Longford Senior Football Championship: Abbeylara master Mostrim to earn another crack at Mullinalaghta in county final repeat
Peter Hanley Motors Senior Football Championship Semi-Final
Abbeylara . . . 3-13 Mostrim . . . 2-12
Five goals were scored in an action-packed second half with Fergal Battrim blasting a terrific strike to the back of the Mostrim net with a couple of minutes gone on the changeover to leave Abbeylara in what appeared to be a comfortable 1-11 to 0-7 lead.
But great credit to Mostrim for staging a very determined comeback and goals from David Morgan (42nd minute) and Brian Farrell (52nd minute) kept their hopes alive despite the fact that Conor Berry got another goal for Abbeylara in the 47th minute.
Darragh Doherty shot over the bar in the 54th minute to leave just two points (2-13 to 2-11) between the teams but Abbeylara held out to earn another crack at Mullinalaghta in a repeat of last year’s county SFC final.
ABBEYLARA: Gavin Kelly; Colm P Smyth, Barry Smyth, Cian Brady; Cormac Smyth, James McEntire, PJ Masterson; Russell Brady, Fergal Battrim (1-0); Kieran Mulvihill, Robbie Smyth (0-6, three frees), Brian Smyth (0-1); Jason Kelly (0-4, three frees), Conor Berry (2-1), Bernard Crawford (0-1, ‘45).
Subs:- Nigel Rabbitte for K Mulvihill (half-time); Aaron Dalton for Barry Smyth (half-time); Kevin Smyth for J McEntire (40 mins); Derek Smith for Brian Smyth (60 mins); Sean Murphy for B Crawford (two minutes into stoppage time).
MOSTRIM: Ciaran Garvey; Seamus Hannon, Martin Coyle, Sean Monaghan; Shane Kiernan, Sean Noone, Aaron Gallagher; Sean Noonan, Brian Farrell (1-3, two points from frees); Niall Quinn, Ciaran Gallagher, Gerard Smith; Cillian Lynn (0-3, two frees), David Morgan (1-3), Darragh Doherty (0-3, one free).
Subs:- Fintan Coyle for S Noonan (injured, half-time); Thomas Doyle for S Monaghan (35 mins); Alan O’Hara for C Gallagher (injured, 60 mins).
Referee: Fergal Kelly (Ballymahon).
Full match report in the Longford Leader, on sale on Wednesday