Claregalway 0-15
An Spidéal 1-09
It was back to the grind for Alan Moran and the seniors as they played their penultimate game of Div 2 in the league in a cool afternoon in Lakeview on Saturday last. After falling at the last hurdle in his quest for the Mayo senior position due to failing to agree compensation terms, Alan appeared in jovial spirits as Mayo’s loss, would once again prove to be Claregalways gain. An Spidéal, fresh from their historic Intermediate Championship win the previous weekend had the week to blow off the celebrations that marked their rise to Senior football a mere 12 months after our good selves.
We fielded a very young team with our No’s 1,2,3 ensuring that the average age was still pretty NORMAL. Early exchanges were pretty even with both sets of backs coping well. The score was 2-2 after ten minutes with Manus Breathnach pulling off a good save from Sean Moran.
With the half time whistle fast approaching we led 5-4 but when Conor Campbell was penalized for a spot kick which was converted, we trailed at the break 1-04 to 0-05
We opened the 2nd half brightly and led 0-10 to 1-5. With Stevie playing in a more forward role we kind of knew it would be our day when a beauty off his left (shades of a Conor Glynn special in Tuam Stadium a few years ago) and another off the right kept the score board ticking.
Classy scores followed from Sean, Danny and Mark as Spidéal possibly began to feel the effects of a long campaign and with 1 eye perhaps on a Connacht semi final, were unable to stem the tide and that was all she wrote as we won on a 0-15 to 1-09 scoreline
We had many fine displays throughout the field,in particular the young guns in defence which were combined with just the right amount of experience – the perfect combination of youthful exuberance as well as the auld dogs for the hard road and with Dylan Buckley in particular being ear marked as 1 for the future
With 1 game left V Ml Breathnach’s.and barring the cruelest slice of misfortune, the team will maintain their league status quite comfortably and just as importantly, big Alan Moran will remain undefeated……. and undisputed.
Team: BO’Donoghue, B Loughlin, S Cunniffe, D Buckley, C Campbell, M Kilgannon, L Roche, D Hennessy, S Monaghan, P Commins, S Moran, B Goldrick, D Cummins, M Rohan, M King. Subs used: C Kelly, A Dolan,S Kilmartin D Dolan, I Keating.
Best of luck to Saturdays opponents as they begin their Connacht Intermediate championship journey this coming weekend