Drumlin Group of Credit Unions Senior Football League

Truagh 2-12 Monaghan Harps 2-9                          21/4/12

Truagh got their first points of this year’s SFL with a three-point win at home to Monaghan Harps on Saturday. Truagh, who had goals from Pádraig and Paddy McKenna, were nine points up early in the second half, but needed to hold off a late charge by the Harps, who had the gap down to two going into the last five minutes. Mark Counihan, Niall Coyle Paddy McKenna and John McCarron played well for Truagh, while Liam Hahessy, Shane Smyth and Paddy Connolly were best for the Harps.

The Harps were first off the mark through a Neil McAdam free, but points by Mark Counihan and Christopher McKenna (free) gave Truagh a lead which they never let slip. After Niall Coyle had been denied by Harps keeper Mark Hughes, Paddy McKenna, Counihan and Christopher McKenna made it five without reply for the hosts and although Gareth Treanor got the Harps’ first score from play on 20 minutes, Pádraig McKenna got on the end of a Counihan pass to fire home the first goal and open up a six-point gap. The Harps quickly hit back when Liam Hahessy scored a superb individual goal at the end of a solo run and they closed to within two when Donal Hahessy converted a 25-metre free. Truagh regained control, however, as Counihan kicked his third point and Paddy McKenna punched to the net after a long ball from Niall McQuillan bounced off Hughes. Niall Coyle added a point to make it 2-7 to 1-3 at half-time.

Liam Hahessy got the first point of the second half, but it was soon cancelled out by McQuillan, before scores from Coyle and Paddy McKenna moved Truagh nine clear. A point by Shane Smyth and a save by Hughes from a Paddy McKenna effort kept the Harps in the game and they got a boost when Emmett McArdle cracked in their second goal. Christopher McKenna replied from a free, but two points from play by Smyth, a ’45 by McAdam and a Donal Hahessy free cut the Harps’ deficit to two. Coyle’s third point restored Truagh’s three-point lead, though, and they held on to get off the mark.

Truagh: I Treanor; J McCarron, N Feely, J Treanor; J Halligan, A Coyle, R Treanor; P Treanor, N McQuillan (0-1); Pádraig McKenna (1-0), N Coyle (0-3), E Kelly; C McKenna (0-3, 2f), Paddy McKenna (1-2), M Counihan (Capt., 0-3).

Subs: D McRory for Counihan (inj.), A Treanor for Paddy McKenna, D Finnegan for Kelly.

Monaghan Harps: M Hughes; N Hahessy, C Galligan, P Rushe; G Treanor (0-1), N McAdam (Capt., 0-2, 1f, 1 ’45), S Coyle; G White, P Coyle; P Connolly, D Hahessy (0-2f), N Scott; D Loughran, S Smyth (0-3), L Hahessy (1-1).

Subs: E McArdle (1-0) for Loughran (34 mins), N Treanor for Scott (58).

Referee: D Boylan (Killanny).