Thursday 09 July 2009
LOUGHMACRORY 1 - 14 2 - 09 COALISLAND
Reserves record second victory in a week
The reserves gave a spirited performance to clinch their fifth league win on the trot with this victory over the visiting Coalisland Fianna on Thursday evening in Páirc An Locha. It was a point apiece when Pius McElhatton, who had an excellent game at full forward, put Sean O’Kane through for a goal to open up a three point gap. Loughmacrory failed to score for the next twelve minutes by which time the visiting Fianna had levelled the match at 1 – 01 to 4 points. On twenty minutes Pius McElhatton danced through the Coalisland defence to send over and two minutes later the same player took a pass from Brendan Ward to register the second of his four points of the evening. A Coalisland goal with five minutes of the half remaining undid much of Loughmacrory’s good work but Augustine McAleer had the final score of the opening half to leave just a point in at the turn around.
On the resumption of play Pius McElhatton had the sides level with a fine point after good work from Gussy McAleer and Sean O’Kane. Cathal Donaghy put the Lough one ahead a minute later but the visitors restored parity before Sean O’Kane pointed a free to put his side one up again. Coalisland levelled the match for the fourth time before Loughmacrory hit a purple patch with points from McElhatton, Paul Donnelly and Sean O’Kane to give the home side a three point lead. The Fianna were not done yet however and they reduced the deficit to two before striking for their second goal to take a two points lead with ten minutes to go. In these last ten minutes the Loughmacrory boys showed their metal as the defence, in which Niall Toner excelled, held firm and Pearse Donaghy made a great run through to level the match at 1 – 11 to 2 – 08. Their tails were now up and they finished strongly with points from Paul Donnelly, Sean O’Kane and Eoin Harte to lift their fifth brace of league points in the last five outings.
