Crosserlough 0-10
Killygarry 0-6

Crosserlough saw off a poor effort from Killygarry this evening at Kingspan Breffni Park to book their place into the last eight of the senior football championship.

Bernard Morris's side, priced as 3/1 outsiders coming into this contest, were hands down the better team in a drab encounter in which their opponents simply failed to get off the ground in. In fact, Killygarry's substitutes equalled that of what the starting team had contributed over the hour in terms of scores (0-3).

The Crubany men also managed just one-point from play during the opening half-hour, which echoes their performance, along with the resolute defending of Crosserlough's backs, whom had another sound display after reducing a fancied Lavey side to just 0-6 from play last weekend.

In a first-half held up by stoppages due mainly to frees and physio treatment, it took nine minutes for the winners to draw first blood through their talisman Barry McKiernan, who swung over off his favoured left boot from 40 metres.

Karl Smith doubled the lead three minutes later from full-forward before some excellent work from Dara McVeety released Colin Lynch down the right flank and the half-back slotted between the posts to further cushion the Kilnaleck men's advantage.

A Martin Reilly free in the 15th minute couldn't come quick enough for Killygarry, whom had started slow for the second weekend in-a-row, and when wing back Fergal Clarke punched a hole in Crosserlough's stingy defence their arrears were reduced to just one, with plenty of time remaining to take a lead in at the interval.

However, 16-year-old Pierce Smith quickly reset the tone for Crosserlough, after cutting in from the left and tapping over, and two McKiernan frees inside 30-metres saw them cruise into a justified 0-6 to 0-2 half-time lead.

It was more of the same in the early stages of the second-half, with both sides turning over the ball and giving away careless frees, as it took 11 minutes for a score to arrive - Killygarry's second from play through substitute Daniel Talbot.


The victors' response would end up being enough to see them over the line, with a Pierce Smith free being backed up by Karl Smith, who was sent through by Jonathan Crowe, and a fine take and finish over from McKiernan coasting them six points clear on the final quarter mark.

Reilly (free) and John Lyng, on as a replacement for Andy O'Brien, reduced the struggling Crubany outfit's arrears to four and Stephen McGovern had them somehow within a goal in the closing minutes.

However, Killygarry never looked like getting the goal they needed and it was instead their counterparts that nearly raised a green flag right at the end when James McEvoy scorhing effort came off the top of Patrick Galligan's crossbar, which was enough to ensure the win.

Crosserlough: Ciaran Galligan; Mark Lynch, Pauric Kiernan, Declan McCabe; Damien Lynch, Colin Lynch (0-1), Shane McManus; Jonathan Crowe, Tomas McEvoy; Eoin Cusack, Dara McVeety, James McEvoy (0-1); Barry McKiernan (0-4, 2f), Karl Smith (0-2), Pierce Smith (0-2, 1f). Subs: Karl Lynch for D McCabe (inj, 30mins), Adrian Smith for K Smith (48), David Shalvey for P Kiernan (53), Jimmy Higgins for B McKiernan (60).


Killygarry: Patrick Galligan; Michael McGovern, Padraig Cahill, Daryl McKenna; Ross Sheridan, Andy McGovern, Fergal Clarke (0-1); Brendan Murray, Paddy Lynch; Shane Kelly, Martin Reilly (0-2, 2f), Thomas Leonard; Stephen McHugh, Niall Smith, Andy O'Brien. Subs: Daniel Talbot (0-1) for N Smith (19mins), Stephen McGovern (0-1) for S McHugh (40), John Lyng (0-1) for A O'Brien (45), Conor Connolly for F Clarke (53), Cathal Keaney for S Kelly (53).

Ref: Gerry Sheridan (Mullahoran) Tweet

Most Read Stories