First-half goals hand hurlers second league victory
Adam Donnelly and his Roscommon team-mates got the better of Armagh at the BOX-IT Athletic grounds on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Bernie O'Farrell
First-half goals from Liam Óg Coyle and Cian Murray laid the platform for a comfortable Roscommon victory against Armagh as Brian Hanley’s charges made it two wins from two in Division Three at the BOX-IT Athletic grounds.
The visitors dominated the opening half to leave themselves nine points ahead at the break.
But the seconds half was utterly forgettable — a stop-start affair that saw straight red cards for Roscommon duo Jack Dowling and Daniel Staunton.
Darragh Finn, Tommy Morris, Eoin Kiernan and Conor Mulry were excellent for the winners, but that inability to push on in the second half will be a cause for concern ahead of Roscommon’s remaining games in the division.
Roscommon showed two changes from the dramatic victory against Wicklow, with Liam Óg Coyle and Paddy Fallon coming into the team to replace Micheál Hussey and Jason Martin who had been picked on the original starting 15 instead of the suspended Cian Bowes and injured Niall Fleming.
The visitors were the more fluent side from general play, and it was only a series of Armagh frees — some of them debatable — that kept them in touch for the bulk of the opening half.
Jack Dowling, Keelan Ryan, Tommy Morris and Darragh Finn dominated in defence, and Brian Hanley’s charges eventually made their superiority count on the scoreboard, hitting an unanswered 1-3 just before the break.
While Jack Loughran and Barry Shortt kept the scoreboard ticking over from frees for Armagh, Roscommon’s variety in attack was more pronounced.
Eoin Kiernan, Conor Mulry and Liam Óg Coyle found the target from play before the latter grabbed Roscommon’s opening goal, getting in behind the Armagh defence to latch on to a long delivery and find the net.
Tommy Morris, from long-range, captain Conor Mulry, Conor Morris (free), Darragh Finn and Adam Donnelly added points before Cian Murray — after being set up by Mulry — scored his side’s second goal on the call of half time to hand the Rossies a comfortable 2-11 to 0-8 buffer at the change of ends.
The second half was disjointed, with Roscommon struggling to re-establish their dominance in the face of far more Armagh aggression.
But the real downside from a Roscommon point of view were those red cards for Jack Dowling and substitute Daniel Staunton.
Armagh only managed two points from play over the course of the contest — the second coming from corner-forward Conor Carabine with the last puck of the game.
Roscommon couldn’t unearth the poise in front of goal of the opening half, and although Óg Coyle, Mulry, substitute Jason Martin and Player of the Match Darragh Finn added points from play, a paltry total of 0-6 in 35 minutes leaves plenty of room for improvement.
But the goal of getting a second win in the division was achieved, to leave Roscommon very much in the promotion hunt.
ROSCOMMON: E. Lawless; J. Dowling, J. Dillon, E. Mulry; K. Ryan, T. Morris (0-1), D. Finn (0-2); C. Morris (0-4, three frees, one ’65), R. Finn; C. Murray (1-0), E. Kiernan (0-2), P. Fallon; C. Mulry (0-3), A. Donnelly (0-2, one free), L. Óg Coyle (1-2). Subs used: B. Mannion for Fallon (48 mins), B. Lawlor for Óg Coyle (48 mins), J. Martin (0-1) for Donnelly (64 mins), D. Staunton for R. Finn (66 mins), K. Feehily for D. Finn (70 mins).
ARMAGH: C. Duffy; S. O’Keeffe, P. Lappin, O. Curry; T. Lennon, B. Shortt (0-4, two frees, two ‘65s), C. Hughes; P. McKearney, J. O’Connor; D. Magee, D. McKenna (0-1), C. Gormley; C. Carabine (0-1), J. Loughran (0-6, six frees), M. Rice. Subs used: J. Scallon for Rice (27 mins), D. McMullan for Lennon (half-time), M. Moan for McKearney (half-time), E. McGuinness for Magee (58 mins), A. Cullinane for Gormley (61 mins).
Referee: A. McAleer (Donegal).
