Match Report

Aghaderg thrash the 'Finn

Date Filed: 06 June 2008


Senior Football League
Aghaderg Vs Aughlisnafin
Aghaderg continued their league campaign playing Aughlisnafin last Friday night at Ballyvarley. The game was played in ideal conditions and was a match that Aghaderg needed to win convincingly to get their season back on track after the narrow defeat to St Johns in the previous match. A lot of energy and effort had been expended in the St Johns game and the management were anxious that the disappointment from last week would not be carried into this game. Four regulars were absent which meant that the depth of the squad was going to tested to the full. The players called in to fill the vacant places all played well. This bodes well for later in the league. There were also four substitutes available, all of whom were given some valuable game time.
 
The game started off at a last lustre pace and it wasn’t until the fifth minute that Aghaderg opened their account with a Kevin Anderson 20 metre pointed free. Straight from the restart Rory Simpson slipped the ball to Kevin who again pointed, this time from play. The “Finn” were playing well in periods and at times were asking questions of the home defence. Kevin Anderson raised the white flag again on ten minutes with another point from play. Eugene Devlin scored a goal on 15 minutes with a low shot to the right corner, which was quickly followed by a Barry Quinn point from all of 40 metres. A sloppy piece of defending saw the “Finn” score their first point from a 30 metre free straight in front of the goals. Buoyed by this success the visitors registered another point before Kevin Anderson scored a goal following a mazy 40 metre solo run. Kevin continued in this rich vein of form collecting a further two points from play. The visitors scored two points before Rory Simpson and Christopher Conlon brought the first half to a close with points apiece.
 
HALF TIME:  Aghaderg 2 – 8 Aughlisnafin 0 – 4
 
Aaron McAvoy was revelling in the wide-open spaces on the right wing and he started the second half off with a goal in the second minute. Andrew Carr then finished off a nice move with a point. The “Finn” still kept plugging away and were rewarded with a point before Christopher Conlon kept up his scoring averages with a goal, shooting decisively into the bottom corner. Rory Simpson then scored the point of the match when he received the ball from a knock down and in one movement he turned and thundered over a magnificent point from all of 45 metres. Kevin Anderson scored the next three points from frees. Rory McMullan was covering every blade of grass for the visitors and his endeavours paid off with two nice points from play. The last ten minutes brought a goal from Andrew Carr and points from James McGrath, Kevin Anderson (3) and Stephen Fitzsimmons.
 
FULL TIME:   Aghaderg 5 – 17 Aughlisnafin 0 –7
 This match helped blood the younger players, all of whom showed up well. Jack Devlin, Conal Sands, Christopher Connolly and Conor McAlorum can all be proud of their contributions, which will not go unnoticed. Having got back on track the next match, which is away against Dromara, will be a tougher test and one which will go along way to decide which teams will get promotion this year.