Naomh Mearnóg Triumph Over Crettyard to Reach Leinster Club Semi-Final

Picture Courtesy Paul Barrett

NAOMH MEARNÓG 0-8 

CRETTYARD 0-4

A strong first-half performance proved telling as Naomh Mearnóg accounted for Laois club Crettyard by four points in their AIB Leinster Club Intermediate Football Championship quarter-final at Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon.

Mearnóg controlled large parts of the opening half with two points apiece from Shane Kavanagh and Sean Hawkshaw helping build a healthy 0-6 to 0-1 advantage by half-time.

They failed to build on that lead after the break but had sufficient control to deservedly progress to the last four, albeit in a less than convincing manner.

Both sides struggled to impress in the first quarter with some encouraging approach play undermined by poor decision making in front of goal.

It was Mearnóg that opened the scoring through a Kavanagh free in the 3^rd minute but the visitors struck back two minutes later through a placed ball by Cormac Murphy.

Crettyard were denied the services of their captain and Laois marksman Evan O’Carroll and his absence was keenly felt as they struggled to make any concerted impression up front.

A stalemate ensued as a result before Mearnóg regained their lead through another Kavanagh free and they pushed two points clear by the end of the first quarter as Hawkshaw registered the first point from play in the 15^th minute.

With the Dublin champions prone to over-elaboration when in possession, it was left to influential midfielder Cian Madden to show the way as he curled over a delightful score in the 23^rd minute to enhance his side’s position.

Mearnóg dominated the remainder of the half, with Hawkshaw doubling his own account before Karl Lynch Bissett clipped over a point in added time to move his side five points to the good.

A brilliant score from Murphy within two minutes of the restart raised Crettyard’s morale and he repeated the trick from the outside of the boot to leave just three points between the teams by the 39^th minute.

Mearnóg looked to address their sloppy start to the second-half by introducing Aodhán Fee, Bernard Deay and Kevin O’Brien in the third quarter and they added a much-needed score through Harry Collier in the 44^th minute.

That score failed to discourage the visitors, who remained in contention thanks to Murphy’s fourth point of the contest but their over-reliance on the centre-forward for scores undermined their comeback ambitions.

Mearnóg wasted a number of chances on the counter-attack to put the game to bed but their defence remained steadfast with Gavin Nangle and captain Darren Byrne impressing.

They eventually added an insurance point through substitute Eoin Kelly in the 60^th minute and Crettyard’s misery was complete when Dara Kelly was dismissed in injury time.

Scorers – Naomh Mearnóg: S Kavanagh (2f), S Hawkshaw 0-2 each; K Lynch Bissett, H Collier, C Madden, E Kelly 0-1 apiece. Crettyard: C Murphy 0-4 (1f, 1 ‘45’).

Naomh Mearnóg: M O’Connor; R O’Loughlin, G Nangle, D Byrne; F O’Connor; C Archer, T Cosgrove; S Kavanagh, Sean Hawkshaw, Cian Madden, K Lynch Bissett, J Walsh; S Archer, M Gibbs, H Collier. Subs: B Deay for S Archer (39), A Fee for Walsh (39), K O’Brien for Collier (44), E Kelly for Cosgrove (53).

Crettyard: E O’Shea; D Kelly, James Kelly, B O’Sullivan; A Kavanagh, P Nash, John Brennan; P O’Reilly, P Lalor; M Nash, C Murphy, A Whelan; B Brennan, J Kelly, James Brennan. Subs: C Mulhall for M Nash (12), Josh Kelly for O’Shea (47), P Brennan for B Brennan (51).

Referee: Eamonn O’Connor (Offaly).