Oughterard turn the screw on good Neale team
Galway champions Oughterard produced a strong second-half performance to deservedly claim the Connaught intermediate football championship title at Elverys MacHale Park, Castlebar, this evening.
It finished 1-16 to 0-11 in favour of the Galway outfit against Mayo representatives The Neale.
The sides were well-matched in the first half - inseparable, in fact, at 0-7 each - and when Tommy Conroy fired The Neale into the lead with an early second-half point, things were looking good for the home side.
However, Oughterard reeled off 1-4 without reply in the opening 15 minutes of the second half and it was to prove just too big a mountain to climb for the Mayo champions, who were held to that single point for 27 minutes of the second half until Sean Cosgrove landed a free on 55 minutes.
The goal was well crafted from a fine move and finished by man of the match and top scorer Matthew Tierney, but The Neale were left to rue a couple of missed goal chances of their own in the first half.
The Mayo champions crafted two excellent opportunities. Simon Ryan cracked one off the crossbar but the best opening was presented to Oisin Connolly, who had the chance of a tap-in goal served on a plate by Aidan O’Sullivan but an Oughterard defender somehow managed to keep it out of the net.
The Galway champions turned up the heat in the second half and outscored their opponents by 1-9 to 0-4 to run out winners by 1-16 to 0-11.
The Neale: P. Hopkins, D. Morrin, M. Varley, A. Varley, B. O’Halloran (0-1), S. Conroy, S. Morrin, D. Moran, A. O’Sullivan, O. Connolly, F. Sweeney (0-1), S. Cosgrove (0-5f), S. Ryan (0-1), P. Walsh (0-1), T. Conroy (0-1).
Subs used: D. Keane (0-1) for S. Ryan, P. McGrath for D. Morrrin, J. Duffy for D. Moran, O. Coburn for B. O’Halloran.
Oughterard: J. Waller, C. Hanley, P. Walsh (0-1), L. Moran, C. Monaghan, R. Molloy, E. O’Sullivan, E. Tierney (0-4f,), P.J. McGauley (0-1), P. Walsh, M. Tierney (1-6, 5f), E. Lee (0-1), B. Lambert (0-1), N. Lee (0-2, 1f ), R. Monaghan.
Subs used: C. Harte for Lambert, P. Gibbons for Hanley.
Referee: P. McGuckian (Leitrim).