Understrength Melvin Gaels brushed aside by efficient Eastern Harps

An understrength Melvin Gaels were outclassed by an efficient rather than spectacular Eastern Harps on Saturday in the AIB Connacht Intermediate Club Championship, the Kinlough men struggling to get going in the face of an organised and disciplined opposition defence.

Without Caolan & Gary Clancy, Kyle O’Driscoll and Sean McSharry from their County Final victory, this was always going to be a tough ask for Melvin Gaels against an Eastern Harps side who controlled this game for long periods and never looked under any real pressure in Pairc Sheain Ui Eslin.

The absentees clearly disrupted the Gaels as they didn’t display their traditional enthusiasm for the battle while the absence of manager Aidan Murray, who departed the club by mutual consent after incurring a 96 week suspension for an incident in the Leitrim final, can’t have helped their preparations for this game.

Yet even with all that baggage clearly affecting their form, Melvin Gaels will have been shocked not to score for the opening 41 minutes of this contest, Eastern Harps slowly pulling away from the Leitrim champions rather than bludgeoning them with a torrent of scores.

The Sligo men led by three points when Liam Ryan was black carded midway through the first half but only added a solitary point in the centre-back’s absence but it was just before halftime when wing-back James Kiernan blasted home a goal from Harps that their dominance of the game was truly reflected on the scoreboard.

KINLOUGH WOMAN ORGANISES COFFEE MORNING FOR MOTOR NEURONE

Harps led 1-5 to no score at the break and by the time Philip McGowan registered Melvin Gaels’ first score, the deficit was 11 points and while the Kinlough men pulled off a miracle rally for the ages in the Leitrim final against Allen Gaels, that never looked on here with the Gaels’ resources stretched so thin.

Interestingly, the majority of Harps’ scores came from defenders with the Sligo team landing 1-6 from defence and another two points from midfield as their running from deep and support play proved too potent for Melvin Gaels to counter.

The Kinlough men did make a late rally to take a bit of the ugly look off the scoreline - Shane McGloin’s long range shot deceived everyone to land in the net with five minutes of normal time left and two more points followed but in truth, it was a chastening day for Melvin Gaels.

Yet, looking back over the year, they’ve achieved their primary goal of winning the Intermediate championship and they will rightly celebrate that as they look to 2025 in the Senior Championship.

The Melvin Gaels team who were defeated by Eastern Harps in the AIB Connacht IFC Picture: Willie Donnellan

Shawn O’Hara fisted the ball over the bar a minute in to get Eastern Harps off the mark a minute in with Donal Mitchell following up with a wide. Melvin Gaels’ first attack came to nought when Michael Ferguson dropped a free into the square but it was blown for a square infringement after six minutes.

Ronan Mulligan fired over from long range for a disciplined Harps on nine minutes and two minutes later, a poor Melvin Gaels pass was intercepted and a quick break ended with Conor Walsh firing over for the Sligo champions.

In a slow-paced deliberate game, Melvin Gaels were unable to build any momentum as a yellow for Jack Roynane was followed by a black card for Liam Flynn midway through the half, the centre-back taking dragging down the impressive David Lyons who spun him in the middle of the field.

That left the Kinlough men a man short for ten minutes but Harps didn’t make much use of the extra man, only managing one point during Ryan’s time off the pitch, another for Conor Walsh after a short free caught Melvin Gaels napping.

Conor Sheridan left a shot into the keeper on 22 minutes but with Ryan back on the field, Harps added another, a brilliant effort from Caelan Hunt in the left corner to put the visitors five clear with just over two minutes to go.

However, it was just before halftime when the game really got away from Melvin Gaels - first came a break with Shawn O’Hara bearing down on goal. A lunging challenge looked like cause for a penalty, the ball breaking to Ciaran Dorrian but keeper Kevin McGloin made a brilliant save to block the shot before clearing the danger.

But the warning signs were not heeded - another ball over the top found Conor Walsh breaking clear right down the middle with oceans of space in front of him. He charged forward, found O’Hara close to goal. He opted to pass back out to the charging James Kiernan who buried an unstoppable shot to the Gaels net.

That left Melvin Gaels trailing 1-5 to no score at halftime and the Kinlough men with a mountain to climb. They came out firing but only had a Jack Roynane wide to show for their efforts and in their first attack, Harps increased their lead, a lovely sidestep and side footed finish from full-back David Lyons extended the lead on three minutes.

The Harps continued to hold the Gaels at bay while adding scores themselves - Tomas Taheny scored a good point and Ronan Mulligan finished off a good move to extend the Sligo team’s lead to 11 points.

Melvin Gaels finally got their first score 11 minutes into the second half when Philip McGowan scored a fine point from distance. Eastern Harps weren’t converting all their chances but the Gaels started to have a few more chances, keeper Alan Davey punching clear a lobbed ball from Liam Ryan.

Davey denied Ryan a goal 13 minutes into the half when a turnover left the Gaels through on goal but the keeper made a great save and Eastern Harps broke upfield, unlucky not to get a second goal when they cracked a shot off the crossbar but they did add a point from Taheny.

Harps were in control and without going all out, they quietly increased their lead with a point apiece from Shawn O’Hara and David Lyons to leave them ten points clear with less than ten minutes left to play.

With both sides throwing on subs and Harps losing Caelan Hunt to a second yellow card in the space of two minutes, play became disjointed but Melvin Gaels got a bit of a boost five minutes later, captain Shane McGloin firing from distance a low shot that may have been a pass or an attempt for a score. Whatever it was, it caught out keeper Davey and the ball flew to the far corner.

The Eastern Harps team who defeated Melvin Gaels in the AIB Connacht IFC Picture: Willie Donnellan

That left ten between the sides and Joe McGloin converted a free after a foul on Kieran Clancy as Melvin Gaels hoped for a second improbable comeback. However, when Peter McGloin was black carded after he was penalised for barging and objecting strongly to the decision, Melvin Gaels’ hopes were over.

O’Grady fired over an injury time free for Harps to complete their scoring with Philip McGowan notching his second point deep into added time as Melvin Gaels’ season came to a disappointing end.

MELVIN GAELS

Scorers: Shane McGloin 1-0; Philip McGowan 0-2; Joe McGloin 0-1, 1f

Team: Kevin McGloin, Eoghan Gallagher, Kieran Clancy, Shane McGloin, Gero Gilmartin, Liam Ryan, JJ Lipsett, Conor Sheridan, Michael Ferguson, Aidan Keegan, Philip McGowan, Declan Clancy, Liam McSharry, Jack Roynane, Joe McGloin. Subs: Peter McGowan for Gilmartin (25); Paddy McGowan for L McSharry (39); Darragh McSharry for E Gallagher (44); Ben Higgins for Lipsett (45); Gilmartin for Roynane (51)

EASTERN HARPS

Scorers: James Kiernan 1-0; David Lyons, Ronan Mulligan, Tomas Taheny, Conor Walsh & Shawn O’Hara 0-2 each; Shane O’Grady (f) & Caelan Hunt 0-1 each

Team: Alan Davey, James Soden, David Lyons, Cian Higgins, James Kiernan, Ronan Mulligan, Tomas Taheny, Michael Clarke, Conor Walsh, Ciaran Dorrian, Dylan Walsh, Shawn O’Hara, Donal Mitchell, Shane O’Grady, Caelan GHunt. Subs: Cian Carty for Dorrian (45); Marty Murray for Mitchell (53)

Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon)