Gormley uPVC Senior Football Championship Semi-Final

Scotstown 3-13 Ballybay 2-9                                    28/9/13

 

Scotstown qualified for their second SFC Final in three years with a seven-point win over 2012 winners Ballybay in Clones last Saturday. Scotstown’s dominant performance was built around midfield superiority, with Shane Carey and Conor McCarthy capitalising on that to hit a combined total of 3-5. Darren and Kieran Hughes, Dónal Morgan and James Turley were also to the fore for Scotstown, while Paul Finlay and Christopher McGuinness were best for a Ballybay side, who couldn’t hit the heights of last year, not helped by losing Thomas Kerr to injury.

Shane Carey (two frees) and Paul Finlay (a free and a ’45) twice swapped points from frees in the early stages, before Kieran Hughes hit the first point of the match with a well-taken outside-of-the-boot effort. Darren and Kieran Hughes and Shane Carey then combined to set up Conor McCarthy to score the opening goal, but Ballybay hit back straight away when Shane McQuillan released Finlay to fire home.

Finlay then won and scored a 50-metre free, but McCarthy replied with an outside-of-the-boot point after good work by Darren Hughes, before Finlay tapped over a 20-metre free for a foul on Christopher McGuinness. A foul on Francis Caulfield allowed Rory Beggan to boot over a 45-metre free, however, which saw Scotstown go in level at 1-5 apiece, having played against the wind in the first half.

Ballybay keeper Seán Gorman kept his side on level terms with saves from Carey and McCarthy in the first three minutes of the second half, before Beggan converted a ’45 to edge Scotstown ahead. The north-Monaghan side took charge when a Brian McGinnity cross was flicked to the net by Carey and although Finlay replied from a 35-metre free after a foul on Drew Wylie, a Carey point kept Scotstown four clear. Ballybay halved their deficit through a point from play by Finlay and a 30-metre free by Christopher McGuinness, following a foul on Aaron Toner, but Dónal Morgan responded with a fine point and Beggan landed a 50-metre free after a foul on Darren Hughes, who then set off on a strong run which created a point for Nicholas Corrigan.

Finlay turned provider for Hugh Malone to kick a good score for Ballybay, but Kieran Hughes burst through and unselfishly laid it off for Carey to turn home his second goal from point-blank range and sub Orin Heaphey tapped over from a rebound after Gorman had parried his initial shot. Gorman then denied Carey a possible hat-trick, before Christopher McGuinness got on the end of a pass from sub Colin Malone to get a goal back for Ballybay. Another Darren Hughes run released Paul Grant for a nice point and Carey then completed the scoring to ease Scotstown through to the final, where they will play Clontibret.

 

 

Scotstown: R Beggan (0-3, 2f, 1 ’45); D McArdle, P Keenan, M Duffy; D Morgan (0-1), W Carroll, E Caulfield; F Caulfield, P O’Hara; J Turley, K Hughes (0-1), D Hughes (Capt.); C McCarthy (1-1), N Corrigan (0-1), S Carey (2-4, 0-2f).

Subs: B McGinnity for Duffy (H-T), D McCague for O’Hara (49 mins), O Heaphey (0-1) for F Caulfield (51), P Grant (0-1) for Corrigan (57), E Beggan for Keenan (59).

 

Ballybay: S Gorman; B Wylie, M McArdle, R Wylie; S McQuillan (Capt.), D Wylie, B McCabe; T Kerr, T O’Neill; S McGuinness, A Toner, F McArdle; C McGuinness (1-1, 0-1f), P Finlay (1-7, 0-5f, 0-1 ’45), D Ward.

Subs: C McAviney for Kerr (inj., 14), H Malone (0-1) for B Wylie (29), J Allister for McAviney (41), C Malone for F McArdle (46), J Kerr for Toner (53).

 

Referee: D Lynch (Killeevan).