Athenry, Corofin and Moycullen squeeze into Co. semi-finals

THE four Intermediate football championship quarter-finals were played over the last weekend with Athenry, Corofin and Moycullen all booking their places in the last four of this year’s competition. Oughterard and Monivea-Abbey will have to meet again to decide the fourth semi-finalist after their quarter final ended in a stalemate.

There wasn’t much to separate any of the final eight teams with Corofin’s four point win over St Brendan’s, 0-11 to 0-7 providing the largest winning margin. Also in Duggan Park on Saturday afternoon, a scoreless second half from Dunmore McHales allowed Athenry to steal past them in their meeting, 2-9 to 2-7.

Monivea’s Eoghan Roche bagged an injury time free against Oughterard as the sides finished tied  2-10 apiece, while Moycullen needed a last minute goal against Menlough to secure their passage to the semi-finals.

Substitute Philip Lydon was the hero for last year’s beaten finalists as his last-gasp goal guided Moycullen to victory. With the game well into added-time, a long ball was played into Seán Kelly on the edge of the square and while his initial effort was saved by John Gormally in goal, Lydon was on hand to steal the win.

It had been the cliched game of two halves up to that point with both sides taking advantage of the stiff breeze in Pearse Stadium. Menlough opened the scoring through Kevin Reilly inside the first minute but they would fail to score again in the half with David Wynne (3), Mark Lydon and Seosamh Ó Fatharta contributing to give Moycullen a 0-5 to 0-1 lead at half-time.

Like Menlough in the first half, Moycullen found it difficult to create scores shooting into the scoreboard end in Salthill and the East Galway side were level midway through the second period with Niall Carty, David Reilly, Mark Costello and Joey Glynn all raising white flags.

Moycullen’s first score of the half came with five minutes remaining, Peter Cooke, having been unavailable to start through injury, coming on the put his side ahead with a fine effort. Menlough responded well, however, and Kevin Reilly, Colm O’Brien and Niall Carty hit three quick-fire scores to put them two points ahead heading into injury-time only for Philip Lydon’s goal to cruelly deny them at the death.

Dunmore McHales’ players will still be kicking themselves this week as they somehow let Athenry get away from them in a game Dunmore should have had sewn up after 20 minutes. In the first of an Intermediate double bill in Duggan Park on Saturday, Dunmore were 1-5 to 0-1 up and cruising inside the first quarter of an hour.

A well-worked goal, scored by Thomas Gleeson had them 1-2 to 0-0 up after four minutes and, while Mark Healy got Athenry off the mark, points from Conor Gleeson and Damien and Matthew Reddington increased Dunmore’s lead. Their play got a little sloppy thereafter, however, and when Tom Flynn kicked a ’45 in the 22nd minute, it looked to spark Athenry.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.