Slaughtneil march on with win over Kevin Lynch's

Slaughtneil 0-27 ... Kevin Lynch's 1-20

Reigning champions Slaughtneil continued their 100% start in Group A, but they were made to work hard for it by a spirited second-half performance from Kevin Lynch’s in Owenbeg on Sunday afternoon.

The Emmets were outstanding in the opening half, taking full advantage of the wind to lead 0-17 to 0-7 at the break. They looked sharp, their passing was crisp, and they were clinical in front of the posts. However, credit to Kevin Lynch’s who came out in the second half transformed, battling their way back into contention.

Richie Mullan fired a penalty over the bar at a stage when a goal would have cut the deficit to five. In added time, the gap was down to three, but Slaughtneil avoided any late drama with a crucial insurance point to seal the win.

With regular free-taker Cormac O’Doherty playing, it was a surprise to see Shea Cassidy on placed balls duty but he stepped up, finishing with a personal tally of 0-12, including the game’s opening two scores. Slaughtneil quickly raced into an 0-8 to 0-2 lead by the 11th minute. All of Kevin Lynch’s first-half points came from Richie Mullan (5) and Corey O’Reilly (2).

Slaughtneil had an impressive spread of scorers. Alongside Cassidy’s seven first-half points, the likes of Cormac O’Doherty, Brendan Rogers, Ruairí Ó Mianáin, Eunan Boylan, Cahal McKaigue and Shane McGuigan all found the target. Their movement into space and handling was top-class, as they put on a display of high-quality hurling. O’Maináin was an outlet for Oisin O’Doherty throughout.

When O’Doherty and Rogers added points early in the second half, it looked like Slaughtneil were going to cruise to victory. But Kevin Lynch’s had other ideas, upping their intensity and rattling off four points in a row—including a superb Shea Millar strike and a brilliant sideline cut from O’Reilly.

Chrissy McKaigue briefly halted their momentum, but then came a a huge moment in the game. Richie Mullan was fouled and stepped up to take the penalty himself, but blazed it over the bar.

Two more points followed, and the deficit was suddenly down to six. After a brief exchange of scores, it was still very much game on with eight minutes to go.

Slaughtneil looked to have steadied the ship when Cassidy (2) and McKaigue stretched the advantage. But Kevin Lynch’s refused to lie down. Niall Ferris and a Sean Kelly free crept just over the bar before Stevie O’Neill found the net with a composed finish after being played through the centre by Conor Kelly. That made it a three-point game.

However, O’Doherty’s smart puck-out found a teammate, and when Slaughtneil won a free, Cassidy coolly tapped over his 12th point to see the holders safely across the line.

IN PICTURES: Reigning champions Slaughtneil continue winning start

The final round of group fixtures will see Slaughtneil host Lavey, while Kevin Lynch’s welcome Na Magha. Both sides will be fancied to pick up wins and secure their places in the semi-finals.

Teams & Scorers

Slaughtneil: Shea Cassidy 0-12 (10f), C O’Doherty 0-4 (3f), B Rogers 0-3, R O’Maináin, S McGuigan and Chrissy McKaigue 0-2 each. Cahal McKaige and E Boylan 0-1 each.

Kevin Lynch: R Mullan 0-10 (9f, 1p), C O’Reilly 0-5 (1sl), S O’Neill 1-0, S Millar 0-2, N Ferris, N McGonigle and S Kelly (f) 0-1 each.

Slaughtneil: Oisin O’Doherty; Fionn McEldowney, Sean Cassidy, Conor McAllister; Ruairi O’Maináin, Ruairi McCartney, Shane McGuigan; Meehaul McGrath, Cahal McKaigue; Mark McGuigan, Cormac O’Doherty, Eunan Boylan; Brendan Rogers, Chrissy McKaigue, Shea Cassidy.

Subs: Eamon Cassidy for Cahal McKaigue (41).

Kevin Lynch: Sean Kelly; Oran McElhinney, John Mullan, Eoin McKeever; Shea Millar, Conor Kelly, Niall Ferris; Darragh McGilligan, Corey O’Reilly; Thomas Brady, Conor Gaile, Stevie O’Reilly; Richie Mullan, Mark Craig, Niall McGonigle.

Subs: Paddy Kelly for Craig (35), Darragh Mullan for Brady (39)

Referee: Ciaran O’Kane