McNulty’s Furniture Roscommon IFC play-off
Fuerty 0-15 St Brigid’s 0-9
Kevin Egan at Ballyforan
It felt appropriate that after a turbulent group campaign where Fuerty looked excellent against Éire Óg but a long way short of that in their subsequent contests that on Friday night they laboured heavily against St Brigid’s for most of the first half before finally finding the form they needed to secure a knockout clash with St Dominic’s this weekend.
On the form that Fuerty showed over the last 35 minutes of this tie, where they came from 0-5 to 0-2 behind to rack up what proved to be a comprehensive win, they will offer a tough test to the erstwhile championship favourites. If they replicate their sluggish play from the start of the tie, they’ll do well to keep the ball kicked out to the Knockcroghery side.
Some credit must of course go to St Brigid’s, who had a dominant half-back line in Davy Cunniffe, Alan Daly and Brian Nestor, and who built on that to establish a strong platform. Nestor and Conor Gleeson kicked the best of their points, but with neither side threatening from outside the arc, points from John Brennan and Colin Murray in the closing minutes left the game finely poised at half-time.
The third quarter was more arm-wrestling, with a needless hold on Cormac Lavin giving Gearóid Ennis the chance to raise the only orange flag of the game from a free.
Lavin, Cian Murray and Eoin Ward were starting to grow into the game while Owen Rogers was a constant threat in the right corner, scoring five points in total which included one from play and two frees that were awarded for fouls committed against him.
After missing a couple of scorable chances in the first half, Gearóid Ennis landed a couple of points to give Fuerty some breathing room going into the closing minutes, and while a goal could well have changed the game, St Brigid’s never really threatened to create a good goal chance and ultimately finished the contest with just three points from play.
Eamon Cunnane’s black card stacked the deck against the Kiltoom club even further, allowing Fuerty to kick three points in the closing five minutes to see out a deeply forgettable, but eminently valuable victory.
Fuerty: Joe Fallon; John Brennan (0-1), Darragh Heavey, Martin Connaughton; Eoin Ward, Philip Neilan, Brendan Mullen; Niall Keenan, Eamon Bannon; Cormac Lavin (0-1), Cian Murray (0-1), Colin Murray (0-1); Tadhg Lyons, Gearóid Ennis (0-5, 1tpf, 0-2f), Owen Rogers (0-5, 0-4f). Subs: Cathal Crehan (0-1) for Lyons (58), Kenneth McCormack for Bannon (60+2), Keelan Duke for Keenan (60+2).
St Brigid’s: Evan Gallagher; Shane Keenan, David Dolan, Ciarán Quinn; Davy Cunniffe, Alan Daly, Brian Nestor (0-1); Daniel Meeley, Eamon Cunnane; Conor Gleeson (0-2), Cathal Dolan, John Cunningham; Daniel Keenan (0-6f), Kian Mulligan, Brendan Murphy. Subs: Conor Quinn for Murphy (49), Paddy Higgins for Meeley (53), Gavin Byrne for Cunningham (57)
Referee: Brendan Beirne.
Stat Attack
Wides: Fuerty 10; St Brigid’s 6
Red cards: 0
Black cards: Fuerty 0; St Brigid’s 1 (Cunnane, 53)
Yellow cards: Fuerty 0; St Brigid’s 1 (C Dolan ,60+1)
Man of the Match: Cormac Lavin (Fuerty)
