Leitrim Gaels send out a very loud message with final quarter blitz of St Mary's Kiltoghert

Leitrim Gaels stamped themselves as favourites for this year’s Connacht Gold Leitrim SFC after a blistering final quarter saw them inflict a hugely damaging defeat on League champions St Mary’s Kiltoghert at a packed Leitrim Gaels Community Field on Friday night.

One of the blockbuster games of the weekend, this was a tight game with nothing in it for three quarters of the contest, the neighbours trading scores with only a Jamie Rynn goal in the first half providing any sort of daylight between the teams.

But after Paul Keaney struck his 11 point of the evening, a ninth from placed balls, Leitrim Gaels took off with a blistering finish as they struck for seven unanswered points as St Mary’s Kiltoghert seemed to implode down the final stretch, their loss compounded by the dismissal of Mark Diffley on a straight red card in added time.

The greater scoring strength around the field gave the Gaels a greater threat any time they went forward and with St Mary’s struggling to gain any foothold in the middle of the park, the banks eventually burst for them in the final quarter as the Gaels surged with real intensity down the stretch.

That final scoring burst did the damage on the scoreboard but when St Mary’s look back on it, a crucial period just after the halftime interval when they left a goal and three chances from placed balls behind was just as crucial - with three points between the teams, it might have given the Carrick men the lift they needed.

REPORT: GLENCAR MANORHAMILTON WIN THE BATTLE OF THE TWO POINTERS

But the Gaels, after a shaky enough opening, showed them how to make the most of their chances - five two pointers to two showed a more clinical edge while the impressive Jamie Rynn was in the right place at the right time, taking a shot came off the woodwork to bury in the net.

Goals have been central to St Mary’s progress this year but here they created just two and one of them was a half chance as Leitrim Gaels made every use of a tighter field to hem in an attack that likes a lot of room but were never able to find the pockets of space in which they thrive.

The victory leaves Leitrim Gaels red hot favourites for an automatic semi-final spot ahead of their final round clash with Glencar Manorhamilton but it leaves St Mary’s needing to beat Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins and other results to go their way and even then, it might not be enough as their scoring difference is the third worst in the competition.

Donal Casey opened proceedings with a fine point but Paul Keaney converted a two point free that had been moved forward due to dissent. The hosts then missed four chances, two from placed balls, before Shaun Chandler showed nice footwork to dodge and score an eight minute point.

Keaney then edged Mary’s two in front with a two point free from 50 yards before scoring a long range one point that the Carrick men protested loudly was, in fact, a two pointer. But they were rolling nicely when Nicholas McWeeney finished off a good move with a point on 11 minutes.

However, Leitrim Gaels hit back with Garvan Jones converting a two point free but it was still St Mary’s controlling the game as Paul Keaney (free) and Cian Reynolds scored good points but dissent at the other end saw a free moved within range for Stephen Goldrick to score a two point free.

A minute later, the Gaels took the lead against the run of play and with a bit of fortune when Garvan Jones' long range effort hit the woodwork and fell nicely for Jamie Rynn to blast home, showing a great killer instinct. They followed it up with another Garvan Jones two pointer to go three clear.

Daire Farrell’s powerful run threatened a goal for Cian Singleton but he couldn’t make a powerful enough connection with Keaney converting a free after keeper Brian Cull was penalised for playing the ball from a pass after 23 minutes.

Shaun Chandler finished a quick break with a fine point before a foul on Farrell allowed Keaney to add another free. Oisin Bohan put Mary’s two up with an excellent point from a tight tight angle but that good work was undone with a superbly worked Garvan Jones two pointer as Leitrim Gaels led 1-11 to 0-11 at the break.

The second half opened with St Mary’s creating a host of chances but they failed to convert three placed balls, a Keaney free hitting the post, a two point attempt going wide while a turnover on a kickout was denied a goal by a last gasp diving save, Killian Gaffey sending the resulting 50 wide.

All they had to show for it was a Keaney free after a foul on Singleton but the Gaels went four clear when a Goldrick free was moved in for dissent. St Mary’s had another sniff of a goal when they forced another turnover but Paul Keaney blasted high over the bar under huge pressure.

The Gaels almost broke through for a second goal at the other end, Donal Casey charging forward but Gaffey made a great save to deny a certain goal after ten minutes. A foul on Daire Farrell allowed Keaney cut the gap back to two points from the free on 14 minutes but incredibly, that was St Mary’s last score of the game.

Ryan Jones had a point initially awarded and then wiped off the board but Jamie Rynn fisted the ball over the bar on the run and Aidan Flynn finished off a good move to put the home side four clear. Conor Farrell was then booked for an off-the-ball foul on Aidan Flynn with Goldrick converting the free.

FAVOURITES CLASH THE HIGHLIGHT OF THIRD ROUND IN SWEENEY OIL LEITRIM LGFA SFC

Goldrick then thumped over a massive two pointer a minute later to extend the lead to seven points and with that, the game was as good as over. With the game becoming increasingly fractious, Conal Jones two point free was the only remaining score left in the contest but with a few flashpoints, including one that involved both managers, Alan Flynn and Mal Guckian and members of the both panels along the sideline, the game became very disjointed.

A bad day for St Mary’s got even worse when Mark Diffley was handed a straight red card after referee Enda Egan consulted with his lineman Jason Glennon and officials, leaving the Carrick men without the County captain for their final fixture against Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins.

LEITRIM GAELS

Scorers: Garvan Jones (4f) & Stephen Goldrick (4f) 0-6 each; Jamie Rynn 1-1; Conal Jones (tp), Donal Casey & Shaun Chandler 0-2 each; Aidan FLynn 0-1

Team: Brian Cull, Stephen McDermott, Shane Finn, Ben Finn, Jamie Wrynn, Donal Casey, Liam Chandler, Aidan Flynn, Ryan Jones, Jack Flynn, Garvan Jones, Shaun Chandler, James Shanley, Conal Jones, Stephen Goldrick. Subs: David Regan for Shanley 28); Michael Connolly for McDermott (37); Frank Cullen for B Finn (62)

ST MARY'S KILTOGHERT

Scorers: Paul Keaney 0-11, 9f; Nicholas McWeeney, Cian Reynolds & Oisin Bohan 0-1 each

Team: Killian Gaffey; Ashley Maziya, Conor Farrell, Adam Reynolds, Diarmuid Kelleher, Mark Diffley, Daire Farrell, Aaron Gardiner, Paul Keaney, Oisin Bohan; Conor Farrell, Ben Guckian, Conor Hackett, Cian Singleton, Cian Reynolds. Subs: Jack Casey for Singleton (46); Josh Maye for C Reynolds (54); Senan Bohan for Guckian (58)

Referee: Enda Egan