Leinster Club SFC: Ardee capitalise on costly errors to knock out Longford champions Colmcille
AIB Leinster Club Senior Football Championship First Round
Ardee St Mary’s . . . 3-7 Colmcille . . . 1-7
The concession of a couple of gift goals at crucial stages of the first half changed the course of the game in Ardee on Sunday last but the gutsy Longford champions (who trailed by 2-4 to 1-2 at the break) deserve a lot of credit for staging a very determined comeback as the gap was closed to just a single point with time running out.
Colmcille were on top but in their frantic quest for the equalising score the next attack broke down following a vital interception by St Mary’s defender Carl Gillespie and it led directly to a penetrating run from substitute Ronan Carroll.
The clean through Carroll played the perfect pass beyond the advancing Colmcille keeper Noel Farrell into the path of the unmarked Shane Matthews and he flicked the ball into the empty net in the 59th minute to clinch the hard earned win for Ardee.
ARDEE ST MARY’S: James McGillick; Padraic McKenny, Karl Faulkner, Conor Keenan; Evan Malone, Carl Gillespie (0-1), Kian Moran; PJ Callaghan, Robert Leavy; Jonathan Commins (0-3, 1 free), Shane Matthews (1-1), Liam Jackson; Conor Gillespie, Daire McConnon (2-1), Ciaran Keenan.
Subs:- Ronan Carroll (0-1) for C Keenan (injured, half-time); Dean Matthews for Conor Gillespie (40 mins); Darren Clarke for J Commins (injured, 52 mins); Tom Jackson for E Malone (57 mins).
COLMCILLE: Noel Farrell; Conor Grant, Enda Macken, Gerard Mulligan; Martin Mulligan, Ruairi Harkin, Declan Reilly; Jack Macken (0-4, all frees), Fergal Sheridan (0-1); Rory Hawkins, Vinny Hourican, Philip McKeon (0-1); Cathal Reilly (1-0), Barry McKeon, Cathal McCabe.
Subs:- Eoghan Hawkins (0-1) for P McKeon (36 mins); Ciaran McKeon for Rory Hawkins (42 mins); Darren Mulligan for C Reilly (53 mins).
Referee: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).