ARDARA SAW OFF Naomh Columba this afternoon with relative enough ease as they put their recent two-game losing streak behind them.
Ardara 1-12
Naomh Columba 1-07
By Frank Craig
PRO
Successive reversals against Termon and Cloughaneely had seen the Pearse Park men threaten to slip out of the promotional reckoning. But a much improved effort against Glen appears to have placed them back on track
Naomh Columba had grabbed the first points of the contest as Pauric Cunningham and Declan McGuire lofted efforts over Cathal Gallagher’s crossbar. Gareth Concarr then got the hosts up and running on three minutes.
Naomh Columba seemed to further emphasise that they meant business when Kevin McNern hammered in a cracking goal. The former county minor panellist has had a terrible time of late with injury but a third three-pointer in as many games hopefully hints that he’s getting back to his best.
Adrian Brennan’s charges coughed up a number of poor wides, three in fact, inside the first 10 minutes. Up the other end, they were living a charmed existence and but for a stunning save by Gallagher from Phillip Doherty’s strike, Ardara could have found themselves seven adrift.
Instead, the Pearse Park men were able to narrow the gap to two thanks to points off the boots of Concarr (free) and CJ Molloy. Ardara hit a fourth over on the bounce when Brendan McNelis boomed over a huge effort from distance.
Nicolas Maguire – not a renowned score-getter – was next to let fly from out the park and his slice with the outside of the right landed beautifully onto the roof of the net. It was all Ardara at this stage and with McNelis punting Ardara’s fifth straight point, Ardara led for the very first time.
Molloy was now becoming a dominant force on the edge of the Glen square and after winning another direct ball in, he slipped cousin John Ross in to propel Ardara out to seven.
Three minutes out from the midpoint, Ardara again tore down the middle of the Glen rearguard and with John Ross Molloy fisting in over the top to Peter McHugh, the veteran attacker made no mistake easing the ball past the diving Pauric O’Donnell and gently into the back of the net.
At the change over, it was Ardara held a five-point upper hand. But for a fantastic block by Pauric O’Donnell on Tomás Boyle in the visiting goal, the deficit could have been even greater.
Half-time: Ardara 1-7:1-2 Naaomh Columba.
Naomh Columba opened the scoring after the restart through a Cunningham free. Molloy, again being as nuisance inside, won another free for Concarr to reinstate that previous five-point lead.
On 42 minutes, Ardara were able to spring the returning Conor Classon into the mix. The ex-county man had been residing Stateside and his return will, in the coming weeks, provide Adrian Brennan with a massive lift.
Tomás Boyle and and Molloy added further points for Ardara before Cunningham stroked another Glen point over, again from a placed ball. On 48 minutes, Cunningham whittled Ardara’s lead down to five, again from a free, but this time electing to kick from the hands.
Lorcan O’Donnell became the eighth contributor for Ardara when he skipped inside and arced over. Cunningham, Naomh Columba’s only real scoring outlet, belted over his fifth point of the contest as mattered entered the final five minutes.
A soft free awarded by Pat Walsh resulted in Cunningham shaving another point off the lead in what was now a four-point game. But any lingering hopes Naomh Columba had of salvaging something here evaporated when they lost Ryan McNern for his part in a mini schmozzle that broke out near the visiting goal.
With matters well into the red, Concarr eased concerns as he eased another over the crossbar, his fourth of the game.
That was the last meaningful action of what was, in the end, a lopsided enough affair. Ardara stemmed a losing steak of two and, as a result, move back to fourth in the Division 2 standings – five adrift of leaders Aodh Ruadh.
Ardara: Cathal Gallagher; Oisin O’Donnell, Brian Whyte, Danny Walsh; Nicholas Maguire (0-1), John Ross Molloy (0-1), Kieran Breslin; BrendanMcNelis (0-2), Conall Boomer; Peter McHugh (1-0), Brenan Boyle, Gareth Concarr (0-4,4f); CJ Molloy (0-2,1f), Tomas Boyle (0-1), Lorcan O’Donnell (0-1). Subs: Conor Classon for C Boomer (42), Paul Watters for P McHugh (48), Jimmy O’Connell for T Boyle (55), Johnny Herron for B Boyle (57), Kelvin Slowey for N Maguire (60+1).
Naomh Columba: Pauric O’Donnell; Ciaran McBrearty, Michael Maguire, Philip Doherty; Pauric Ward, Barry Carr, Stephen Jones; Paddy Byrne, Pauric Cunningham (0-6,5f); Kevn McNern (1-0), Declan Maguire (0-1), Martin Cunningham; Ryan McNern, Philip McNern, Gavin McGinley. Subs: Conor Carr for S Jones (ht).
Referee: Pat Walsh (Bundoran).
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