Fenagh St Caillins pick up first win as they turn on the style in second half against Annaduff

Fenagh St Caillins kept their Connacht Gold Senior Championship hopes alive on Friday night when a power packed second half display blew a young and battling Annaduff out of the water in the Pairc Sheain O Laodain.

The final scoreline didn't look likely at halftime as Annaduff trailed 0-10 to 1-5 having spurned two glorious goal chances that saw Darren Cox hit the crossbar while an errant pass denied them on another occasion, the ferocious workrate and fierce tackling of the visitors causing Fenagh no end of grief.

Fenagh fans were worried at halftime with the prospect of a defeat ending their hopes of progression but they needn't have worried as they came out in the second half like the proverbial whirlwind, scoring six points in under five minutes to wrench the game away from Annaduff, killing any hopes of a shock for last year's Intermediate champions.

The foundation of this surge was not just their excellence forwards but more in the midfield area where Annaduff simply couldn't get their hands on the ball. The superior conditioning and experience of the Fenagh men saw them turn over their opponents time and time again and this time, they didn't let them off.

For all the good vibes of the victory, there were areas of concern as Fenagh conceded five genuine goal chances over the hour and against a team with a bit more experience, they might have paid a much higher price. It was only when they got that bit of room that we saw Fenagh's confidence blossomed but when the game was tight, they played under immense pressure and at times it showed.

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Fenagh got off to a rapid start with Oisin McLoughlin scoring on the run inside the first minute. It took six more minutes before Ryan O’Rourke added a free and another seven before Annaduff opened their account with a Kenny Cox point after a move. Fergal McLoughlin replied with a nice point a minute later.

Fenagh had a let-off when Annaduff got the ball to Darren Cox and he cracked a brilliant shot off the crossbar, trying to place the ball in the top corner and it looked as if Annaduff would regret that as Fenagh added quick points from Fergal McLoughlin (2) and a Ryan O’Rourke, the second McLoughlin point set up by a wonderful crossfield pass from Oisin McLoughlin.

But Fenagh’s serenity was shattered when Eoin Gill booted a ball from the left wing in towards the goalmouth and Alan Glancy showed perfect timing to arrive and force the ball to the net on 20 minutes. Seconds later, it should have been a second goal when Darren Cox intercepted the kickout and bore down on goal.

A pass to Francis Shanley saw the ball fall behind the Annaduff player but he rescued the situation with a good point. Fenagh responded with a Riordan O’Rourke point but Annaduff were on the move and Eoin Gill scored from a nice angle and Darren Cox lofted over a free to tie the scores with five minutes left in the half.

Fenagh almost fashioned a goal chance when Donal Wrynn palmed a high ball across the face of the goal but Colm McLoughlin was forced under pressure to lift his shot over the bar. Riordan O’Rourke and Darren Cox both swapped good points before an injury time Ryan O’Rourke free gave the home side a 0-10 to 1-5 lead.

Whatever was said in the Fenagh dressing room at halftime, it had an instant effect as Fenagh scored six unanswered points before five minutes elapsed in the second half. With Annaduff unable to win their kickouts, Fenagh poured forward and the points started to flow from Ryan O’Rourke (3), Oisin McLoughlin, Aaron McLoughlin and Riordan O’Rourke, all the scores from play.

A shell shocked Annaduff almost carved out the perfect response but Senan Mooney’s fisted effort from a Darren Cox cross went just wide of the points with Ryan O’Rourke adding another to his tally.

Darren Cox got Annaduff’s first of the second half after eight minutes from a free but Fenagh continued to pile on the scores with Riordan O’Rourke profited after a great crossfield pass to Mark Keegan, the County man adding another before his cousin Ryan again got on the scoresheet.

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Eoin Gill hit his second of the game on 15 minutes, a score that was Annaduff’s last of the half as Ryan O’Rourke converted a free and a penalty after Aaron McLoughlin was taken down as he charged through on goal with 11 minutes left on the clock. 

Ryan O’Rourke added a free, sub Daniel McLoughlin scored a good point while Oisin McLoughlin got his third on the game from distance. The final score was a great point from Riordan O’Rourke but the last action saw Fenagh keeper Shane Doonan stick out his boot to deny Darren Cox a certain goal in the dying seconds as Fenagh cruised home.

FENAGH ST CAILLINS

Scorers: Riordan O’Rourke 1-10, 1-5f; Riordan O’Rourke 0-6; Fergal & Oisin McLoughlin 0-3 each; Aaron, Colm & Daniel McLoughlin 0-1 each

Team: Shane Doonan, Aaron McLoughlin, Gary Butler, Conal McGovern, Colm McLoughlin, Oisin McLoughlin, Eoin McLoughlin, Jack Gilheany, Conor Dwyer, Daniel McLoughlin, Donal Wrynn, Mark Keegan, Riordan O’Rourke, Ryan O’Rourke, James Gilheany. Subs: Daniel McLoughlin for Dwyer (HT); Josh McNabola for McGovern (52); Michael Doonan for A McLoughlin (53), Martin Doonan for F McLoughlin (56)

ANNADUFF

Scorers: Darren Cox 0-3, 2f; Alan Glancy 1-0; Eoin Gill 0-2; Kenny Cox & Francis Shanley 0-1 each

Team: Caolan Quigley, Hugh Moylan, Dillon Keane, Keelan Lynch, Eoin Gioll, Tommy Taylor, Eoghan Ridge, Shane Morrison, Daniel Bosquette, Alan Glancy, Darren Cox, Kenny Cox, Francis Shanley, Senan Mooney, Conor Reynolds. Subs: Jason Ward for Eoin Gill (55)

Referee: Eugene McHale