Lamh Dhearg 0-9 Rockcorry 0-4

Posted by admin on Feb 9th, 2010

Ulster Club Football League

Thursday 4^th February 2010

Team & Scorers

Jamie Smith, Pauric Reilly, Anthony Tate, Garry Calvert, Stephen McGuirk, Keith Daly (0-1), Colin Quinn, Mark Daly (0-1), Martin Carroll, Keelan Clerkin, Johnny Reilly, Coiln Reilly, Paul McKeown, Noel Carroll (0-2) and Dwayne Rooney.

Subs Mark McGuirk for Coiln Reilly, Liam Connolly for Keelan Clerkin, Cathal Sheridan for Mark Daly (injured), Declan McCullagh for Colin Quinn, Shane Wynne for Dwayne Rooney.

A handful of ‘die hard’ supporters decided to brave the bitterly cold weather conditions last Thursday evening when our senior team travelled to Belfast to play Lamh Dhearg in  the first game of the Ulster club football league.

Played in wet, slippery and very windy conditions Lamh Dhearg had the better of the opening exchanges and opened the scoring in the 8^th minute with a fine point from the left wing and doubled their lead four minutes later when they notched over a free kick.

Our real first attack came in the 15^th minute, when Keith Daly made a good burst up the field and set up Johnny Reilly, however his attempt at the posts was slightly wide.  We eventually got on the scoreboard when Noel Carroll tapped over a neat point in the 18^th minute after excellent attacking football by Garry Calvert.

During the next five minutes both teams missed some very easy scoring chances and when Noel Carroll was brought down on the 21 metre line, Mark Daly was on hand to sail over the resulting free kick to leave the sides level after twenty five minutes of play.  

At this stage of the game it looked like we found our second wind but moments later Lamh Dhearg set up another attack and notched over points in the 26^th and 28^th minute to open up a two point lead.

With only seconds remaining of the first half we made a last attack which resulted in Dwayne Rooney shot at goal saved by the Lamh Dhearg goalie. The half time score Lamh Dhearg 0-4 Rockcorry 0-2.

At the interval, team management made two substitutions with Mark McGuirk and Liam Connolly coming on for Coiln Reilly and Keelan Clerkin respectively.

On the restart, Lamh Dhearg extended their lead in the 4^th minute when they notched over a free kick. We suffered a further setback minutes later as our midfielder Mark Daly picked up an ankle injury and had to retire early. Cathal Sheridan came into the game and soon got stuck into the action and with some fine attacking play Keith Daly was set up and shot over a fine point from the right wing in the 12th minute to close the deficit back to 0-2 points.

As the game progressed Lamh Dhearg started to apply pressure and dominated the next ten minutes and opened up a five point lead when they scored three points, all from free kicks, in the 13^th, 18^th and 20^th minute. Indeed the lead could off been a lot more only for a great save by our keeper Jamie Smith in the 17^th minute to deny Lamh Dhearg a goal.

The final ten minutes of the game both teams had opportunities to score and each team exchanged points in the last couple of minutes to leave the final score Lamh Dhearg 0-9 Rockcorry 0-4.

On reflection, it was a good, tight game of football and while the final score shows a five point victory for Lamh Dhearg it doesn’t reflect how tough the exchanges were. There were times when we were our own worst enemies with several promising attacks that led to nothing due to over-elaborating and some players not taking the responsibility to go for their own scores.

Overall the management can be quite pleased with the level of commitment and effort shown by the players.

Donaghmoyne Game

Posted by admin on Jul 16th, 2009

Last Sunday’s match in Donaghmoyne ended in yet another defeat for our lads. We played well in patches but did not convert the chances when they presented themselves. Donaghmoyne in contrast were much more economical in front of goal and two well taken 45’s scored by county star Rory Woods only highlighted this fact.

Donaghmoyne started with a flourish. Three points were scored by them in the first six minutes without reply. Paul Mc Keown stamped his authority on proceedings with a point in the seventh minute to open our account. After Mark Daly was fouled in the 9th minute Stephen Mc Guirk reduced the arrears to one point. Then Donaghmoyne hit a purple patch scoring four points without reply to extend their lead to four points. Dwayne Rooney opened his account with a booming point in the 17th minute. However, the Fontenoys kept their foot on the gas adding another two points before Mark Daly added a Rockcorry reply. Two further Donaghmoyne points were broken up by county minor star Niall Mc Keown who scored in the 29th minute. Half Time Score Donaghmoyne 0 – 11, Rockcorry 0 – 6.

