Club Players’ Competition 1A Round 5
Belcoo 1-03 Kinawley 6-17
A STRONG Kinawley inflicted a heavy 29-point defeat on a depleted Belcoo side at MacNean Park last weekend, as they set up a playoff meeting against county champions Erne Gaels.
Two goals from Tiernan McKenna and Dylan Boyle, as well as majors from Patrick McGovern and Dara Cathcart, helped Dom Corrigan’s charges to a comfortable win against a struggling Belcoo.
Earlier in the week, Ciarán Flaherty, who was in temporary charge of the O’Rahilly’s, stepped away as manager, with club chairman John Joe Stewart filling in on the sideline on Friday.
The game was all but over as a contest at half-time as Kinawley opened up a 14-point lead.
Boyle, Tomás Corrigan, McKenna and Dara Cathcart were all on target for the Brian Boru’s in the opening half, with a youthful Belcoo side struggling to get to grips with the intensity of the game.
The Boru’s struck for their first goal of the game on the stroke of half-time when Patrick McGovern finishing off a well-crafted move involving Cathcart and Owens to the Belcoo net.
Despite the heavy deficit, the Belcoo side rallied after the restart, hitting 1-01 without reply.
From the throw-in, Belcoo countered up the pitch with Eoin Corrigan rattling the net with a good strike from 20-metres, leaving Kinawley goalkeeper Shea McElroy rooted to the spot.
Lawrence McKeown followed up with a point for the home side. He also could have had a goal when he unleashed a powerful shot towards the Kinawley net, with his effort trickling wide.
While Belcoo went all-out and pushed forward in a bid to get back into the game, Boyle scored Kinawley’s second goal when he weaved his way through the defence and poked home.
Corrigan and Cathcart added further points for the Boru’s, with the clinical McKenna scoring a quick-fire brace to well and truly put the game beyond the reach of a struggling Belcoo side.
With the victory already secured, Kinawley rang the changes in the third quarter with substitutes Daire Cleary, Oisin McKenna and Conor Simmons all adding on scores for their sides.
Belcoo struggled to convert any of their chances, with McKeown managing to point two frees.
Late in the game, Cathcart and McKenna struck for two more Kinawley goals as they ran out convincing 29-point winners at MacNean Park on Friday night.
On Friday, the Boru’s host Erne Gaels at Patrick McManus Park in the Club Players’ Competition playoff. The winner will take two points forward to the main league, with the loser claiming one.
Belcoo, meanwhile, travel to St Molaise Park in Irvinestown. The winner of that game will take one point forward to the senior league.
