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Junior A Championship, Round 5
Saturday 5th September, 2009, Ashbourne

Fulltime; Donaghmore/Ashbourne 1-11 Curraha 1-6
Halftime; Donaghmore/Ashbourne 0-7 Curraha 1-2

'Rivalry adds so much to the charms of one's conquests'.
The near neighbours, with contrasting styles, faced off in the Junior A Championship on Saturday evening. Curraha are a speedy outfit while Donaghmore/Ashbourne have strength and stature in abundance

Curraha played with a strong breeze in the opening half and had the ball in the net within a minute. A run through the centre from their midfielder found a Curraha wing forward. He showed great skill to dummy the Donaghmore/Ashbourne defense and crash the ball to the roof of the net. It was the ultimate start for the parish side. Donaghmore/Ashbourne soon settled and began taking control around the middle. A free kick on the right wing dropped short to Padraig Finn and he sent over their opening score on 5 minutes. Curraha responded with a point. Both teams were guilty of missed opportunities with Curraha paying the bigger price. Eric O'Callaghan scored a pointed free on 10 minutes as the town side's challenge gathered momentum. Points from Tony Morgan (17 mins), Padraig Finn (18 mins) and Rory McGuire (22 mins) put the Ashbourne side ahead, a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Finn's point was particularly well taken and he was enjoying his unfamiliar role at full forward. Ian Dowd was showing his strength at midfield as he controlled the greater amount of possession. Tony Morgan was impassioned in his work and was involved in the majority of the Donaghmore/Ashbourne advances. John Lynch found his range on 25 minutes with Paul Gilligan pointing from a free two minutes later. Curraha's attacks were brisk but their shooting erroneous. They pointed on 29 minutes to leave two between the sides at the break.

The Donaghmore/Ashbourne dominance continued in the second period. Tony Morgan was brought down inside a minute and Eric O'Callaghan converted the free kick to extend their lead. The turning point arrived a minute later when Rory McGuire shot to the Curraha net. O'Callaghan sent a long ball forward to which McGuire connected to roll the ball to the corner of the net. During the next ten minutes both teams exchanged a brace of points with Tony Morgan and Eric O'Callaghan on target for Donaghmore/Ashbourne. Morgan was having a fine game and his inspiring agility was matched only with his towering strength on the ball. Curraha's effort didn't fade and two goal attempts on 52 and 55 minutes kept the Ashbourne backline alert. The first attempt brought out a top class save from Padraig Durkan while Paul Gilligan produced a crucial block to preserve the Ashbourne side's margin. There were some missed opportunities from both sides but the result never looked in doubt. Joey Long and Brendan Murphy commanded the Ashbourne defense while Adam Fitzgerald enjoyed advances forward. Curraha pointed in the final minute but the game was over as a contest long before.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne will be satisfied with the nature of this result. Their performances have been improving with each game and there is a good blend of youth and experience in the squad. The playoffs may elude them this year, however significant progress has been made for last year's Junior B Champions.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne; Padraig Durkan; Fiach O'Loinsigh, Joey Long, Adam Fitzgerald; Ciaran Finn, Brendan Murphy, Paul Gilligan (0-1, 1f); Ian Dowd, Eric O’Callaghan (0-4, 3f); Keith Skally, Tony Morgan (0-2), Rory McGuire (1-1); Stephan Condon, Padraig Finn (0-2), John Lynch (0-1).
Subs; Cathal Field for Skally (50 mins), Ross Tormey for Condon (52 mins)

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