The second half as is usual for us in recent matches saw a dramatic improvement with the Fontenoys only adding one point ( a Rory Woods 45) in the second half as our defence stuck to their task. However, we could only reduce the margin to three points in the finish. Points from Mark Daly (2) and Cormac Mc Fadden (1) were too little too late. Final Score – Donaghmoyne  0 -12, Rockcorry 0 -9. There was much food for thought in this match and as the economists say there are sign of the green shoots of recovery (pun intended) if our second half performance is anything to go by.

Team and Scorers – Anthony Tate, Ciaran O’Hart, Damien Matthews, Pauric Reilly, Stephen McGuirk ( 0 – 2), Keith Daly, Niall Mc Keown ( 0 – 1), Owen Fitzpatrick, Mark Daly ( 0 – 3), Cormac Mc Fadden ( 0 – 1), Johnny Reilly, Seamus Carroll, Dwayne Rooney ( 0 – 1) , Paul Mc Keown ( 0 – 1), Rory Carroll, Sub. Colin Quinn

Corduff Game

Posted by admin on Jul 16th, 2009

We were unlucky to succumb to a late Corduff rally and ended up been beaten by a point last week. Paul Mc Keown opened the scoring in the 2nd minute with a well taken point from play. Corduff responded in kind two minutes later and again in the sixth minute. Paul Mc Keown added to our tally in the 7th minute before Stephen Mc Guirk our ever reliable free taker to make his mark four minutes later. Then disaster struck, a slip up in our defence allowed Corduff to take advantage and score a goal which gave them a two point cushion. The Rockcorry response was quick when a long ball over the Gaels defence by Keith Daly was latched on to by Dwayne Rooney to score a goal for Rockcorry. Mark Daly added a point with a free in the 20th minute and this concluded our first half scoring. However, Corduff added another four points to their tally thereafter to leave the half time score reading Rockcorry 1 – 4, Corduff 1 – 6.

The second half saw a slight improvement from our lads. Mark Daly scored three points and Paul Mc Keown scored one in the first 13 minutes of the second half with Corduff responding with one of their own. Stephen Mc Guirk , Paul Mc Keown and point in the 23rd minute by Mark Daly completed our tally. However, it was two late points after the Mark Daly strike by the Gaels which were to prove decisive leaving the Corduff team leaving with a one point victory. Final Score Rockcorry 1 – 11 , Corduff 1 – 12.

Team and scorers – Anthony Tate, Ciaran O’Hart, Rory Carroll, Colin Quinn, Pauric Reilly, Owen Fitzpatrick, Stephen Mc Guirk (0-2), Keith Daly, Mark Daly(0 -5), Niall Mc Keown, Seamus Carroll, Johnny Reilly, Mickey Conlon, Paul Mc Keown (0-4) and Dwayne Rooney (1-0). Subs. Cormac Mc Fadden, Cathal Sheridan and Conor McGeough.

Tyholland Game

Posted by admin on Jul 16th, 2009

The game was only 2 minutes old when Johnny Reilly was injured and had to be replaced. A big loss to the team early on but thankfully his replacement Rory Carroll coped  very well with his duties. Paul Mc Keown who was to have a trail blazing first half opened the scoring with a fine point dispatched while under extreme defensive pressure in the third minute. Stephen Mc Guirk playing in an unaccustomed half forward position doubled the Rockcorry lead two minutes later. A minute later Paul Mc Keown added his second point from play to make it a three point advantage. Tyholland reduced the deficit in the 10th minute only for Dwayne Rooney to extend it two minutes later. Paul Mc Keown added his third point of the match in the 14th minute before a trio of Tyholland points reduced the lead to one point. In the 19th Paul Mc Keown turned provider by setting up Noel Carroll to open his account. Tyholland converted a free in the 24th minute only for Paul Mc Keown to again turn potent finisher and increase the Rockcorry lead to two points. Then in the 26th minute of the half Rockcorry found the Tyholland net when the mighty Quinn (Colin) struck a thunderbolt to extend the Rockcorry lead to double scores. However, full credit must go to Tyholland who struck back with a goal of their own only two minutes later. Rockcorry though finished the half stronger with points from frees for Mark Daly and Stephen Mc Guirk. Half time score Rockcorry 1 – 9, Tyholland 1 – 5.

