Resurgent Moynalvey prevail in Skryne thriller
There was drama, there was excitement, there were goals, yellow cards, red cards. You name it you would have found it in this evening's SFC clash at Skryne won eventually by a resilient, battling Moynalvey on a 5-10 to 4-8 scoreline.
This contest started at a red-hot pace in the unrelenting sun and the contest got quicker and hotter as the evening wore on with Moynalvey in the end prevailing thanks party to late goals from Adam Murphy and Ciaran Harnan. Scores that sealed the victory.
Both sides finished with 14 men with Curraha's David Coyle sent off early in the second-half and Moynalvey's Rob Lawless seeing red deep into injury time. There were a flurry of yellow cards dished out by referee Colm McManus who did a fine job in keeping the lid on a contest that could easily have got out of hand.
The fact that Curraha were a man short considerable longer than their opponents made a big difference in the end on an evening when the hot conditions made life challenging for both sets of players.
Up to that point, and indeed for some time afterwards, it looked like Curraha might win. They were in front by 3-6 to 1-3 at the break and had edged in front, 3-6 to 2-4, when Coyle was sent to the line following an off-the-ball incident.
Gradually Moynalvey got a grip on proceedings and applied intense pressure that yielded goals from O'Sullivan, Mark O'Sullivan and those late strikes from Murphy and Harnan.
Curraha had a brilliant second quarter as they surged upfield and passed the ball with a swiftness and speed that exposed large swathes of space in the Moynalvey defence.
The impressive Diarmaid Moriarty bagged both Curraha goals in that opening half while the hard-grafting Jack O'Connor also found the net. The rampaging Moriarty, a real revelation in this contest, completed his hat-trick in the second-half with a scrambled finish with Conor O'Farrell also involved in getting the ball over the line.
Moynalvey's hard-pressing game added to big performances from the likes of Cillian O'Sullivan, Mark O'Sullivan, Murphy and Shane Lenehan ensured they won out in the end.
What a thriller, what contest with Moynalvey's championship hopes now firmly back on track.
SCORERS
Moynalvey - Cillian O'Sullivan 2-4 three frees; Mark O'Sullivan 1-3 two frees; Adam Murphy 1-2; Ciaran Harnan 1-0; Fearghal McCabe 0-1.
Curraha - Diarmuid Moriarty 3-3; Jack O'Connor 1-2; David Toner 0-2; Sean Keogh 0-1.
TEAMS
Moynalvey - Ray Ryan; Fearghal McCabe, Rob Lawless, Cathal McCabe; Ciaran Harnan, Darren Brennan, David Reilly; Brian Harnan, Donal Smith; Stephen Donoghue, Mark O'Sullivan, Shane Lenehan; Adam Murphy, Cillian O'Sullivan, David McLoughlin. Subs - Brian O'Reilly for S Donoghue 45 mins, James Weldon for Lenihan 54m, David Donoghue for Smith 58m. Black card - James Weldon.
Curraha - Liam Hogan; Oisin Fay, Andrew Moriarty, Seamus Hogan; Neil Shortall, Niall Murphy, Niall McLarnon; James McEntee, David Toner; Padraic O'Hanrhan, Jack O'Connor, Conor O'Farrell; Sean Keogh, David Coyle, Diarmuid Moriarty. Subs - Brian Joyce for McLarnan 46 mins, Ian Battersby for Keogh 58m, Gavin Coyle for O'Farrell 64m.
Referee - Colm McManus (Gaeil Colmcille).