LITTLE did poor Naomh Muire know that their first ever win in the RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta SFC would leave them in tatters.
Naomh Muire 0-14 Killybegs 2-5
With three minutes left, Gary Boyle’s team (pictured above) were five points up but mindful of the Russian Roulette they were in with Termon, who were at Kilcar some 10 points down.
Before the respective outings, Paddy McDaid’s Termon were on three points with a points difference of +2. On the other hand, Naomh Muire had a point and -11.
However, by the 57th minute at the Banks, Naomh Muire had grabbed a seat when it appeared the music was going to stop. Then, a minute from time, Hugh McFadden goaled for a Killybegs side who were trying to get themselves off the foot of the table to avoid the complications of the relegation play-off.
But even though Harry Harden pointed late in the day to rubber-stamp Naomh Muire’s three-point win, news filtered through that Kilcar had defeated Termon 3-12 to 1-8. Naomh Muire had missed out by the tiniest of margins.
That meant that Termon and Naomh Muire were gridlocked on three points and their score difference was identical, – 8. Termon, after the sums were totted, had scored three points more – 40 to 37 – over the course of the group.
Naomh Muire began by just trying to focus on picking up the victory, first and foremost. After 17 minutes they were 0-3 to 0-1 in front when Sean Boyle, Harden and Darragh White had planted over Paul Cunningham’s opener.
But it was Mark ‘Herbie’ Boyle’s Killybegs who produced the half-time lead, 1-3 to 0-5 in front after Brendan McGuire netted on 20 minutes following great play by Eoghan Ban Gallagher.
Hugh McFadden had scored the last point of the first half and soon added the first of the second before the turnaround started. Three successive White frees meant that Naomh Muire, by the 37th minute, were 0-8 to 1-4 up.
Sean Boyle and Christopher Murrin of Killybegs (pictured above) traded points before another Naomh Muire spurt. Sean Boyle, White, Jack O’Brien when he might’ve got a goal than a point and Hugh Boyle popped over four in a row to make it 0-13 to 1-5.
That, in hindsight, would’ve been enough but in the scramble towards the finish, Naomh Muire will have sleepless nights about the late goal from McFadden.
Naomh Muire: Lee Boyle; Patrick Rodgers, Tomás Duffy, Robert O’Donnell; Adi O’Gara, Brian Gillespie, Jamie Boyle; Patrick Gillespie, Jack O’Brien (0-1); Darragh White (0-6, 6f), Padraig McCafferty, Shaun Burns; Harry Harden (0-2), Hugh Boyle (0-1), Sean Boyle (0-4). Subs: Daniel Gallagher for Rodgers (45), Adam O’Brien for H Boyle (50).
Killybegs: Michael Mullin; Gavin Boyle, Ciaran Conaghan, Daniel O’Donnell; John Ban Gallagher, Shane Molloy, Eoghan Ban Gallagher; Hugh McFadden (1-2, 1f), Val Smyth; Brendan McGuire (1-1), Barry Cannon, Evan Broderick; Kevin Martin, Paul Cunningham (0-1), Christopher Murrin (0-1). Subs: Charlie Tully for Martin (53), Christopher Conaghan for O’Donnell (59).
Referee: Mark Dorrian (Gaeil Fhánada)
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