Longford SFC: Granard St Mary’s win but miss out on a quarter-final place

Despite securing the victory needed to keep their quarter-final chances alive, St. Mary’s Granard missed out on a place in the knockout stages of the Senior Football Championship due to Carrickedmond’s narrow win over Dromard.

St. Mary’s Granard . . .  3-15  Mostrim . . . 1-10

Although only leading by a point at half-time, 1-6 to 1-5, two Jamie Brady Hynes goals in the second half steered Paul Lynch’s charges to a comfortable eleven-point victory against Mostrim at Monaduff Park in Drumlish on Friday night.   

St. Mary’s led by 1-2 to no-score after nine minutes with Ben Blessington and Brady Hynes splitting the uprights. The goal was a brilliant move as Jordan Martin’s long ball was superbly fielded by Charlie Martin and he laid the ball off to the inrushing Mark Tully who blasted home from close range.

Mostrim fired over the next three points through a Ronan Courtney free, Jack Belton, and Tommy Doyle. However, the North Longford side replied with four points of their own courtesy of Tully, James Kiernan, and two Brady Hynes scores (one free), to hold a 1-06 to 0-03 advantage after twenty-two minutes.

Mostrim finished the half strongly with an unanswered 1-02 to just trail by a point at the interval. In between two Courtney points which included a free, Jack Lynn’s side scored a fortuitous goal. A high Cigliano shot which was going well wide should have been left by the Mary’s sub keeper Liam O’Sullivan but he decided to catch the ball which he then dropped and after the ball ping-ponged around the goal mouth, it seemed to be a shot from Kaylem Lynn that took a big deflection off defender Tom Kearney and somehow the ball ended up in the net.

Ten minutes into the second half, Saint Mary’s held a 1-10 to 1-08 lead. Harry Kiernan, a monster two-pointer from Darren Gallagher from well beyond the arc, and a Brady Hynes point added to the Granard score. In reply, a Shane Kiernan point, and a two-point free from Courtney kept Mostrim in the contest.

However, Mostrim would only add two further points through two Courtney frees for the rest of the match, while Mary’s reeled off 2-05 in that period.

For the second time of the match, a long ball in from Jordan Martin set-up the three pointer, but this time it was Brady Hynes who caught the ball, and he turned his marker to power the ball to the Mostrim net.

Brady Hynes then slotted over his fifth point on forty-two minutes, with substitute Micheál Hynes opening his account shortly afterwards.

The two Courtney frees reduced the arrears to five points with eight minutes remaining, but it was the Granard men who finished the match in style as they hit 1-03 without reply in the closing five minutes.

The points came from Aaron Smyth, Micheál Hynes, and substitute Ruari Corcoran while Jamie Brady Hynes got his second goal when fisted the ball to the net to conclude the scoring.

ST MARY’S GRANARD: Killian McGivney, Mark O’Neill, Tom Kearney, Aaron Smyth (0-1), Dylan Reilly, Mark Tully (1-1), Eddie Smyth, Darren Gallagher (0-2, 1 two-pointer), James Kiernan  (0-1), Eoin Sheridan, Harry Kiernan (0-1), Ben Blessington (0-1), Jordan Martin, Charlie Martin, Jamie Brady Hynes (2-5, 1 free).

Subs:- Liam Sullivan for Killian McGivney (13 minutes), Paul Smyth for Sheridan (23 minutes), Micheál Hynes (0-2) for Reilly (half-time), Ruairi Corcoran (0-1) for Eddie Smyth (54 minutes).

MOSTRIM: Caolan Hussey, Alex Nugent, Shane Campbell, Shane Sheridan, Niall Quinn, Martin Coyle, Thomas Doyle (0-1), James Connell, Dario Cigliano, Kaylem Lynn (1-0), Jack Belton (0-1), Shane Kiernan (0-1), Niall Campbell, Ronan Courtney (0-7,  4 frees, 1 two-pointer free), Andy Devine.

Sub:- Fintan Coyle for Niall Campbell.

Referee: Hugh O’Kane (Grattan Óg).