McNulty wins scoring battle with Plunkett as Glencar Manor retain Senior status

On the face of it, a comfortable and expected win for Glencar Manorhamilton that saw them secure their place in next year’s Connacht Gold Leitrim Senior Championship but that would disguise an immense effort from an inspired Aughawillan who tested the victors to the limit in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada.

In many ways, Saturday’s relegation battle was a throwback to the days of individual battles as Barry McNulty and Tom Plunkett seemed engaged in their own private dual, both lighting up the game with some spectacular scores but it the end, it was the stronger support cast around McNulty that ensured the north Leitrim club would remain senior in 2027.

The scoring feats of both players drew audible gasps from the crowd but with a better supporting cast around him, McNulty always had an edge in what was a surprisingly open and high scoring encounter, an Aughawillan team shorn of many of their heroes of their three titles between 2014 and 2018 going down with their pride intact.

Aughawillan will hope they make a quick return to the senior ranks if they could get Mark & Gary Plunkett, Ciaran Gilheany, Fergal McTague and Pearse Dolan back on board but there is no guarantee of that, the years of service that the Quinn brothers, Barry Prior and Declan McGovern unparalleled but still so desperately need for a club short on numbers.

Glencar Manorhamilton are not short of numbers but they will still need time for a ridiculously young team to mature – stalwarts like Evan Sweeney, Killian McGriskin and James Rooney have carried them through a tricky transition period but there is no guarantee that the next golden generation will have quite the same impact as some of their veterans.

For their future, staying up was huge but they still rely massively on what Barry McNulty can do, much the same as Leitrim do, and giving their star more help is the task for the future for Glencar Manor.

Glencar Manor’s early plans were disrupted when James Rooney had to go off temporarily due to a blood injury with Tom Plunkett gathering a long ball to open the scoring on three minutes. A minute later, Michael Quinn landed a big two pointer before Plunkett hit his second from play after five minutes.

The County player then hit two remarkable two point free, backed by a strong wind, from at least 60 yards over the Manor crossbar, the first a remarkable curling effort, to leave Aughawillan eight points to now score ahead after just eight minutes.

But just as Aughawillan were dreaming a shock might be on the cards, Jack Kelly punctured their ballon, blasting a thunderous shot to the net after McNulty’s run released Donnacha Devaney who was unlucky to see his powerful shot come crashing off the net before falling to Kelly.

A McNulty free and a well worked Jack Attard point came either side of a disallowed Donnacha Devaney fisted goal but that didn’t matter as Evan Sweeney finished expertly to the Aughawillan net after 17 minutes, levelling the scores at 2-2 to 0-8, Manor surging in front with massive McNulty two pointer against the wind.

Plunkett responded with a remarkable snap shot two pointer, under big pressure, to tie the scores again before Rory McTague continued the two point barrage, blasting over to put Aughawillan two up after 22 minutes.

Jack Kelly (free) and McNulty pulled back points before Tom Plunkett scored an outrageous effort from the left hand corner to leave Aughawillan with a narrow 0-13 to 2-6 halftime lead.

McNulty started the second half determined to make the most of the wind as he hammered two two-pointers over the Aughawillan crossbar before Evan Sweeney added a point. Tom Plunkett kept in touch with yet another two pointer but McNulty came right back with a third two pointer of the half from play.

The Leitrim star followed with a free and a goal, the goal a bit fortunate as keeper Mark McNiff was unable to control McNulty’s long shot, the ball landing in the net on 43 minutes and with that, the game was as good as over.

McNiff made amends with a great save from a fisted Jack Attard effort before Plunkett landed yet another two at the other end. But Glencar Manor were moving with more confidence, Donnacha Devaney and Sweeney (two pointer) scoring before Bailey McBride got in on the act. With the game all put over, Manor landed two more two pointers courtesy of Ronan Fox and Barry McNulty but Tom Plunkett had the last word, converting a fifty into the wind to bring the game to an end.

GLENCAR MANORHAMILTON

Scorers: Barry McNulty 1-13, 5tp, 2f; Evan Sweney 1-3, tp; Jack Kelly 1-1, f; Ronan Fox 0-2, tp; Bailey McBride, Donnacha Devaney & Jack Attard 0-1 each

Team: Shaun Sheridan; James Hughes, Ryan Gilligan, Tom Hughes; Evan Gilligan, James Rooney, Killian McGriskin; Barry McNulty, Bailey McBride; Declan Byrne, Evan Sweeney, Ronan Fox; Donnacha Devaney, Jack Kelly, Jack Attard. Subs: Patrick Montgomery for D Byrne (41); Cathan Curneen for Attard (45); Darren Sweeney for McGriskin (55); Brendan Byrne for Gilligan (58); Joseph McEvoy for Fox (59)

AUGHAWILLAN

Scorers: Tom Plunkett 0-14, 2 tpf, 3tp, 50; Michael Quinn (tp) & Rory McTague (tp) 0-2 each

Team: Mark McNiff, Sean Quinn, Barry Prior, Declan McGovern, Niall Stringer, Stephen Gilheany, Peter McNiff, Daire Maxwell, Jamie Plunkett, Michael Prior, Michael Quinn, Rory McTague, Brian Stringer, Tom Plunkett, Jack Prior. Subs: Morgan Quinn for B Stringer (20); Michael O’Haire for M Prior (38); Jason Prior for Jack Prior (49); Yann Le Guen for Maxwell (52)

Referee: Kevin Mallon