Ardee St Mary’s Power Past Abbeylara to Secure Leinster Club Quarter-Final Spot
Ardee News and Sport – Ardee St Mary’s surged into the Leinster Club Senior Football Championship quarter-finals with a 3-14 to 2-08 victory over Longford champions Abbeylara on Sunday. The Deesiders showed their strength, especially in the second half, despite a scrappy first half where two conceded goals left them level at the break.
Abbeylara, determined from the outset, threw their weight behind a defensive strategy, putting multiple players behind the ball and double-marking key Ardee forwards, including county star Ciaran Keenan. This tight marking proved effective early on, as Abbeylara opened the scoring through Jason Kelly in the first minute and followed up with a close-range free by Ciaran Scanlon, pulling ahead 0-02 to 0-00.
Ardee’s Shane Matthews finally responded with a point, and Carl Gillespie’s consistent free-taking, along with scores from Kian Moran, kept Ardee in contention. It was Liam Jackson’s impressive solo goal, however, that pulled the home side into the lead, making it 1-04 to 0-03 midway through the half. Abbeylara retaliated moments later when Cathal Gilligan capitalized on a deflected Robert Smyth shot to equalize. Another free from Scanlon just before halftime saw the game tied 1-06 to 2-03 as both teams headed into the break.
Abbeylara’s hopes were dealt a severe blow early in the second half when Cathal Gilligan received a black card and Jason Kelly was shown a straight red, allowing Ardee St Mary’s to take full control. Winning five of Abbeylara’s 13 kickouts, Ardee capitalized with two crucial goals from Tom Jackson and Karl Faulkner. Jackson proved a game-changer, registering 25 possessions over the hour, while Keenan found space to contribute significantly with 24 possessions himself.
Despite the challenges, Abbeylara’s Robert Smyth managed to keep the scoreboard ticking with a few well-taken points. Ardee, however, kept the pressure on, pulling further ahead with scores from substitutes Ronan Carroll and Tom Jackson to seal their 3-14 to 2-08 victory and advance to the quarter-finals.
Team Line-Ups and Scorers:
Ardee St Mary’s: T Markey; T McDonnell, K Faulkner (1-0), E Keenan; J Commins, D McKenny, C Gillespie (0-3, 3f); RJ Callaghan, P McKenny; C Keenan, L Jackson (1-1), K Moran (0-4), S Matthews, D McConnon, T Jackson (1-1).
Subs: R Carroll (0-2) for Rooney (39), S Callaghan for Matthews (45), C Gillespie for Commins (51), T Corrigan for E Keenan (54), E Malone for Moran (55).
Abbeylara: G Kelly; M McHugh, PJ Masterson, S Mahon; C Brady, B Masterson, CP Smyth; F Battrim, C Scanlon (1-1, 1f); P Berry, J Kelly (0-1), C Lynch; R Smyth (0-5, 3f), C Gilligan (1-0), C Gilna.
Subs: N Rabitte for Berry (48), R Reilly (0-1) for Padraig Berry (41), Connor Berry (0-1) for Gilligan (51), M Brady for S Mahon (58).
Referee: B Cawley (Co Kildare).
Stabannon Parnells Secure Division 2 Status with Dominant Win Over O’Connells
Stabannon Parnells retained their Division 2 spot in a decisive 2-12 to 1-5 victory over neighbors O’Connells in the promotion/relegation playoff at Darver on Saturday night. Despite an early lead from O’Connells, who were aiming to complete a treble just weeks ago, the team now faces another season in Division 3A.
O’Connells started strong, opening with quick points from Niall Conlon and Robert Quigley. But Stabannon’s Harry Butterly soon responded, and a key goal from Sean Cairns saw O’Connells lead 1-3 to 1-2 before a red card to Conlon shifted the momentum. Butterly’s consistent accuracy brought Stabannon ahead by halftime, 1-4 to 1-3.
After the break, Quigley’s equalizer from a free briefly leveled the score, but O’Connells couldn’t hold back Stabannon’s surge. Stabannon capitalized on their advantage, racking up points from Sean Reynolds, Bobby Butterly, and Dylan Shevlin, who brought the score to 1-10 to 1-5. David Cluskey’s goal late in the game cemented Stabannon’s win, with additional scores from Butterly and substitute Sean Brady sealing a ten-point victory.
Stabannon’s victory caps a challenging but ultimately successful season, while O’Connells face regrouping in Division 3A.