Belturbet 2-8
Bailieborough 1-8  

Belturbet put one foot into the quarter-finals of the intermediate football championship on Friday night after Sean Og Lalwor’s goal snatched them a late victory over Bailieborough at Kingspan Breffni.

Despite never trailing in this contest, Padraig Dolan’s side needed Lawlor’s strike in the 61st minute to ensure their second win in as many games after the Shamrocks had twice clawed their way back from four down to level matters.

Enda Henry’s 15th minute goal looked to have the Rories cruising at 1-3 to 0-1 but their east Cavan counterparts roared back and only trailed by one at the break.

Conor Gilsenan’s goal off the bench also trimmed it down to one when the game looked to be slipping away from Bailieborough once more.

Rory Farrell’s fifth point of the night left it honours even as the game headed down the home stretch and a minute into the added four Belturbet strung together the best move of the match to net a killer goal, inflicting the Shamrocks with their second defeat in as many weeks in the process.

Bailieborough had struck three of their seven first-half wides in the opening four minutes of this round two contest, allowing their opponents to seize the first initiative with five on the clock through marksman Henry.  

A 30-metre free from the same man doubled the advantage for the Rories and they could’ve had a goal on nine minutes when Mark Teevan slipped Eoin McGuigan through but the former county’s shot ricocheted off the feet of Stephen Monaghan in the Bailieborough goal.

Henry’s third via a well-struck 40-metre free from the left was cancelled out by Rhys Clarke pointing over the Shamrocks’ first on 14 minutes and just when the trailers looked to gather a bit of rhythm disaster struck them.

Henry was the man again whom tormented them, cutting through the centre and speeding away from two swatting defenders to supply a neat finish low past Monaghan.

It could’ve been one way traffic from there but Michael O’Rourke’s charges responded handsomely to the set-back, with Philip Clarke being slipped through by Niall Comey for their second prior to the latter posting their third single of the evening.

Rory Farrell (free) and Conall McGinley traded whites flags as the game grew 20 minutes old and, as a scoreless period ensued, Farrell made it 1-4 to 0-5 in the 27th minute after being sent through by Comey.

Belturbet bored through for another goal chance in the very next attack, earning a penalty after the Shamrocks fouled possession in their square, but this time Henry couldn’t come up with the goods as he drilled his spot-kick wide and the trailers were let off the hook.

Instead Farrell curled over a sweetly struck free right on the 45-metre line, leaving the minimum (1-4 to 0-6) in it at the interval.

Farrell should have had another early in the restart but shot his central 21-metre free wide.

That free had been earned after Michael Argue was fouled trying to find substitute Gilsenan on the edge of the square, but the chance was squandered and instead Dolan's men strung together back-to-back points.

The first after Henry was unlucky to see his courageous goal effort tipped over by Monaghan and the second coming via a 35-metre off the left boot of Cormac Donohoe.

Henry earned Donohoe another free to tap over in the 38th minute as the men in maroon looked to get into a groove.

Trailing by four again, the Shamrocks stayed with the tactic of aiming for Gilsenan inside and come the 41st minute it would pay full dividends when Paul Hanley crossed in from the left and the ex-Cavan ‘keeper steered the ball home past Cian Vaughan’s dive.

It was very much ‘Game On’ after that as McGinley and Farrell traded points down their flanks, leaving one it entering the final quarter of an hour.

Defences ruled for its entirety and it would take the added minutes for the game’s decisive moment to arrive.

A stirring burst forward from the left half-back position saw McGuigan carry possession some 50 metres from Belturbet before feeding Henry, who slipped through Lawlor and he neatly applied the low finish.

That left Bailieborough in sore need of a goal of their own and it never came their way as the victors’ stingy defence held out in the dying minutes to leave a last eight place within touching distance.

Belturbet: Cian Vaughan; Peter Shannon, Damien O’Reilly, Kevin McConnell; Shane Fitzpatrick, Mark Lawlor, John Cahill; Cormac Donohoe (0-2, 2f), Mark Teevan; Enda Henry (1-4, 2f), Eoin McGuigan, Niall Lawlor; Conor Vaughan, Sean Og Lawlor (1-0), Conall McGinley (0-2). Subs: Niall O’Reilly for Conor Vaughan (52mins), Mark Tully for N Lawlor (56), Jason O’Reilly for M Teevan (60), Killian Murray for S Og Lawlor (60).

Bailieborough: Stephen Monaghan; Jack Smith, Aidan Reilly, Jack Barry; Oisin Clarke, Sean Cooney, Philip Clarke (0-1); Michael Argue, Peter Clerkin; Paul Hanley, Rhys Clarke (0-1), Niall Comey (0-1); Damien Reilly, Gary Daly, Rory Farrell (0-5, 2f). Subs: Conor Gilsenan (1-0) for O Clarke (HT), Luke Gilsenan for D Reilly (42mins), Jack Clerkin for P Hanley (45), D Reilly for L Gilsenan (55, inj).

Ref: Barry McMenamin (Kill Shamrocks)

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