Gormley uPVC Senior Football Championship Round 1A

Clontibret 1-12 Castleblayney 0-9                           18/8/13

Clontibret made a winning start to the SFC with a fairly comfortable win over Castleblayney in Inniskeen last Sunday. Conor McManus hit 1-6 to lead last year’s beaten finalists to victory against a wasteful Blayney side. Vincent Corey, Colum Greenan and Conor Boyle were also to the fore for Clontibret, while Ciarán and Barry Hanratty and Damien Hughes were among the few to make any impact for Blayney.

Conor McManus got Clontibret up and running with a point from play and even though Ciarán Hanratty won and scored a 20-metre free for Blayney, Vincent Corey quickly regained the lead for the favourites. McManus then won and scored a 13-metre free and even after Damien Hughes and Martin McElroy brought Blayney level, the county forward then landed a 40-metre free after a foul on Brian Greenan.

A poor kick-out allowed Dermot Malone to set up Aidan Ward for a Blayney point, but McManus won and scored another 40-metre free, before Ryan McGuigan added a good point. McManus then raced onto a pass from Vincent Corey, only to see his shot at goal saved by Blayney keeper Pádraig McBennett and Hanratty fisted over at the other end to leave the Faughs just a point down at half-time: 0-6 to 0-5.

When Vincent Corey was brought down at the end of a trademark run in the early stages of the second half, it gave McManus the simple task of tapping over a close-range free and the full-forward was then himself grounded inside the square, before dusting himself down to bury the penalty past McBennett. A well-worked move involving Anthony Rooney, Martin Corey and McManus created another goal chance for Ryan McGuigan, who hit the side-netting, while Cormac Brady burst through the Clontibret defence for a great opportunity, only to drill the ball wide.

A Paddy Finnegan point for Blayney was quickly cancelled out by Colum Greenan, before Clontibret sub Michael McEniff took his point from a goal chance created by Darach Mooney and Rooney. Vincent Corey linked up with Rodney Gorman to kick a fine point and although Blayney made plenty of chances, their finishing was wasteful, particularly from a brace of close-range frees by Martin McElroy. They did eventually get a point from a 20-metre free by Hanratty, following a foul on Brendan McElroy, who converted a similar effort after Hanratty had been fouled, but David Savage released McManus to add a point, before sub Noel Morgan curled over a nice score. Hanratty had a late attempt at goal after he had been well-placed by Brendan McElroy, but his shot went just over and Clontibret closed the game out to book a clash with league leaders Scotstown.

Clontibret: A Morgan; M Corey, C Boyle, D Mooney; V Corey (0-2), D Mone, B Greenan; C Greenan (0-1), P McGuigan; D Savage, A Rooney, R Gorman; F Mone, C McManus (Capt., 1-6, 1-0 pen, 0-4f), R McGuigan (0-1).

Subs: E Greenan for B Greenan, M McEniff (0-1) for F Mone (both H-T), J P Mone for Mooney (44), E McGuigan for R McGuigan (45), N Morgan (0-1) for Gorman (53).

Castleblayney: P McBennett; M Hanratty, M Treanor, K Duffy; J McHugh, B Hanratty, D Hughes (0-1); C Gurn, C Brady; P Finnegan (0-1), D Malone, P Tavey; A Ward (0-1), M McElroy (0-1), C Hanratty (Capt., 0-4, 2f).

Subs: G Ward for Gurn, B McElroy (0-1f) for Tavey (both 44), N Duffy for A Ward (53), U Brady for Hughes (61).

Referee: D Helferty (Truagh).