St Mochtas Storm into Quarter-Finals with Stunning Hunterstown Victory
Anchor Tours SFC Group 2 Round 3
At Cullen Autoparts Louth GAA Training Centre in Darver
St Mochtas 1-15 Hunterstown Rovers 0-7
St Mochtas produced a remarkable second-half comeback in Darver on Sunday to secure their place in the Quarter-Finals of the Anchor Tours Senior Football Championship, overturning the six-point winning margin they required and ultimately finishing ten points clear.
The permutations had made this a must-win encounter for St Mochtas. Their heavy defeat to Ardee St Marys in Round 1 had left them with plenty of work to do, while Hunterstown Rovers had subsequently thrown the group wide open by producing a shock victory over Ardee. That result gave St Mochtas a more difficult route back into the knockout stages.
James Russell, Hunterstown Rovers is pursued by Shane Lennon and Ciaran Byrne, St Mochtas
They did so – and then some.
Hunterstown made the brighter start, with James Russell opening the scoring after five minutes before Ciaran Byrne levelled for St Mochtas. Ciaran Russell restored Hunterstown’s lead, but the decisive moment of the opening half arrived soon afterwards.
Shane Lennon produced an excellent piece of play to create the opening for Danny Kindlon, who finished brilliantly to the net and give St Mochtas a 1-1 to 0-2 lead.
Jamie Farrell extended the advantage before Ryan Burns began to settle Paul McKeown’s side, kicking two points as the home side remained firmly in contention. Burns’ 45 put Hunterstown back within a point before St Mochtas finished the half strongly.
Gerry Garland produced an outstanding two-point score from play to stretch the lead, leaving St Mochtas ahead by 1-4 to 0-5 at the interval.
The required six-point margin was still within reach, but Hunterstown remained just four points behind and knew that one strong spell could completely alter the picture.
Pressure in numbers: Gerry Garland, Jamie Farrell and Darren McMahon pursue Jamie O’Callaghan
Kevin McClorey’s side, however, came out with real purpose after the restart.
Shane Lennon immediately added to their tally before Ciaran Byrne and Lennon again pushed the advantage further clear. Hunterstown responded through Ryan Ward and Dean Burns, but the Louth Village men were beginning to take control of the contest.
Lennon continued to influence proceedings and, with just over ten minutes remaining, the game reached its pivotal moment.
Declan Byrne produced an exceptional two-point effort from play, struck with the outside of the boot, to put St Mochtas six points clear at 1-10 to 0-7.
That score was huge. It not only gave St Mochtas the exact margin required to advance but completely changed the dynamic of the game. Suddenly, it was Hunterstown who needed to find scores, while St Mochtas could sense that something much bigger was possible.
Byrne followed up with a free two minutes later to make it seven, and another free in the closing stages pushed the advantage to eight.
Shane Lennon added another point before Ciaran Byrne got in on the scoring act, extending the lead to ten. Byrne then completed a superb individual contribution with another free deep into added time.
Ciaran Byrne, St Mochtas scores despite pressure from Micheal Reid, Hunterstown Rovers
Full Time – St Mochtas 1-15 Hunterstown Rovers 0-7
Final Group Standings:
- Ardee St Marys – Quarter-Final
- St Mochtas – Quarter-Final
- Hunterstown Rovers – Relegation Playoff
Man of the Match – Shane Lennon (St Mochtas)
Back from injury, Shane Lennon was at the heart of St Mochtas’ remarkable comeback and was a standout performer throughout their eleven-point victory over Hunterstown Rovers.
St Mochtas team: Daire O’Shea; Andrew Lennon, Connell Kearins, Conor Garland; Ben Goss Kieran, Oisin Callan, Gerry Garland (0-2, 1tp); Declan Byrne (0-6, 3f, 1tp), Darren McMahon; Jamie Farrell (0-1), Sean Flynn, Dylan Farrell; Danny Kindlon (1-0), Ciaran Byrne (0-2), Shane Lennon (0-4).
Subs: Cormac Smyth for Jamie Farrell half-time, Daniel Craven for Oisin Callan half-time, Philly Englishby for Dylan Farrell 48 mins.
Hunterstown Rovers team: Donovan Sheridan; Euan Woodlock, James Russell (0-1), Daithi Carroll; James Rogers, Micheal Reid, Colm Murphy; Tony McKenna, Patrick Taaffe; Jamie O’Callaghan, Dean Burns (0-1), Cillian Taaffe; Ciaran Russell (0-1), Jason Monaghan, Ryan Burns (0-3, 1’45’).
Subs: Ryan Ward (0-1) for Tony McKenna 39 mins, Aaron Levins for Ciaran Russell 39 mins, Ciaran Russell for Ryan Burns 57 mins, Sam Scott for Patrick Taaffe 57 mins.
Referee – Ultan McElroy (Kilkerley Emmets)
Photos – Ciaran Culligan
Reaction – St Mochtas manager Kevin McClorey’s post-match reaction is available across the Louth GAA Instagram and Facebook pages.
Dylan Farrell, St Mochtas beats Jason Monaghan, Hunterstown Rovers to the ball
