Sunday, 24 March 2013

Clinical first half enough for St Senans to take spoils against understrength Moyvane


23-03-2013
St Senans            2-13

Moyvane             3-03

St Senans opened their 2013 Credit Union County Senior Football League Division 4 campaign with a comfortable win over North Kerry rivals Moyvane in a windswept Mountcoal.
In the very testing conditions this was always going to be a game of two halves and so it proved.  However, St Senans greater scoring power in their full forward line allowed them to build up a large enough half time lead of 1-11 to 0-2 and hard and all as Moyvane tried in the second half they could not bridge the gap.

With the aid of the very strong wind, St Senans wasted no time in getting in to their stride and by the 6th minute they had opened up a 0-4 to 0-0 lead with three points from play and a converted free.  Moyvane were really struggling to get out of their own half and the strength of the wind they were playing against was highlighted when a 45 taken by wing back Shane Stack was held up in the wind and dropped just outside the 20 metre line.

Moyvane did open their account in the 10th minute with a point from a free by corner forward Timmy Noonan.  However, St Senans rattled off five more quickfire scores from play, the pick of from impressive corner forward Darragh Kennelly, to extend their lead to 0-9 to 0-1 by the 21st minute.
James Flavin had Moyvane’s first scoring chance in thirteen minutes but was wide from a free whereas the home side were a lot more clinical with their opportunities and extended their lead with two further scores to lead by 0-11 to 0-1 by the 26th minute.
And matters went from bad to worse for Moyvane in the 27th minute when they conceded a penalty and in the process corner back Timmy Kennelly had to be replaced with a serious looking ankle injury.  Wing forward John Barry made no mistake from the spot kick and the uphill battle had now become a mountain for the Moyvane men.  Wing forward Ian McCarthy had the final score of the half for the visitors from a free to leave St Senans leading at half time by 1-11 to 0-2.

Moyvane switched Cathal O’Connor out to midfield at the start of the second half in an attempt to kick start their efforts with the aid of the very strong wind.  However, their hopes were dashed straight from the throw in when St Senans carried the ball in to the wind, and after some lax defending, midfielder Jason Browne was on hand to take the final pass and calmly slot the ball to the net.  Their lead had now been stretched to an unassailable 2-11 to 0-2.

The trademark Moyvane spirit was certainly now required to bring some respectability to the scoreline and credit to Shane Stack and Donal Leahy who started to bring the ball out from the back and take the game to their opponents.  The long, direct, quick ball in to full forward Diarmuid Leahy also began to pay dividends, and after a great catch by Leahy in the 33rd minute he laid off to DJ Keane who kicked Moyvane’s first score from play.  Leahy repeated the dose a minute later and fed Ian McCarthy who finished to the net to reduce the deficit to 2-11 to 1-3.

The home side were now struggling to score from distance in to the wind and were therefore playing the ball in as close to goal as possible but the final pass let them down on occasions and also their shooting began to go astray a little.  They had a good goal chance in the 41st minute which was blazed wide but they did get their first score of the second half with a point from play in the 48th minute to extend their lead to 2-12 to 1-3.

Both sides failed to create any clear cut scoring chances over the next ten minutes as the game began to fizzle out.  A converted free in the final minute by St Senans looked to be the final act of the game but credit to Moyvane who kept battling away and they were rewarded in injury time with goals from Aidan Keane from a penalty and a further effort from the hard working Donal Leahy to leave St Senans the winners on a scoreline of 2-13 to 3-3.        

The St Senans management will be pleased that their charges have got their campaign off to a winning start in such testing conditions.  Darragh Kennelly was ever dangerous in the full forward line while midfielder Jason Browne was my man of the match for his overall ball winning, distribution and the composure to finish his goal so well.  For Moyvane, it was a difficult start for them, and in a very competitive division, the management team will be hoping that they can get some of their more experienced players back in to the team to kick start their campaign.

Moyvane:

D. Fitzmaurice, T. Kennelly, B. Madden, PJ. Reynolds, S. Stack, M. Mulvihill, N. Sheehan, Donal Leahy (1 gl), J.J. Mulvihill, J. Flavin, C. O’Connor, I. McCarthy (1 gl, 1 free), T. Noonan (1 free), Diarmuid Leahy, D.J. Keane(1 pt)

Subs: A. Keane (1 gl, Pen.) for T. Kennelly, K. Kennelly for J. Flavin, PJ stack for T. Noonan

Man of the Match: Jason Browne, St Senans

Referee: Tom O’Sullivan

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