Longford SFC: Jack Duggan clocks up a magnificent 3-7 in commanding Clonguish win

Although only four points ahead at half-time, a second half scoring spree of 2-6 from their lethal full-forward Jack Duggan guided Clonguish to a 22-point victory against struggling Fr Manning Gaels in the Senior Football Championship Group B clash at Emmet Park, Killoe, on Friday night. 

Clonguish . . . 5-18    Fr Manning Gaels . . . 0-11

There was just no stopping the deadly Duggan who ended up with the magnificent total of 3-7 for the title favourites with the joint managers Liam Belton and John Twaddle opting  to rest their minor players for this one-sided affair. 

Pauric Gill landed the opening point for the understrength Gaels in the first minute but Clonguish responded in style with a brilliant five-man move that yielded a goal. 

Duggan’s  low shot was superbly parried away by Gaels keeper Paddy Collum and Matthew Flynn reacted the quickest to fire the rebound to the net.

Three unanswered points from Oisin Kane, Pauric Gill and Darren Farley put the Gaels ahead by a point on twelve minutes but Clonguish struck back with the next four points from Cormac Flynn, two from Michael Flynn and another point from Daniel Carey to lead by 1-4 to 0-4 after fifteen minutes.

Cian Cassidy then slotted over two points including a free to reduce the arrears to the minimum before Clonguish restored their three-point cushion with a free from Michael Flynn and a point from Duggan.

The Gaels were almost ahead after twenty-six minutes as Cassidy registered another point and then they came close to scoring a goal. JP Farley’s long pass found Jamie Nertney but his low shot across the goal went inches wide of the far post. Shortly after, Cassidy converted a free for a point. 

Just before half-time, a brilliant run and pass from Jamie Dorr found the unmarked Duggan, he jinked inside a Gaels defender and blasted the ball to the bottom right corner of the Gaels net to give Clonguish a four-point lead at the break, 2-6 to 0-8.

Duggan was on fire in the second half scoring 2-6 between the 32nd and 54th minutes while Trevor Clendenning’s charges could only muster two points from Cassidy frees during that period to trail by 4-12 to 0-10.

All six of Duggan’s points came from play including two brilliant two-pointers. His second goal of the match arrived in the 41st minute when his turbo-charged run from the left resulted in him despatching a low diagonal shot to the bottom right corner of the net.

Duggan’s third goal came just two minutes later when a long high ball from Andrew Flynn was brilliantly caught by the towering full-forward and on landing, he turned, and blasted to the net from close range.

The Newtownforbes side added a fifth goal on 57 minutes when Michael Flynn and Cormac Flynn combined superbly to set-up the overlapping Andrew Flynn and he rattled the net.

Matthew Carey then added four unanswered points including a fine two-pointer before Cian Cassidy registered a late, late consolation score from a free for the outclassed Drumlish/Ballinamuck outfit.

Clonguish have won all four of their group games while last year’s Intermediate champions are pointless at the bottom of the table. 

CLONGUISH: Liam Casey; Ross Shields, Ronan Sweeney, Neil Devlin; Daniel Carey (0-1), Andrew Flynn (1-1), Matthew Flynn (1-0); Peter Hanley, Jonathan Burke; Chris Gordon, Matthew Carey (0-4, 1 free, 1 two-pointer), Jamie Dorr; Cormac Flynn (0-2), Michael Flynn (0-3, 1 free), Jack Duggan (3-7, 2 two-pointers).

Sub:- Kevin Burke for C Gordon (47 mins).

FR MANNING GAELS: Paddy Collum; Paul McGee, Jamie Nertney, Calum McGee; Kaelum Gill, Aaron Quinn, JP Farley; Mark Breslin, Pauric Gill (0-2); Oisin Kane (0-1), Mark Hughes, Darren Farley (0-1); Dean Cosgrave, Kevin Whelan, Cian Cassidy (0-7, 5 frees).

Subs:- Leon McKeon for K Gill, Sean Gibbons for K Whelan (both 52 mins).

Referee: Hugh O’Kane (Grattan Óg).