Loughinisland on course for promotion

5 August 2015

LOUGHINISLAND practically assured themselves of at least a promotion play-off spot with this hard-earned win over third-placed Darragh Cross on Friday night.

On a dastardly night for football, Loughinisland made heavy work of getting the better of Darragh and had the home side been able to include a fit Marcus Miskelly or the suspended Shane Murray, then this could have been their Waterloo.

Darragh wasted a host of scoring opportunities on a night when even the more vaunted players on either side treated the ball as if it was Kryptonite.

Errant passes and wayward shooting were the order of the day in a game that failed to live up to its billing.

Stefan Mason opened the scoring with a 21-metre free in the second minute before Rory Mason doubled Loughinisland’s lead with a point from play three minutes later.

Darragh lost the tight marking Paddy Branney to a rib injury, but even this failed to disrupt their flow with the impressive Michael Monan continually cutting through Loughinisland’s first line of cover, but that was as far as he could get.

The hosts were certainly seeing a lot of the ball, but they had registered four wides by the 15th minute.

That malaise continued before Anton McGrattan converted a 22nd minute free to leave a point between the sides.

Loughinisland got lucky when Paul Digney finished to the net after a pointed effort from Rory Mason was partially blocked.

Darragh started the second half on the front foot and Matty Hardy had to settle for a point in the first minute when he blazed the ball over the bar from a good position.

Loughinisland made a few substitutions in a bid to regain control, but the loss of Johnny Flynn to a head injury didn’t help their cause.

Hardy added another point some 13 minutes later to leave two points in it, but Darragh lost the battling Mark McMahon to a red card and Rory Mason made the hosts pay even more when he converted the resultant free to give his side a 1-3 to 0-3 lead.

The sting had now gone out of Darragh’s play and Rory Mason and Marcus Miskelly swapped points in added time before Aaron McClements finished the scoring with a point from play.

Darragh Cross: R. Miskelly, S. Timoney, O. McConvey, P. Branney, C. Murray, S. Dineen, J. Murray, T. McMahon, J. McKinney, M. McMahon, M. Monan, P. Murray, A. McGrattan (0-1), M. Hardy (0-2), B. Ward. Subs: S. McGouran for Branney, E. Sweeney for P. Murray, M. Miskelly (0-1) for Ward.

Loughinisland: K. Gordon, M. Cochrane, P. Megoran, R. Nixon, P. Nugent, D. Gordon, S. Cochrane, D. O’Toole, A. McClements (0-1), C.Killen, P. Digney (1-0), J. Flynn, S. Mason (0-1), C. Megoran, R. Mason (0-3). Subs: R. Deegan for Digney, R. Stranney for Flynn, E. Orr for Nugent, S. O’Hare for Killen, C. O’Reilly for Orr.

Darragh Cross 0-4

Loughinisland 1-5

ACFL DIVISION 2

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