Missed chances cost Doire Trasna as Moneymore claim Championship victory

Derry Championship - Premier Electrics JFC Grp B

Doire Trasna 0-7

Moneymore 1-8

Doire Trasna have only themselves to blame after they fell to defeat to Moneymore in the opening day of their Junior Championship campaign at Corrody Road.

The final score line may have shown four points between the sides, but if the hosts had taken any one of a number of superb goal chances, this one could have ended very differently. In the first half, Conal Guille and Sean Fleming could well have found the net, and while they could both go down as half chances, the opportunities which fell the way of Michael Philson, Tomas McCrossan and Pol Brown in the second period were the exact opposite. How the ball stayed out of the Moneymore net at times was anyone’s guess, but very poor finishing and superb defending also played a role in blessing Padraig Donaghey’s goal throughout.

This is not to suggest that Pearses were in any way dominant; Moneymore were far the better team in the first period and were well worth their seven-point lead at the break. But bizarrely, the South Derry side stopped playing after that, and approached the second half with a ‘what we have, we hold’ attitude, that could well have cost them the game.

They scored just one point in the second half, an insurance free from Aaron Moore with just five minutes left to play, and were fortunate that their opponents lacked that real quality to take some big chances which came their way. But a win is a win, and getting the victory away from home especially is a significant result, with every point crucial in this Championship Round-Robin series this year.

Favourites

On the back of a good league campaign under James McQuillan, and given the fact that Pearses beat Moneymore at home back in June, the home side would have regarded themselves as favourites heading into his game, even if they were missing one or two regulars.

But Pearses were very, very slow to start this game, and by the time Eoghan Quigg knocked over their first point of the day on 13 minutes, they were already four behind, thanks scores from Moore, Tiarnan Kelly, Maciej Orzel and Mark Bell.

There was more gumption and movement from Moneymore as they took the game to their opponents and not even the loss of Kevin Kerr to a black card could stop them. Within 60 seconds of being reduced to 14 men, they had the ball in the Doire Trasna net when Darren O’Kane’s effort dropped short but was spilled by goalkeeper Gavin Bradley right into the path of Bell, who made no mistake from close range.

Sean Fleming pulled another score back, but it was all Moneymore and Tiarnan Kelly in particular was on fire as he took his tally to 0-3 with two quick scores.

The first of several goal chances came Pearses’ way when Eoghan Devlin intercepted a poor kick-out from Donaghey and he fed Guille who raced clear, but took the point when the goal was on.

Another soon followed when Caolan Doyle caught Philson’s free and set up Fleming, but he was badly off target.

The last say of a one-sided first half went to Moneymore with Moore scoring to leave his side completely in control at the break.

Half Time 0-3, 1-7

In terms of mentality, two different teams emerged from the changing rooms at half time. Pearses, no doubt after a few strong words, started brightly and at least made a fight of it, while Moneymore’s attacking game disappeared entirely.

A free from Eoghan Quigg got the home side on the board at the start of the second half, but it should have been game on when the best goal chance for either team came the way of Philson on 39 minutes. Tomas McCrossan picked out a completely and utterly free Philson right in front of goal, but he couldn’t find the net with Donaghey saving. It was an important save in the context of the game, but it was more a bad finish than a great stop.

Pearses kept going, although at a rather pedestrian pace, and they managed four successive scores over the course of 19 second half minutes, Quigg and two from Philson taking the deficit to just a goal with 10 minutes or so remaining.

With Moneymore showing little interest in killing their opponents off, Doire Trasna kept plugging away, and they were denied their goal on 54 minutes when Doyle knocked down Adam McGuiness’ free into the path of McCrossan, who did everything right, but the ball smashed off Kerr on the line and somehow stayed out.

Moore got Moneymore’s only score of the second half to add that extra bit of a cushion between the sides going into the last few minutes. There was still time for one more goal chance for Pearses however, and Donaghey made a good save to deny substitute Pol Brown in the last real action of the game.

Teams and Scorers

DOIRE TRASNA: Eoghan Quigg (0-3, 1f), Sean Fleming (0-1), Conal Guille (0-1), Michael Philson (0-2),

Moneymore: Aaron Moore (0-3, 3f), Tiarnan Kelly (0-3, 1f, 1m), Maciej Orzel (0-1), Mark Bell (1-1),

Doire Trasna: Gavin Bradley, David Og Officer, Tomas McCrossan, Conall Guille, Daniel Doherty, Shane Lyttle, Niall Gallagher, Caolan Doyle, Eoghan Devlin, Sean Fleming, Caelan O’Connell, Michael Pilson, Eoghan Quigg, Tiarnan Fleming, Adam McGuinness.

Subs: Pol Brown for Tiarnan Fleming 57’.

Subs not used: Darren Coyne, Karol Deeney, Ronan Donnelly, Sean McNaught, Ciaran McGowan, Shea Sharkey.

Yellow Cards: Caolan Doyle 27’, Eoghan Quigg 36’, Sean Fleming 52’,

MONEYMORE: Padraig Donaghey, Chinasa Okoronkwo, Luke Moran, Ryan McAllister, Emmet Crozier, Kevin Kerr, Mark Bell, Darren O’Kane, Conan McCoy, Mark McLoughlin, Maciej Orzel, Dean Kelly, Rory Young, Tiarnan Kelly, Aaron Moore.

Subs: Stephen McGurk for Dean Kelly 51’, Chris Marshall for Aaron Moore 60’.

Subs not used: Ryan McKee, Aidan McKenna, Iuri Niza, Kian O’Neill, Ronan O’Loughlin, Tiarnan O’Neill, Eoin Ward, Ronan McKee, Ronan Gavin, Eunan Ledgewood, Calum McCoy, Liam McElhone, Daniel Jackson.

Black Card: Kevin Kerr 17’.

Referee: Aidan McAleer.