Moorefield advance with win over Eadestown

Moorefield are through to the Joe Mallon Motors SFC quarter-final following a hard earned but well-deserved four point win over a dogged Eadestown at Cedral St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge this afternoon.

It was not until the eight minute we got the opening point but it was a brilliant Evan O’Brien two-pointer that got Moorefield up and running and while Ben Fitzsimons replied for Eadestown a brilliant orange flag from Kevin Murnaghan stretched the lead.

An Aaron Masterson 45 and a Mark Murray point had The Moores leading 0-7 to 0-3 on 17 minutes.

Eoin Conneff reduced the gap but then Aaron Masterson received a black card and suddenly the game changed as Eadestown got a grip around the middle and came forward hitting four points on the trot to level and that is the way it stayed until the break.

Eadestown took the lead on the resumption with a Rian Boran point but once Aaron Masterson returned from his back card ten minutes, the game swung back in Frank Hanniffy’s side when they added two points before a fine four man move ended with Mark Murray finding the Eadestown net to make it 1-10 to 0-8 45 minutes in.

Kevin Murnaghan added a point and while Cian Bolton got in on goal his blistering shot was brilliantly pushed over by Tom Kinsella in the Moorefield goal.

That was the last big chance Eadestown had as Moorefield ground out the game, Evan O’Brien firing over the score, a free, on 53 minutes and while Ben Fitzsimons got the last score of the game, a free again, it was not enough Moorefield winning on a final score line of Moorefield 1-11 Eadestown 0-10.

Scorers, Moorefield: Kevin Murnaghan 0-4 (1 two-pointer), Mark Murray 1-1, Evan O’Brien 0-3 (1 two-pointer), Aaron Masterson 0-2 (45), Tommy McGrath 0-1.

Eadestown: Ben Fitzsimons 0-4 (2 frees), Eoin Conneff 0-2, Niall Cummins 0-1, Harry Carroll 0-1, Rian Boran 0-1, Cian Bolton 0-1.

MOOREFIELD: Tom Kinsella; Liam Callaghan, Mark Dempsey, Conor Walsh; Anthony Durney, James Murray, Dan Hanniffy; Tommy McGrath, Aaron Masterson; Luke Sweeney, Kevin Murnaghan, Mark Murray; Evan O’Brien, Ryan Moore, Dan O'Callaghan. Subs: Adam Sweeney for James Murray (blood sub 16-18); Tommy Rooney for Dan O’Callaghan (half-time); Adam Sweeney for Dan Hanniffy (half-time); Eoin Meehan for Luke Sweeney (42 minutes); Ciaran Kelly for Kevin Murnaghan (55 minutes).

EADESTOWN: Charlie Carroll; Cian Cahill, John Lawlor, Harry Carroll; Daragh Jameson, Jack Sargent, Padraic Tuohy; Rian Boran, Conan Boran; Michael O’Brien, Sean Hynes, Niall Cummins; Eoin Conneff, Ben Fitzsimons, Conor McCarthy. Subs: Cian Bolton for Conor McCarthy (34 minutes); Tom Boran for Michael O’Brien (46 minutes); Max Sargent for Padraic Tuohy (46 minutes); Ben Nichol for Eoin Conniff (55 minutes).

REFEREE: Ryan Moran.