Gormley uPVC Senior Football Championship Preliminary Round

Latton 1-9 Carrickmacross 2-4

 

Latton could afford to kick 16 wides and still just about emerge from this SFC preliminary-round clash with Carrickmacross in Inniskeen on Sunday. Despite being on top for most of the game, Latton were never able to pull away and         Carrick, who led a few times during the game, stayed in touch throughout and could have stolen a win but for Seán Farmer saving Stephen Gollogly’s penalty in the closing minutes of the first half. Owen Lennon, Owen Coyle, Bernard O’Brien and Thomas Connolly did most to see Latton, who lost county star Owen Duffy to an ankle injury ten minutes from time, through, while Gollogly, Cillian Cromwell, Conor McEnaney and Mark McNally were the main men for Carrick.

Latton were totally dominant in the opening ten minutes, but their finishing let them down time and again, meaning that all they had to show for it was a point each from Thomas Connolly and Aidan Farmer. Hugh McElroy added a point from a 30-metre free after a foul on Connolly, but with Latton’s wides tally already inching towards double figures, they were pegged back by a quick burst of 1-1 from Carrick, who finally got their first score in the 20^th minute when Stephen Gollogly sent over a free from the right wing, following a foul on Séamus Mulholland.

Mulholland was the provider for the Carrick goal, which saw Cillian Cromwell cut through and give Seán Farmer no chance. Latton hit back with a nice point from Bernard O’Brien and they soon reclaimed the lead when Niall Traynor turned a loose ball home from close range after Carrick keeper Andrew O’Rourke had parried a fisted effort by McElroy from a high ball in by Connolly. Carrick had a great chance to get back on level terms when Gollogly jinked through the Latton defence and won a penalty for a foot-block by Patrick Shannon, but the county man’s spot-kick was well saved by Seán Farmer. That meant Latton went in at half-time ahead by 1-4 to 1-1.

Shannon had a goal chance in the early minutes of the second half when he was sent through by Stephen Fitzpatrick, only to be denied by O’Rourke, while Seán Farmer had to again be on his toes at the other end when Ryan McEnaney threatened after good work by Cromwell. A strong run by James Conlon created another Carrick goal chance which was blazed over by Mulholland, but the Emmets didn’t have long to wait until Cromwell and Aaron Lynch combined to set up Gollogly to blast into an empty net.

O’Brien linked up with Owen Lennon to bring Latton level and although Gollogly then tapped over a 13-metre free after a late tackle on Conlon, McElroy landed another equaliser from a 30-metre free after Owen McNally had touched the ball on the ground. An excellent left-footed point from Gollogly was quickly cancelled out by McElroy’s third point, from a 20-metre free after a foul on Aidan Farmer, before Seán Farmer again rescued Latton by saving from Gollogly. Fitzpatrick and Owen Coyle linked up to create a point for Latton substitute Damian Duffy and another O’Rahillys replacement, Stephen McCabe, then got on the end of a pass from Coyle to double their lead. Carrick kept going until the end, but the closest they came to scoring was when Gollogly hit an upright from a 30-metre free, so Latton will face defending champions Ballybay in the first round proper.

 

 

Latton: S Farmer; T Lynch, E Lennon, O Coyle; S Fitzpatrick, K Duffy, D O’Brien; O Lennon, A Farmer (0-1); N Traynor (1-0), B O’Brien (0-2), T Connolly (0-1); P Shannon, H McElroy (Capt., 0-3f), O Duffy.

Subs: S McCabe (0-1) for O Duffy (inj., 50 mins), D Duffy (0-1) for Lynch (53), P Conlon for McElroy (inj., 59).

 

Carrickmacross: A O’Rourke; O McNally, J McGeown, A Murray; R McCabe, D Finnegan, M McNally; J Conlon, J G Conlon; C Cromwell (1-0), C McEnaney, R McEnaney; S Gollogly (Capt., 1-3, 0-2f), A Lynch, S Mulholland (0-1).

Subs: P O’Hanlon for J G Conlon (36), C Ward for Mulholland (41), P Martin for Lynch (56).

 

Referee: D Boylan (Killanny).