KARL LACEY TURNED in a man-of-the-match display as Four Masters claimed their third win a row and sank Malin to their first defeat of 2016.
Four Masters 1-12 Malin 0-8
Four Masters captain Lacey scored 1-2 in the second half to fire Kevin ‘Cookie’ Gallagher’s side to a useful win.
Lacey’s goal came in the 43rd minute. Patrick Reid launched a long ball in to Darren Doherty and he laid off to Lacey, who broke through to fire a superb effort into the top left corner.
Four points by sub Matthew Byrne responded for Malin, but Lacey clocked up a pair of late points to make safe the win.
The teams were tit-for-tat early on and were level at three points each after just ten minutes before the withdrawals of Barry Dunnion and Peadar Espey through injury hit Four Masters.
Caolan Loughney and Doherty scored points late in the first half to put the home side ahead, 0-5 to 0-4.
Doherty, Barry Monaghan and Sean O’Kennedy hit scores for Four Masters to move into control.
While Byrne pulled Malin back into it, Doherty, O’Kennedy and Lacey added the icing on the cake for Four Masters, who also had good performances from goalkeeper Ryan Haughey and Dillon Muldoon.
Four Masters: Ryan Haughey; Darren Walsh, Daire Quinn, Dylan Kennedy; Barry Dunnion, Karl Lacey (1-2), John Boyle; Patrick Reid, Sean O’Kennedy (0-3); Darren Doherty (0-3, 3f), Kevin Breslin, Caolan Loughney (0-2); Barry Monaghan (0-1), Dillon Muldoon, Peadar Espey (0-1, 1f). Subs: Dillon Ward for Espey (14), Josh Lacey for Dunnion (18), Leo McHugh for Boyle (half-time).
Malin: Darragh McLaughlin; Mick McLaughlin, Conor Farren, Conor Byrne; Kieran McColgan, Paul McLaughlin (0-1), Tomas McLaughlin; Christopher McLaughlin, John Gerard McLaughlin; Stephen McLaughlin, Dan McDaid (0-2), Brendan McLaughlin; Danny McCarron, Seamus Doherty (0-1), Gary Farren. Subs used: Matthew Byrne (0-4) John Gerard McDermott.
Referee: Kevin McGinley (Naomh Columba).
