Leitrim Gaels’ early spark not enough as Moycullen goals seal their exit in Connacht semi-final

Two clinically taken goals in each half for Moycullen put the game out of the reach of a battling Leitrim Gaels outfit when the sides clashed in Sunday's Connacht club senior football championship semi-final at Galway's Pearse Stadium.

Fionn McDonagh hit the Leitrim Gaels’ net with two early second-half Moycullen goals, while in the game's opening half, the Galway side's Dessie Conneely and Fiachra McDonagh hit goals apiece, which initially took the wind out of Leitrim Gaels' sails.

However, Leitrim Gaels did make a very bright start when contesting their first Connacht club championship game in Pearse Stadium. In this game's opening five minutes, Leitrim Gaels hit a goal and two points and certainly put Moycullen on the back foot during this short period of the contest.

Meanwhile, when Moycullen got motoring in response to Leitrim Gaels' early onslaught, they demonstrated some top-class football and clinical scoring abilities that completely turned the game around in their favour as the first half wore on and for all of the second half as well. 

While Leitrim Gaels enjoyed a great spell for them in the opening five minutes of the first half, after that Moycullen took almost complete control for the next twenty-five minutes of the action and set the agenda for their clear-cut thirteen-point winning margin at the end.

Leitrim Gaels drew first blood when David Regan fired over a point on the 2-minute mark after being put through by Garvan Jones. Two minutes later, Garvan Jones made a strong run through the Moycullen defence and fired to the net when giving goalkeeper Pierce Greally no chance with a clinically executed effort.

Stephen Goldrick increased Leitrim Gaels' advantage when he split the Moycullen posts at the end of the game's first five minutes of action. In Galway football, Moycullen have something of a reputation for being late starters, but they did get the scoreboard ticking in their favour shortly after Stephen Goldrick scored.

The lively Dessie Conneely got Moycullen's account opened when he split the Leitrim Gaels posts. After that, Moycullen began to take the game much more to Leitrim Gaels and turn the tables on the visitors with several well-worked moves that involved a high work rate by the Galway men.

Johnny Moloney helped Moycullen claw back the gap on Leitrim Gaels' early advantage when shot an 8th-minute point. Two minutes later, Leitrim Gaels conceded a close-in free and Dessie Conneely tapped over another Moycullen point.

When Fionn McDonagh and Niall Walsh slotted over points apiece for Moycullen by the 18-minute mark, they levelled matters. In the space of another minute after that, Moycullen took the lead for the first time in the game when Fionn McDonagh tapped over a placed ball.

Moycullen was certainly on a roll now and forced Leitrim Gaels to play second fiddle in nearly all play phases. When Dessie Conneely struck for Moycullen's first goal on the 20-minute mark, it demonstrated how much the Galway side had taken overall command of the game.

Two minutes later, Leitrim Gaels suffered a second sucker punch when a Moycullen ball that was sent into the goalmouth area was flicked to the visitor's net past goalkeeper Brian Cull by Fiachra McDonagh.

Moycullen continued to surge forward, and Sean O'Connor split the Leitrim Gaels uprights with a 24th-minute effort. Leitrim Gaels suffered a further setback three minutes later when they went down to 14 players for a ten-minute period after Shane Finn was shown a black card for a foul on Fionn McDonagh.

Following that, Moycullen finished out the half strongly with Fionn McDonagh (free) and Dessie Conneely hitting point,s which gave them a 2 – 9 to 1 – 2 interval lead over Leitrim Gaels. After the restart, Liam Moreton opened the game's second half scoring when, at the end of a good move, he put over the point for Leitrim Gaels, who hadn't scored for the previous twenty-eight minutes.

Meanwhile, Leitrim Gaels, who had just got some momentum going in their game in the early second half exchanges, were dealt serious blows in the 34th and 36th minutes when two well-orchestrated Moycullen moves were finished to the visitor's net by Fionn McDonagh.

Leitrim Gaels was still down to 14 players at this stage as Shane Finn, who had received a black card before the break, was still on the sideline serving his ten-minute playing ban. When Finn did return to play around the 37-minute mark Leitrim Gaels certainly benefited defensively thereafter as they held Moycullen scoreless for next thirteen minutes.

However, while Leitrim Gales matched Moycullen much better in this period they were unable to reduce Moycullen's fifteen-point's lead as the Gaels also failed to score during this spell. A 48th-minute yellow card was issued to Leitrim Gaels Conall Jones. 

A minute later and when their second half scoring drought ended Moycullen got the score-board ticking again in style with Dessie Conneely firing over a well hit two pointer from play. Shortly afterwards Aidan Flynn blazed a goal bound Leitrim Gaels effort inches over the Moycullen crossbar when finishing a good attacking move by his side.

Leitrim Gaels did get some momentum going again in the second half's final seven minutes. Garvan Jones converted two frees for the visitors with a little over six minutes still to play. But in reply to Garvan's two free conversions, Moycullen's Dessie Conneely hit back with a two-point free tap over.

To their credit, Leitrim Gaels never gave up and finished the game with a little flourish when Shaun Chandler split the Moycullen uprights, while after that Garvan Jones tapped over two late frees.

MOYCULLEN

TEAM: Pierce Greally; Aidan Claffey, Michael Moughan, Sean Kelly; David Wynne, Eoghan Kelly, Sean O'Connor; Paul Kelly, Tom Clarke; Johnny Moloney, Niall Walsh, Gerard Davoren; Fionn McDonagh, Fiachra McDonagh, Dessie Conneely. Subs: Killian Gallagher for Walsh (41); Conor Corcoran for Sean Kelly (43); Eoin McGuire for Claffey (46); Mark Hynes for E Kelly (49); Charlie Cox for Fionn McDonagh (50); Mark Bradley for Maloney (56).

SCORERS: Dessie Conneely 1 – 7 2pf, 2p, f: Fionn McDonagh 2 – 3 2f; Fiachra McDonagh 1 – 0; Johnny Moloney, Sean O'Connor & Niall Walsh 0 – 1 each.

LEITRIM GAELS

TEAM: Brian Cull; Frank Cullen, Aaron Farrell, Shane Finn; Jamie Rynn, Liam Moreton, Liam Chandler; Ryan Jones. Aidan Flynn; Jack Flynn, Garvan Jones, Shaun Chandler; David Regan, Conall Jones, Stephen Goldrick. Subs: Conor Guckian & Eunan Tracey for Moreton & Farrell (39); Michael Connolly for Ryan (43); Ben Finn for Cullen (52); James Flynn for Goldrick (56).

SCORERS: Garvan Jones 1 – 4 3f: Shaun Chandler, Aidan Flynn, Stephen Goldrick, David Regan & Liam Moreton 0 – 1 each.

REFEREE: Jerome Henry (Mayo).