Match Report

Teconnaught Edge Close Battle.

Date Filed: 23 June 2011

Aghaderg welcomed old rivals Teconnaught to Ballyvarley on Wednesday night last for a rearranged league fixture. Conditions were perfect for football and the two teams did not disappoint as both attempted to play an attacking game throughout the sixty minutes. The spectators were entertained as the game ebbed and flowed with first the visitors gaining the ascendancy, then Aghaderg dominating possession and the scoreboard but in the final quarter a combination of near misses by the home forwards and sharp finishing by the visitors allowed Teconnaught to return home with the two league points and  by the rather flattering margin of five points.
Aghaderg won the early possession but their first two opportunities were fired wide by Maguire and McGrath before the visitors scored three points in the first ten minutes. Devlin opened the scoring with a point after twelve minutes and Maguire from a free reduced the arrears to one point. The close passing game of the home team suited the conditions as they were playing against the breeze in the first half but the visitors were putting the home full back line under pressure with good use of the long diagonal ball similar to the tactics that Armagh had used so effectively against Down in the first round of the Ulster Championship. Teconnaught scored the next two points but C McGrath with his second point reduced the half time margin to two at half time. Aghaderg 0-3 Teconnaught 0-5.

Aghaderg soon gained the ascendancy in the second half as Fitzsimmons won a lot of primary possession in midfield while the penetrating runs of McDonald were causing the visitors all sorts of problems. Four successive points Maguire(2), Cassidy (1) and C McGrath (1) put the home team in front by two and then Devlin raced clear but good work by the goalkeeper ensured that a point was his only reward. McGrath pushed a half chance wide at the far post as Aghaderg threatened to pull away from the opposition. However the visitors capitalised on a bit of bad luck when a home forward when under pressure deflected the ball to an inrushing  mid fielder who made twenty yards at speed and transferred the ball to the full forward who gave Paul McGrath no chance from ten yards. The game continued to flow from end to end but the visitors were to prove sharper in the attack in the final quarter A few frees and passes to the home forward line went astray, they had two more goaling opportunities but were unable to convert. McGrath(2), Maguire (2) and Devlin (1) kept the scoreboard ticking over but goals win matches and the visitors killed the game with a goal in the final five minutes to leave the final score. Aghaderg 0 -14  Teconnaught 2 -13

Paul McGrath(Capt) Conal Snads, James McGrath, Ciaran Connolly, Conor Mcalorum, Aaron Mcavoy, Sean Devlin. Stephen Fitzsimmons, Shea McDonald, Martin Cassidy(0-1), Kieran Maguire(0-45), Jack Devlin, Eugene Devlin,(0-3) Cathal McGrath(0-4), Chris McAvoy.