Ryan Craddock; Mark Murray, Martin Fitzpatrick, Barry Cooney; Conor Moynagh, Ronan McDonald; Patrick Smith (1 - 2), Enda Hessin (1 - 5, one free), John Carney (0 - 1); Tom Hayes (2 - 1, one free), Ian Craddock, Declan Smith.
Subs Used: Joseph Kelly; Francis McCabe.

Blackwater Gaels: Liam Smyth; Frank Conaty, Kevin Plunkett, James Hetherton; Thomas McCabe, Tadgh Morrissey, Conor Somers; Reamonn Finnegan (0 - 1), Sean Meehan; Adam Patterson, Liam Hennessy (0 - 2, 2 frees), Stephen Keogan; Paul McCabe, Garry Rock (0 - 1), Mark Rehill.
Subs Used: Nigel Sheridan; Christopher Shalvey.