Avoca vs Stratford Grangecon Junior D Football Championship

 

Junior D Football Championship

Avoca 2-12

Stratford Grangecon 0-10

Balinakill Centre of Excellence

Eoin Horkan

 Avoca came out on top of this battle in the Junior D championship on Friday night under lights in Balinakill.

The first quarter of this tie belonged to Avoca who flew out of the blocks notching 1-3 without reply. In one of the first attacks of the game Avoca weaved there way through the Stratford defence before Dale Moran managed to collect the ball and fire into the net. Midfielder Stephen McAuley made his way up the field to tap over the bar before the same man added a point from a dead ball. Moran added another point this time with a fisted effort.  The opposition eventually responded with a pointed effort from Charles Canning. This was only a slight reprieve as the black and amber side added another point from Moran before full forward James Murray added a second goal just before the water break.

The second quarter was a much tighter affair as Stratford added two more points both coming from the boot of Conor O’ Neill. Avoca responded in kind with two more efforts flying over the black spot. The first came from the ever-green Ger Doyle before that man McAuley added another score.

McAuley opened the scoring in the second half adding to his tally, before the opposition fired four scores in a row to narrow the gap. Two of these were dead balls from O Neill in between a fine long-range effort from Pauric Russell. McAuley kept his sides lead as he added two more points running through the middle. Canning and wing back Thomas Russell finished the scoring with two efforts that dissected the posts before the second water break

The final quarter ended up with both sides adding 3 more points between them. O Neill and McAuley added ones from play and dead balls. Doyle added one last score for the black and amber before Dean Valentine finished the scoring with a consolation effort.

 

 

 

Avoca: Zach Wolohan; Robbie Warde, Chris Canavan, Paddy Kinsella; Colin Doran, Niall McCauley, Anthony Doran; Stephen McCauley (0-8 2f) Connor Short; Declan Doyle, Gerard Doyle (0-2), Dylan Doran; Darren Keogh, James Murray (1-0), Dale Moran (1-2)

Sub Used: Justin Fagan, Tony Heffernan, Brandon Doyle, Ryan O Leary, Eoin Murtagh

 

Stratford Grangecon: Declan Bollard; Paul Tallon, Conor Kinsella, Ross Edghill; Dylan Hosey, Alan Kealy, Sean McCarthy; Thomas Russell (0-1), Dean Valentine (0-1); Charles Canning (0-2), Pauric Russell (0-1), Paul Sleator; Conor O’ Neill (0-5 3f), Larry Cullen, Drew Moor

Sub Used: Lee Valentine, Tony Kearney, Jack Curran

 

Referee: Mick Owens ( Avondale)