Wicklow Intermidiate Donard

 Intermediate Football championship 

Donard the Glen 3-15

Killmacanogue 3-7

Roundwood 

Eoin Horkan 

In one of the highest scoring matches of the championship so far it was Donard who came out on top Sunday afternoon.

From the opening of the whistle, one could see this tie was going to   be a real scoring fest. The west Wicklow side took an early lead when Ray Halloran opened his account for the day. Within minutes the tie was level when opposition wing back Simo Doyle split the posts. Donard were playing a long ball into a two-man full forward Line of Halloran and Healy, this time it was Healy who fired over. The opponents then took the lead with a goal from Ben O’Callaghan added to with a point from Conor Gallagher. Both sides then traded scores with a dead ball from Liam Monaghan before Josh O’ Callaghan fired over from play. After the midway point in the half the west Wicklow side hit a purple patch hitting six points in between a solitary effort from their opponents. The Donard forward line was on fire as Halloran scored a goal before Ronan Flanagan along with wing forwards Conor Manifold and Kevin Keely all added white flags. Two more frees from Monaghan finished the scoring for their side with an effort in between from a dead ball off the boot of John Fox. Leaving four between the sides at the break.

After the resumption it was Donard who kept pushing forward with four more unanswered scores as Healy slotted two along with Manifold and another dead ball from Monaghan. With the game slipping away Kilmac started to plug away at the lead as Doyle added a goal to his tally from wing back along with a point from Fox as he was moved from midfield to full forward. After a goal line clearance by the Donard defense they countered and netted themselves through Manifold to extend the lead out again. As the final whistle drew nearer an Oisin o’ Friel effort canceled out two from the boot of Fox for the opposition. The fresh legs started to make an impact off the bench as with his first touch of the game Joey Mills found the back of the net. With five minutes to go the north Wicklow side drove forward and center back Gavan Burke unleashed an effort from the twenty-one-yard line which nestled in the corner of the net. The final scores of the game came from both midfielders as Monaghan fired over two more dead balls in reply to a Fox effort.

Leaving eight between the sides at full time.

Donard The Glen: Brian Keogh; Riain Waters, Oisin Traynor, Jack Grace; Willie Eager, Colin Osbourne, Clifford Grace; John Hambridge, Liam Monaghan (0-6fs); Kevin Kealy (0-1), Oisin O’ Friel (0-1), Conor Manifold (1-2); Ronan Flanagan (0-1), Conor Healy (0-3), Ray Halloran (1-1).

Subs Used: Ross Sheridan for Kevin Kealy (37), Ronan Kelly for Jack Grace (46), Joey Mills (1-0) for Ronan Flanagan (52), Eoin Sheridan for Ray Halloran (53), Tadhg McCarthy for Oisin O’ Friel (60)

Kilmacanogoue: Kevin Redden; Eoin Tuohy, Cian Rafferty, Luke O’ Callaghan, Simon Doyle (1-1), Gavan Burke (1-0), Stephen Flynn; John Fox (0-5 3fs) f Rob Conan; Conor Callaghan (0-1), Niall Meldon, Dylan Henry; Mick Whelan, Josh O’ Callaghan (0-1) Ben O’ Callaghan (1-0).

Subs Used: Conor Power for Conor Gallagher (36), Mikey Doyle for Stephen Flynn (53).

Referee Tiernan De Hall.