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Battling Urris bow out
21.05.09
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St Naul’s...3-13 (Stephen Griffin 1-7, Barry Rose 2-0, Gavin Maguire 0-1, Fiachra McGinley 0-1, Eddie Gallagher 0-1, Andrew Gallagher 0-1, Paul McGroarty 0-1, Daniel Friel 0-1) Urris...3-8 (Rocky Ivers 1-4, Darragh Doherty 0-2, Brian Doherty 0-1, Brian Kelly 1-1, Alan Friel 1-0) by Liam Porter, Inishowen Independent, at Convoy COUNTY STAR Stephen Griffin proved too hot to handle for Urris in Convoy on Sunday afternoon as their championship hopes came to an end against a rampant St. Naul’s side still smarting from defeat in their own backyard last weekend. Griffin finished the game with a tally of 1-7 and he might even have had more, certainly another goal at the start of the second half, and while Urris fought gamely to the end the final outcome never really looked in any doubt from mid way through the first half. Urris had got off to a decent start playing into the wind and a surging run from Rocky Ivers saw him hauled to the ground in front of goal and he picked himself up to tap the free over the bar. It took six minutes for St Naul’s to respond, Griffin racing away down the left and firing over a fine point to level the game. Two minutes later Darragh Doherty’s free edged Urris in front again but it was to be the last time in the match the Clonmany men were to have such an advantage. |
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With just eleven minutes on
the clock Griffin once again set off on a powerful run
down the left leaving Urris defenders in his wake and
played the ball across to Andrew Gallagher. He might
have gone for goal himself but instead flicked to Barry
Rose who hammered to the net past the helpless Johnny
Noone. Two minutes later Rose again found the net, this time when he was allowed to run unchecked for yards towards goal and despite having Griffin free and unmarked inside he chose to rifle a shot into the top corner for a brilliant goal. Urris manager John Friel must have wondered what was happening with his defence and responded immediately by introducing Alan Friel and Kieran Kelly to the fray after just sixteen minutes and they did reduce the Naul’s lead slightly with a well taken point from Darragh Doherty in the 18th minute. However a minute later the Urris defence was carved open again and when Fiachra McGinley played |
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Stephen Griffin through, he
had the simple task of rounding the advancing Johnny
Noone and tapping into an empty net to make it 3-1 to
0-1 in St. Nauls favour. Griffin and Gavin Maguire added further points before a good point from Brian Doherty brought the Urris tally to 0-4. Rocky Ivers and Fiachra McGinley traded points again before the break and Ivers might have made the second half more interesting with a shot on the stroke of half time that was saved by Sean McCready and flew across goal for a 45. Had that gone into the net things might have been different and Ivers was in the thick of the action again within seconds of the re-start. First though Griffin found himself through on goal but saw his shot saved by Noone and when Urris worked the ball up the field it was played across to Ivers who rattled the crossbar with a thundering shot that could again have changed the complexion of the game. Instead St. Nauls composed themselves and two more points from Griffin inside the first four minutes of the half saw them extend their advantage to ten points. Urris knew they needed goals and a clever free kick from Ivers to the lively Alan Friel almost brought them one, but Friel’s shot was brilliantly saved by Sean McCready. Finally Urris raised a flag with six minutes gone in the half, substitute Brian Kelly fisting to the net to make it a seven point game and then Rocky Ivers pointed from a free to leave just two goals between the sides again with just eight minutes gone in the second half. Had they been able to maintain that momentum, Urris might have been in with a shout, but they again let St. Naul’s take control and Eddie Gallagher and two more points from Stephen Griffin saw the lead back to nine points with fifteen minutes of the second half gone. And it remained one-way traffic, Andrew Gallagher finishing a fine passing move with a terrific point and free from Stephen Griffin both coming without any response from Urris. But then it came, in a three minute spell there was some hope when firstly Brian Kelly fired over an excellent point from all of thirty yards, followed quickly by a point from Ivers and a well taken goal from Alan Friel left just six points between the sides again with seven minutes left. By that stage Urris had been reduced to fourteen, Damien Harkin having been sent off for his second yellow card in the 14th minute of the second half, but having chalked up five in three minutes they once again allowed the momentum to swing to St. Naul’s and points from Paul McGroarty and Daniel Friel saw Urris take their tally to 3-13. That left them with an eight point advantage with just a minute on the clock and even though Rocky Ivers reduced that again to five when he rattled home a penalty, it was never going to make a difference to the final outcome and St. Naul’s march on to the first round proper to meet Na Rossa. Urris: Johnny Noone; Sean Doherty (T), Shaun McDaid, Adrian Doherty; Damian Harkin, Mickey Grant, Martin Kelly; Liam Diver, Edward Kelly; Brian Doherty, Rocky Ivers, Darragh Doherty; Shaun Paul Doherty, Kieran Friel, Michael Toland. Subs: Kieran Kelly for Sean Doherty (16 mins) Alan Friel for Shaun Paul Doherty (13 mins); Brian Kelly for Liam Diver (32 mins). St Naul’s: Sean McCready; Brian McCabe, Aidan Kennedy, Damien McHugh; Mark Ward, Conor McBrearty, Eddie Gallagher; Daniel Friel, Conal McGinley; Fiachra McGinley, Gavin Maguire, Barry Rose; Stephen Griffin, John Meehan, Andrew Gallagher. Subs: Paul McGroaty for Damien McHugh (38 mins); Cathal Lowther for Andrew Gallagher (55 mins); Liam McGroarty for John Meehan (57 mins). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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