Club Players Competition Division 1 Playoff
Kinawley 1-11 Erne Gaels 2-11
LATE scores from Seamus Ryder helped Erne Gaels to a deserved three-point victory at Patrick McManus Park on Friday night as Declan Bonner’s Belleek side take two points forward to the main league.
Dom Corrigan’s Kinawley roared out of the blocks, opening up a seven-point lead over the Fermanagh county champions with Tiarnan McKenna hitting a two-pointer, followed by two scores from Dylan Boyle.
Erne Gaels, who were missing a number of regular starters including forward Shane Rooney and midfielders Michael Óg McGarrigle and Brian Mullin, finally got off the block when Ultan O’Reilly pointed.
The Belleek men began to get a foothold in the game with Odhran Johnston kicking over another score.
Thomas McCaffrey added on another score for Erne Gaels from a free, but Kinawley then replied with Tomás Corrigan landing two more good scores to give his side a 1-06 to 0-03 advantage at the half-time break.
After the restart, Belleek came out firing with Barry McCann and the lively and hugely influential McCaffrey kicking over a score from range to leave just four between the sides.
At the other end, Boyle then kicked over from distance to reestablish a five-point advantage for Kinawley.
Erne Gaels had looked dangerous on the counter attack in the first half and with 35 minutes on the clock, they managed to hit the back of the Kinawley net, when the classy Ryder finished from close range.
Kinawley rallied though and two scores from Boyle and Corrigan put them back to five in front again.
The pacy Belleek side were dominating around the middle of the park and they managed to cut their way through the heart of the Brian Boru’s defence, with Ben McCann neatly finishing from close range.
With confidence brimming, McCaffrey and McCann then added scores to level the game with six to play.
The Brian Boru’s were struggling to hold on and Erne Gaels continued to pile the pressure on the home side, with Ryder kicking over a standout two-pointer from distance to put them two points ahead.
Ryder was a physical presence up front for Erne Gaels and he managed to convert another two scores, both coming from points from close range, to extend their advantage to four points at McManus Park.
With the game entering injury-time, Kinawley needed a goal to get them back into the encounter but they weren’t able to muster up a goal-scoring opportunity, with Corrigan pointing a single score for the Boru’s.
Erne Gaels Belleek now take two points forward to the main Senior League when it kicks off later this month, with Dom Corrigan’s Kinawley carrying one point into the nine-round competition.