Longford SFC: No stopping Carrickedmond in easy win over Mostrim

Carrickedmond overcame the Mostrim challenge in the Senior Football Championship with relative ease in a blustery Keenan Park on Sunday evening.

Carrickedmond . . . 5-14    Mostrim . . . 0-10

 Carrick played with the aid of a strong breeze in the first half but got off to a wasteful start until Aidan McGuire opted to open the scoring with a white flag when a goal may have been on after he received a long pass from Eoghán McCormack.

The energetic Kyle Kenny fisted a brace of scores over the bar as Carrick grew into the game and the pacy attacker was central to the opening goal moments later. 

Kenny’s left footed shot caught in the wind and hung in the air for Eoghán McCormack to attack and while his effort for a fisted point was denied by the post the centre forward was quickest to react and punched the ball to the net.

Sean Kelly curled over a fantastic two pointer to stretch the lead to 8 before Mostrim got off the mark with two fisted points from Thomas Doyle and James Connell.

Carrickedmond dominated the Mostrim kickouts which were hanging in the wind and inviting excellent fields from steady centre back Barry O’ Farrell and Liam Glennon who got on the end of a move to point next for Carrick.

Deadly accurate Brian Mulvey shot over next with a terrific point off his left before notching a ‘45 resulting from an Aidan McGuire goal attempt blocked superbly by Shane Campbell.

Eoghan McCormack extended Carrick’s lead with a brilliant two pointer free from beyond the ‘45 before the move of the game materialised in Carrick’s second goal.

 Garret Higgins started the move when he collected a failed Mostrim effort and worked it out wide through Pauric Dempsey and Brian Mulvey who quickly exchanged passes with Dermot Brady to release Kyle Kenny up the line before centring to McCormack who cleverly palmed to McGuire to provide the finish.

Jack Belton and Ronan Courtney got the final points of the half for Mostrim to leave the half-time scoreline at 2-10 to 0-4.

Mostrim were much improved in the second half and Jack Lynn’s main men stepped up to the plate with second half scores through Ronan Courtney, Jack Belton, Shane Campbell and the evergreen Shane Kiernan. 

Jack Lynn also introduced Fintan Coyle who in his 26th year of playing senior football with Mostrim and he fired over a cracking two pointer. 

Eoghán McCormack’s second goal was enough to dispense any hope of a Mostrim comeback.

These two teams have formed a rivalry in the senior championship over the last 10 years when often found competing against each other for quarter final berths. Tensions did flare at times and Dario Cigliano received a black card but the game was extremely well marshalled by Ballymahon referee Fergal Kelly. 

When Mostrim were reduced to 14, Carrickedmond made most of the space late on in the game to add two more three pointers through minor Cormac Mulvey and chief marksman Aidan McGuire who rounded off with 2-5.

One more win will see Carrickedmond through to a first quarter-final since 2021 but they have two tough games remaining against Granard and Dromard. 

CARRICKEDMOND: Garret Higgins, Conor Mulvey, Rioch Farrell, Dermot Brady, Diarmuid Kelly, Barry O’ Farrell, Pauric Dempsey, Liam Glennon (0-1), Enda Farrell, Sean Kelly (0-2, 1 two pointer), Eoghán McCormack (2-2, 1 two pointer free), Sean Egan, Kyle Kenny (0-2), Aidan McGuire (2-5, 4f), Brian Mulvey (0-2, 1 45). 

Subs:- Patrick Farrell for S Kelly (45 mins, inj), Jack Dempsey for S Egan (48 mins), Darragh Mulligan for D Brady (52 mins, inj), Cormac Mulvey (1-0) for B Mulvey (55 mins).

MOSTRIM: Caolan Hussey, Alex Nugent, Shane Campbell (0-1), Shane Sheridan, Shane Kiernan (0-1), Martin Coyle, Kaylem Lynn, Dario Cigliano, Dylan Hutchinson, Thomas Doyle (0-1), James Connell (0-1), Niall Quinn, Jack Belton (0-1), Maitiu O Donohoe, Ronan Courtney (0-3, 2f).

 Subs:- Fintan Coyle (0-2, two pointer) for T Doyle (40 mins), Andy Devine for M O Donohoe (40 mins), Adam Connaughton for S Sheridan (55 mins), Niall Campbell for N Quinn (55 mins), Pearse McNally for D Hutchinson (55 mins).

Referee: Fergal Kelly (Ballymahon).