Moynalty 4-18 Drumconrath 1-09 

Moynalty delivered a devastating second-half performance to blow away Drumconrath in their Group A clash. In truth, the contest was effectively over just 12 minutes into the second half when Pauric O’Connor rifled the ball into the back of the Drumconrath net, putting Moynalty eight points ahead and sending a strong message to the rest of the group.

It was Drumconrath who started the brighter of the two sides, opening the scoring in the third minute and capitalising on a strong breeze to notch three unanswered points. Moynalty were under early pressure and seemed content to absorb it, but their discipline faltered at times, conceding a handful of soft frees which Drumconrath converted with ease, much to the frustration of the Moynalty support.

Pauric O’Connor responded with a trademark long-range effort to get Moynalty on the board, but Drumconrath continued to battle hard and added further scores to their tally, It was clear Moynalty weren’t going to get it all their own way. Jude Gilsenan chipped in with a point, and O’Connor added another following a slick move from the back.

Drumconrath were again awarded a free when Moynalty were penalised for leaving only two men up front, and they tacked on another score shortly after. However, Johnny Lynch had the final say of the half, landing a long-range free deep into injury time to leave just one point between the teams at the break.

Half-Time: Moynalty 0-06 Drumconrath 0-07 

The second half was one Drumconrath will want to quickly forget. From the throw-in, Moynalty seized control and never looked back. Pauric O’Connor immediately found the busy Dylan Farrelly and he teed up Paddy Byrne, who opened his account with a fine point from distance. That set the tone for what was to come.

Ollie Sheridan and O’Connor then produced two superb two-pointers from the right side, and Podge extended the lead further after a well-worked move involving Niall O’Connor. However, it was the seventh-minute score that truly ignited the Moynalty crowd, young Sean McMahon, making his Championship debut, delivered a pinpoint foot pass to Podge, who rifled it to the back of the Drumconrath net. Moynalty were rampant. Their dominance continued as Niall O’Connor netted a second goal moments later, followed by a booming two-pointer from John Brogan on the right. Dylan Farrelly then got on the scoreboard after a surging run down the left wing.

Further scores from the impressive John Brogan (2) and Jude Gilsenan widened the gap, prompting Moynalty to ring the changes. Jake Smyth and young Cathal Donohue came on for Pauric O’Connor and Dylan Farrelly, and Donohue wasted no time making his mark with a fine point from the left.

Drumconrath, to their credit, responded with a rare foray forward, their midfielder bursting through the middle before offloading to an onrushing attacker who found the net past Johnny Lynch. This however was a brief reprieve. More Moynalty substitutions saw Nicky McKenna and Cormac Kearney enter the fray, and the attacking intensity didn’t drop. Donohue and McMahon continued to torment the Drumconrath defence, their link-up play on the left setting up Paul Lynch for Moynalty’s third goal.

Drumconrath managed a final point just before full-time, but the last word fittingly belonged to substitute  Donohue, who capped a superb performance with a composed finish to the net, Moynalty’s fourth goal and the exclamation point on a dominant display.

Full-time score: Moynalty 4-18 Drumconrath 1-09

Moynalty Scorers: Pauric O’Connor 1-04, John Brogan 0-04, Paul Lynch 1-01, Niall O’Connor 1-01, Cathal Donohoe 1-01, Jude Gilsenan 0-02, Ollie Sheridan 0-02, Johnny Lynch 0-01, Dylan Farrelly 0-01, Paddy Byrne 0-01

Moynalty Team: Johnny Lynch, Ronan Lynch, Liam Brogan, Richie Gilsenan. Dylan Farrelly, Adam Reilly, John Brogan, Niall O’Connor, Paddy Byrne, Ollie Sheridan, Paul Lynch, Sean McMahon, Jude Gilsenan, Bryan McCormack, Pauric O’Connor.

Subs Used: Jake Smyth, Nicky McKenna, Cathal Donohoe, Cormac Kearney

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