Lethal Finnerty points the way in easy win for Mountbellew

MOUNTBELLEW/MOYLOUGH 2-16

ANNAGDOWN 2-6

MOUNTBELLEW/Moylough may or may not win this year’s county senior football championship but judging by this impressive display at Tuam Stadium on Sunday evening, they’re going to give it one good shot.

In the end, they had ten points to spare, and in truth it could have been more, as all through the winners held the edge in different sectors of the field but especially so in attack where the threats came from a variety of sources.

While the Annaghdown attacking threat was generally confined to the staunch efforts of Damien Comer and the bursts of Frankie Burke, Mountbellew presented a far more cohesive forward package all through.

Eoin Finnerty at full forward provided the diamond tip on the spearhead for the winners, winning a lot of first time before driving directly at goal and then finishing with deadly accuracy on almost all occasions.

By the time referee Tomás Ó Fatharta sounded the interval whistle, Finnerty had notched up 1-5 out of Mountbellew’s 2-7 first half total — five points from play and a venomous penalty that ripped into the top corner of the Annaghdown net.

The only period of concern for the winners came in the opening four minutes after Frankie Burke and Cathal Kenny had exchanged early points. A short kick-out from Mountbellew ‘keeper Brian Donnellan was intercepted by Kevin McGrath who goaled from close range.

This should have been a real early tonic for Annaghdown but straight from the kick-out, Mountbellew-Moylough broke upfield towards the Cloonthue goal with Joe Bergin at the end of the move before shooting to the net from close range to level the match.

Only once more in the game, were the sides to be level again. After Finnerty added another Mountbellew point, Frankie Burke restored parity with a free but for the rest of the half, there was only one team in control at the old stadium.

Finnerty kicked a couple of more fine points from play and was denied a goal when T. J. Forde saved excellently in the 16th minute but two minutes later when Mountbellew wing forward Stephen Boyle was fouled in the Annaghdown square by Shane Collier, the ‘game was up’ for the men in maroon.

Finnerty rattled the penalty to the back of Forde’s net before the same player added a point from play – when Cathal Kenny pointed two frees before the break, the contest was as good as over.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.