While the bulk of the scoring was done in the first half good defence was a feature of  our second half display with Garry Calvert performing well and the faultless Kieran O’Hart dominating the small square. Anthony Tate in goals marshalled his defence well while Pauric Reilly and Keith Daly tackled assiduously and with the latter acting as a highly effective sweeper. Niall Mc Keown and Noel Carroll our two attacking half backs kept the Tyholland on the back foot for much of the game. In midfield Mark Daly shone as ever with Owen Fitzpatrick showing his power and catching game at its best. Colin Quinn caught many of the breaks and Stephen Mc Guirk proved his worth with his free taking and attacking prowess. Paul Mc Keown a veritable scoring machine from play was at the peak of his powers particularly in the first half, while Seamus Carroll gave great support in attack. Dwayne Rooney at full forward led the line with intelligent positioning and ball distribution while early sub Rory Carroll played his part in the victory.

Paul Mc Keown started the second half as he did the first with an early point to open the scoring. In the 9th minute Tyholland scored their first point of the half. A minute later Dwayne Rooney gave the pass to Stephen Mc Guirk for the latter to score. Two frees converted by the visitors reduced the arrears midway through the half before Stephen Mc Guirk added to his tally, this time from a free in the 21st minute. Tyholland rounded off the scoring in the 28th minute with a point. The last few minutes were somewhat nervy for Rockcorry as Tyholland pressed for a goal that could level the game. Thankfully from our perspective the defence stood firm and we held on for a hard but well earned victory.

This was a make or break game for our lads. Prior to this match we were rooted to the bottom of the table on four points. On the plus side this was only two points short of our nearest competitors. A win was vital. And a win was what we got. Admittedly it was a star game, however we were also missing two vital players on our team in the shape of Damien Matthews and Mickey Conlon. We played with a passion and energy that was missing from recent outings and showed the hunger and desire required to win and ease our relegation burden, for the time being at least. It was a free flowing game with only one yellow card shown. Tyholland play an exciting brand of football but on the night we were able to cope with their game and effectively impose our own fast flowing game on them. Well done to all. There is still a lot of work to be done and results to be earned but for now, onwards and upwards. Final Result Rockcorry 1 – 12, Tyholland 1 – 9.

Team and Scorers – Anthony Tate, Garry Calvert, Kieran O’Hart, Pauric Reilly, Niall Mc Keown, Keith Daly, Noel Carroll ( 0 -1), Owen Fitzpatrick, Mark Daly ( 0 -1), Stephen Mc Guirk ( 0 -4), Paul Mc Keown ( 0 – 5), Johnny Reilly, Colin Quinn ( 1 – 0), Dwayne Rooney ( 0 -1) and Seamus Carroll. Subs Rory Carroll and Andrew Carroll.

Aughnamullen match

Posted by admin on Jul 16th, 2009

This game started for us with five unanswered points from Mark Daly(2), Noel Carroll (2) and Stephen Mc Guirk. We had a golden opportunity to extend our lead when Johnny Reilly was fouled in the small square. The resultant penalty from Dwayne Rooney was saved by the Aughnamullen keeper. And this was all in the first 13 minutes of play. Thereafter however Aughnamullen began to see the light and dominated proceedings for the remainder of the half scoring 1 – 5 without reply, the goal  coming in the 23rd minute of play. Half Time Score Rockcorry  0 – 5, Aughnamullen 1 –5 Aughnamullen registered the first score of the 2nd half with a point from a free. Mark Daly responded with two points from frees of his own.  In the 5th minute Mark Daly provided the pass for Paul Mc Keown to fire over a point for Rockcorry. The response from Aughnamullen was swift with a point from play a minute later. Stephen Mc Guirk added to his tally in the 7th minute with a well taken point  while Aughnamullen maintained their 4 point margin when then scored again in the 9th minute.  Mark Daly, Johnny Reilly and Niall Mc Keown reduced the deficit to the bare minimum with 18th minutes gone on the clock. Thereafter the Sarsfields took control only conceding one more point courtesy of Paul Mc Keown while scoring six points of their own. One would have to give full credit to Aughnamullen who took their chances when they presented themselves and were full value for their victory. A faltering Rockcorry team was bloodied but unbowed and was to rise like the phoenix from the ashes 48 hours later.

