Longford Intermediate champions Mostrim outclassed in nightmare defeat
AIB Leinster Club Intermediate Football Championship First Round
Just a week after winning the Kildare Intermediate title for the first time in 54 years, there was no hangover for Milltown who crushed the poor challenge of Mostrim in the opening round of the Leinster Club Intermediate Football Championship at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Saturday.
After squandering a few chances in the early stages of the game, the Edgeworthstown outfit were outclassed by the rampant Kildare champions and failed to register a score in the first half with the game all over as a contest at the break.
The Longford Intermediate champions were second best in virtually every position on the pitch against far superior opponents and ended up trailing by 2-9 to 0-0 going into the second half with Milltown scoring the killer goals in the space of a minute.
First to find the net was full-forward Ronan O’Shea who hit the target at the second attempt in the 22nd minute and sixty seconds later the green flag was raised again when slick attacker Ben Curran raced through for a well struck second goal after receiving the ball from the influential Joe Dunne.
A two-pointer free was then converted by Conor Sheerin and he teamed up most effectively with Dunne in a commanding midfield pairing that provided a constant supply of the ball into the sharp forward division.
The other Milltown scores in the first half came from Alan Dignam (2), Paddy Donoghue (2), Sheerin, Ben Heuston and wing back Liam Kelly and the Mostrim dream of springing a shock gradually developed into a nightmare.
It could have been worse for the underdogs with their keeper Ciaran Garvey producing an excellent point-blank save to prevent corner-forward Donoghue from scoring a third goal for Milltown who were content in keeping the scoreboard ticking over on the changeover.
9 more points were added to their emphatic tally, the first of which came from a free converted by Conor Sheerin with four minutes gone in the second half.
That score came after the Mostrim captain Jack Belton burst through in a determined bid to engineer a badly needed goal but the danger was cleared by the resolute Milltown defence.
8 more points were registered by Sam Heuston, Alan Dignam, centre-half-back Colin O’Shea, Ben Curran (2), Paddy Donoghue (2 frees) and Sheerin, the latter ending up with 0-5 to his credit.
Mostrim eventually registered their solitary score in the 51st minute when Ronan Courtney fired over a free to a loud cheer in the attendance and a chance was created for a late consolation goal but the shot from James Connell was saved.
Milltown were simply in a different league and the club who won the Leinster Junior title in 2023 are clearly strong contenders to capture the provincial Intermediate crown this season.
After guiding Mostrim to Intermediate Championship glory, there was nothing the Mostrim manager Niall Sheridan could do to stop this demoralising Leinster hammering in what was a reality check on the return to the Longford senior grade next year
MOSTRIM: Ciaran Garvey; Padraig Cahill, Shane Sheridan, Killian Courtney; Dario Cigliano, Shane Kiernan, James Connell; Jack Belton, Thomas Doyle; Niall Quinn, Ronan Courtney (0-1, free), Martin Coyle; Liam Greene, Tiarnan Hussey, Padraic Joyce.
Subs:- Fintan Coyle for M Coyle (half-time); Kaylem Lynn for P Joyce (34 mins); Adam Connaughton for N Quinn (44 mins); Caolan Hussey for T Hussey (49 mins); Niall Campbell for S Sheridan (54 mins).
MILLTOWN: Omar Dunne; Jamie Cross, Cian Buckley, Sean Murphy; Kevin Byrne, Colin O’Shea (0-1), Liam Kelly (0-1); Joe Dunne, Conor Sheerin (0-5, 1 two-pointer free, 1 free); Ben Curran (1-2), Alan Dignam (0-3), Niall Finnegan; Paddy Donoghue (0-4, 3 frees), Ronan O’Shea (1-0), Ben Heuston (0-2).
Subs:- Sam O’Hara for K Byrne (36 mins); Shane Daly for N Finnegan (41 mins); Karl Downey for A Dignam (49 mins); Tom Stapleton for S Murphy (53 mins); Garvan Walsh for B Heuston (53 mins).
Referee: Ultan McElroy (Louth).