Universal Graphics Junior Football Championship Final Replay

Emyvale 4-9 Blackhill 1-9                             12/10/13

 

Emyvale took their second chance in some style when they produced a much-improved performance to win the JFC Final Replay against Blackhill under lights in Inniskeen last Saturday evening. Daniel McMahon starred with 2-4 and Daithí Colton and Michael Flannery also found the net as Emyvale led from start to finish, in stark contrast with the drawn game six days earlier. The goal-scorers received good support from James Bellew, John Flannery and Ryan McAnespie, while Philip Donnelly and Ciarán and Ryan Courtney made most impact for Blackhill.

Emyvale made an explosive start, as Daniel McMahon slalomed through the Blackhill defence to crash to the net in the first minute and he soon doubled his tally after rounding goalkeeper Michael Shevlin, following a Ryan McAnespie tackle. Ryan Courtney got Blackhill off the mark with an inspirational point after he had dispossessed McAnespie, but they missed a chance to get back into it when Paul Finnegan went close to firing home from a Colin Woods cross.

Daithí Colton restored Emyvale’s six-point lead, before McAnespie and Woods swapped points from 25-metre frees, following fouls on David McAlister and Philip Donnelly. Woods then went within inches of getting a goal back for Blackhill, who sustained a sucker punch when Colton, who had just hit his second point, punched home Emyvale’s third major in the 24^th minute after good approach play by James Bellew and McAlister. A foul on Ciarán Courtney allowed Dermot Daly to convert a 25-metre free for Blackhill and they got another point back through Donnelly, but they still trailed by 3-3 to 0-4 at half-time.

Donnelly began the second half the way he had ended the first, by scoring a fine point from play, and although McMahon linked up with McAnespie to respond, Donnelly then turned provider for Paul Finnegan to fire over. Finnegan quickly added another and Daly converted a 30-metre free for a foul on Michael Geehan, but McMahon landed a fine score at the end of a move involving Colton and McAlister to keep Emyvale in charge. A superb pass by Donnelly released Ciarán Courtney to get the goal which looked set to kick-start Blackhill’s challenge, closing the gap to three, but McMahon continued to point the way for Emyvale as he sent over a 30-metre free for a high tackle on Colton, who then set up the top scorer to again find his range from play.

The game was over as a contest with ten minutes remaining when a perfectly-flighted pass by McAlister sent sub Michael Flannery in to blast beyond Shevlin, who was quickly off his line two minutes later to intercept a Flannery pass. A Colin Woods point proved to be Blackhill’s only score of the last 20 minutes, with Daly drilling a low shot wide late on, before sub Martin McAree linked up with McMahon to kick the final point for Emyvale. The north-Monaghan side’s captain James Bellew accepted the Packie Boylan Cup, with Daniel McMahon unsurprisingly named Man of the Match.

 

Emyvale: G McCaffrey; J Flannery, M Brown, C Connolly; K McQuaid, G Devlin, S McMeel; C Hughes, J Bellew (Capt., 0-1); R McAnespie (0-1f), D McAlister, G McQuaid; D McMahon (2-4, 0-1f), D Bellew, D Colton (1-2).

Subs: B Askin for McMeel (inj., H-T), M Flannery (1-0) for G McQuaid (34 mins), Martin McAree (0-1) for K McQuaid (52), S Askin for Brown (60), M Flood for McAlister (61).

Temporary sub: J McAlister for McMeel (19-HT).

 

Blackhill: M Shevlin; C Costello, Shane Courtney (Capt.), D McDermott; A Courtney, D Courtney, R Courtney (0-1); E Byrne, D Daly (0-2f); Paul Finnegan (0-2), H Byrne, C Courtney (1-0); M Geehan, P Donnelly (0-2), C Woods (0-2, 1f).

Subs: D Woods for H Byrne (35), A Burns for D Woods (inj., 43), Stephen Courtney for Finnegan (56).

 

Referee: K Rudden (Killeevan).