Burrishoole 1-6 (9) CLG Acla 7-13 (34) Achill U14s continued their bid for championship success with a comprehensive victory over near neighbours Burrishoole at McGovern Park, Newport this evening. Achill started the brighter of the two teams, the game barely a minute old when Eóin Murphy, having recovered well from an injury sustained in last week's game, made his first touch count by sending the ball over the bar. Most of the first half was nip and tuck with Colin Grealis blazing a fine scoring trail for much of the half. These Achill scores were ably added to by some powerful contributions from Eóin Murphy as well as two beautiful backward kicks from James O' Hara. As the half neared its conclusion Chris Dever also added his name to the score sheet, palming a cleverly taken free from Seán McNamara into the net, to leave Achill in quite a comfortable position. As the short whistle sounded the visitors led the hosts 3-8 to 1-5. Praiseworthy performances also in that first half from John McGinty between the sticks, JP Lavelle and Cian McCarthy. It would be interesting to speculate on what odds might have been offered on Seán McNamara not registering a score for an entire half, but this is what transpired during the opening half this evening at McGovern Park. The early minutes of the second half provided nothing in the way of scoring despite some very impressive patches of play from both sides. The advancing runs of the Burrishoole No 9 were extremely enjoyable to watch, his efforts deserving far more than they yielded. The second half was almost at the 10 minute mark when Colin Grealis took up where he left off in the previous half, kicking over Achill's first score. Seán McNamara eventually opened his account with a well taken free. He then combined with Ciarán Callaghan for an exquisite steal just inside the midfield area, the result of which was a well taken goal from the latter. Anyone concerned about Seán McNamara's scoring abilities this evening need not have worried, as he was obviously just saving the best until last, converting no less than 3 goals as the game entered its final stages. The first one of these goals saw him reliving his U12 days, when an attempt at a point found its way into the back of the Mulranny end goal. Michael Lavelle also tapped over in this period. Burrishoole continued to threaten Achill in all areas of the field. The only place this was not reflected was the scoreboard. John McGinty continued the defensive prowess demonstrated by him in the opening half, with Thomas McNamara and an omnipresent Ciarán Callaghan mopping up anything he missed. As the game entered its final minutes, the considerable crowd was treated to a delightful piece of play which saw Eóin Murphy advancing for a certain score, but choosing instead to pass to younger team mate Jack Kilbane, who made no mistake as he took his point. It was an unselfish move, which saw Eóin place leadership and encouragement above personal glory, a mark of the maturity and team spirit that continues to be fostered among these lads who have represented their club so proudly and loyally since they started together at Under 8. Tonight's result should mean Achill advance to the next stages of the competition. Go n-éirí libh! CLG Acla: John McGinty, Thomas McNamara, Ciarán Callaghan (1-0), JP Lavelle, Seán McNamara (3-2), Cian McCarthy, Chris Dever (1-0), Conor English, Fionn Ó Mongáin, Colin Grealis (2-3), Michael Lavelle (0-1), James O' Hara (0-3), Eóin Murphy (0-3), Tomás Gallagher. Subs: Cian Gallagher for Tomás Gallagher, Jack Kilbane (0-1) for James O' Hara. |
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