Controversy at boiling point in the Longford Senior Football Championship

Pending a possible investigation by the Longford GAA Competition Control Committee (CCC) in accordance with the report submitted by the referee in charge of the controversial draw between Carrickedmond and Mullinalaghta at Leo Casey Park in Ballymahon on Saturday evening, the senior football championship could be delayed. 

The match official David Tiernan deemed that the crucial clash had finished all square (2-12 to 2-12) as the County Board await his report but there are widespread stories in relation to the actual outcome with St Columba’s adamant they had won by a point, a result that would have knocked Carrick out of the Connolly Cup and into a relegation play-off instead. 

As it turns out in this moment in time, Mullinalaghta are through to the quarter-finals where they are scheduled to meet neighbouring rivals Colmcille and pitted in the same half of the draw is another local derby involving Abbeylara and Granard with one of those clubs making it through to the County SFC final on Sunday October 13.

Going to press in the print edition of the Leader, the result in Ballymahon is bad news for Dromard who produced a very impressive performance to hammer Longford Slashers but exit the championship on scores difference.

With Carrickedmond staging a remarkable comeback (10 points behind at one stage in the second half) to snatch the disputed draw against Mullinalaghta, that result left four clubs deadlocked on five points apiece in the table with Clonguish and Dromard also in the tangle. 

Therefore in accordance with a Longford GAA 2024 Championship regulation the score from the Dromard v Slashers game did not count to determine the final placings in the ‘group of death’ as the town side were not in the equation after crashing out of the competition in bottom place as they now prepare for a relegation play-off against Mostrim.  

As it turned out it was Dromard’s heavy defeat by the wide margin of 14 points against Clonguish in the previous round that sealed their fate in a bitterly disappointing outcome for the joint managers Enda Macken and Gareth Johnston and their players as they end up in a relegation play-off against Kenagh. 

As it stands now the draw for the concluding stages of the Peter Hanley Motors SFC is as follows: 

Quarter-Finals

1. Killoe Emmet Og v Carrickedmond
2. Abbeylara v St Mary’s Granard
3. Colmcille v Mullinalaghta St Columba’s
4. Clonguish v Rathcline 

Games to be played on Saturday September 14 and Sunday September 15 

Semi-Finals

Winner 1 Killoe or Carrickedmond v Winner 4 Clonguish or Rathcline

Winner 2 Abbeylara or Granard v Winner 3 Colmcille or Mullinalaghta

County SFC final on Sunday October 13