Gortletteragh take the honours
Masonite Senior
Championship Group Three First Round
Gortletteragh 0-10, Melvin
Gaels 0-8
A determined Gortletteragh
side overcame the Melvin Gaels challenge in a hard fought Masonite Senior
Championship Group Three game at Carrick-on-Shannon on Sunday.
In one of the first clashes between the big teams, Gortletteragh set themselves
up nicely in a very difficult group with victory over the Kinlough men last
Sunday afternoon.
Gortletteragh reached the semi-finals last year where they lost out to Fenagh
and they will be determined to go one better this year. Sunday’s victory saw
them put behind them some indifferent league form and will set them up nicely
for tough clashes against Aughavas & Drumreilly in the coming weeks.
Melvin Gaels, however, will be disappointed - their League form has been patchy
while they are blooding a lot of young players to replace the veterans who
achieved so much over the last few years.
Melvin Gaels finished the game with 14 players when Colin Regan was dismissed on
a second yellow card offence in the last minute of normal time.
The outcome of this game was only decided in the dying minutes when
Gortletteragh seemed to find an extra gear as the Gaels were desperately
fighting for a draw.
Matters were evenly matched in the opening eight minutes with David McSharry and
Damien Sheridan hitting points for Melvin Gaels while Stephen Dorrigan and Kevin
McGrath did likewise for Gortletteragh.
The stalemate continued over the next eleven minutes with Melvin Gael’s David
McSharry and Gortletteragh’s Stephen Dorrigan swapping points at opposite ends.
Gortletteragh took the lead for the first time in the game when Stephen Dorrigan
put over a twenty-first minute free and then Dorrigan doubled this advantage
with another point from a free two minutes later.
But Melvin Gaels got back on level terms before halftime after Brendan Brennan
and Martin McCarron shot points apiece , to leave the sides on 0-5 each at the
interval.
Patrick Kane who came on as a halftime sub gave Gortletteragh the lead with a
point from play five minutes after the restart. After thirteen minutes without a
score Fabian McMorrow levelled the game for the fifth time with a well-hit
long-range Melvin Gaels point.
But Gortletteragh edged ahead again with a Darren Duignan point four minutes
later and Stephen Dorrigan increased that advantage when he put over a 54th
minute free.
However Melvin Gaels stayed in the hunt when David McSharry replied with a point
from play two minutes later.
Patrick Kane kept up the pressure for Gortletteragh when he put over a 58th
minute point. But David McSharry again reduced the deficit to the minimum for
Melvin Gaels with a similar score in the first minute of injury time.
Nevertheless that was as close as Melvin Gaels came to forcing a draw. Cathal
Quinn then secured the win for Gortletteragh with a point from play before the
final whistle.
Gortletteragh: Cathal McCrann, Donal Kennedy, Stephen Reilly, Colm
Canning, Colm Mitchell, Dermot Kennedy, Gerard Griffin, Padraig McGarry, Cathal
Quinn (0-1), Kevin McGrath (0-1), Seamus Quinn, Stephen Dorrigan (0-5), Derek
Kelleher, Darren Duignan (0-1), Sean Colreavy. Subs: Frank Flynn for
Mitchell (14 mins), Patrick Kane (0-2) for Colreavy (ht.), Michael Cunningham
for Canning (35 mins).
Melvin Gaels: Gareth Phelan, Padraig McGloin, James Phelan, Matt
Connolly, Paul McGurrin, Fabian McMorrow (0-1), Joe Tiffoney, Michael Tiffoney,
Martin McCarron (0-1), Tom Lipsett, Damien Sheridan (0-1), Paul McGowan, Colin
Regan, Brendan Brennan (0-1), David McSharry (0-4). Subs: Shane McCarron
for M. Tiffoney (43 mins), Colin McGowan for Lipsett (55 mins).
Ref: Thomas Quigley.
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Copyright © The Leitrim Observer 2004.