Full time Score  Rockcorry 0 – 12, Aughnamullen 1 – 15.

Team and scorers Anthony Tate, Kieran O’Hart, Damien Matthews, Pauric Reilly, Noel Carroll (0 -2), Keith Daly, Stephen Mc Guirk (0 -2),  Owen Fitzpatrick, Mark Daly (0 – 4), Garry Calvert, Johnny Reilly (0-1), Niall Mc Keown ( 0-1), Dwayne Rooney, Paul Mc Keown ( 0 -2), Mickey Conlon. Subs. Seamus Carroll, Conor Mc Geough, Liam Connolly, Colin Quinn and Andrew Carroll.

Championship Game – Rockcorry v Eire Og

Posted by admin on Jul 16th, 2009

Our performance in Scotstown on last Sunday evening raised the spirits of our Senior team considering our recent league form as we put in solid effort to defeat Eire Og in the opening round of the Intermediate Championship. Final Score Rockcorry 1 – 12 Eire 0 – 5. In truth it was not the most exciting of games and Eire Og will hardly be impressed by the fact that they failed to score from play. The scoreline did not reflect the type of performance we know Eire Og are capable of and I am sure they will be back with an improved offering next time round.  Our first half tally should have been better with us hitting five wides, a great save by the Eire Og keeper and twice hitting the post. This was not our best showing either and we are well aware there is work still to be done by us in order to progress in this competition. Nevertheless, well done to the team and management on achieving the victory.

The game was only three minutes old when an alert Johnny Reilly managed to get a hand on speculative pass but was unfortunate when his effort hit the post. Two minutes later however team captain Mark Daly opened the scoring with a point from a free. There was no further scoring until the 11th minute when this time Johnny Reilly fisted the ball over the bar after a pass from Mark Daly. Three minutes later Eire Og opened their account with a point from a free. A minute later Dwayne Rooney burst through the Eire Og defence only to see his screamer saved brilliantly by the Eire Og goalkeeper Paul Hand who nevertheless could not prevent the ball going over the bar for a Rockcorry point. In the 17th minute Paddy Croarkin reduced the deficit with a point from a free. A minute later Dwayne Rooney rattled the Eire Og woodwork for Rockcorry but Eire Og managed to clear their lines from the rebound. Thereafter, Mark Daly taker slotted over three more points from frees to increase our advantage. Then in the 28th minute a Rockcorry score that was to prove pivotal in deciding the result occurred. The ever dashing Noel Carroll raiding from his half back position latched on to a pass from Paul Mc Keown and somehow managed to drive the ball to the Eire Og net with just two minutes remaining in the half. This was a crucial score for us and gave us a great platform for the second half. Half time score Rockcorry 1 – 6, Eire Og 0 – 2.

Eire Og opened the second half scoring with a point from a free in the first minute of the moiety. Four minutes later Owen Fitzpatrick who is playing the best football of his career at present popped up to extend the Rockcorry lead with a point of his own. A minute later an indiscretion in the Rockcorry backline was duly punished by Paddy Croarkin who kicked another point from a free. Mark Daly and the unerring Stephen Mc Guirk added points from frees for Rockcorry in the next few minutes before Niall Mc Keown set up Mickey Conlon to extend the Rockcorry lead even further. In the 23rd minute Eire Og added their last score, a point from a free. The game fizzled out as a contest at this stage with Rockcorry dominating the possession stakes.Then in the 31st minute Noel Carroll added his tally by scoring a point after a move that included 10 passes. The ageless Mickey Conlon concluded the scoring deep in injury time with his second point of the game for Rockcorry.

Team and Scorers – Anthony Tate, Ciaran O’Hart, Damien Matthews, Pauric Reilly, Noel Carroll (1 -1), Keith Daly, Stephen Mc Guirk ( 0 -1), Owen Fitzpatrick ( 0 -1), Mark Daly (0 – 5), Johnny Reilly ( 0 -1), Seamus Carroll, Niall Mc Keown, Dwayne Rooney ( 0 – 1), Paul Mc Keown, Mickey Conlon ( 0 – 2). Subs: Colin Quinn (Seamus Carroll), Garry Calvert, Rory Carroll, Cathal Sheridan and Conor Mc Geough.