Mitchels live
to fight another day
ACFL Division
3: Mitchels 1-15 Dundrum 1-08
By
Marc Mac Siomoin [marc_mac_siomoin@yahoo.co.uk]
Mitchels live to fight another day after
securing a relegation playoff with a
solid win over the team they will meet
for the third time this season in that
showdown.
Spurred on by Cooney at midfield and
county man Kearney at centre half forward
the Newry side simply had too much firepower.
They missed very little and were extremely
economical with their possession which
led to a second half blitz that silenced
Dundrum.
At
half time they went in with a one point
lead. Joe Price was first to get them
off the mark in the second minute. Dundrum
hit back with a Paul McComiskey score,
his first of three.
Mitchels soon snatched back the lead
when Kearney drove through and pointed.
Then two well taken frees by Kieran
Walsh put Dundrum into the lead for
the first time.
However the away side failed to build
on their advantage and Mitchels made
them pay. Stephen Kearney (0-02) and
Joe Price (0-01) converting to edge
their team two clear.
As halftime approached Dundrum looked
threatening but they failed to create
a clear opening. Conor McShane weighed
in with his first of the night but Mitchels
countered this with a Kearney free.
The away side looked hungry in this
period and Kearney's effort was cancelled
out by a McMullan free. This was the
last of the half and saw Mitchels go
in with the narrowest of leads.
For the first ten minutes of the second
half Dundrum kept in touch with Mitchels.
Paul McComiskey opening the scoring
before Mitchels responded with a double.
Walsh strived to keep his team in the
hunt with a free but Mitchels proceeded
to take over and stepped up a gear to
grab 1-01 to put five in it.
Midway through the half the impressive
McComiskey grabbed his last contribution
of the night with a point but followed
this up with a costly missed goal chance.
Mitchels then resumed order with four
on the trot, Kearney and Cooney again
in the thick of the action. Eight points
was now the difference.
As the game approached the final few
minutes it got scrappy and the football
suffered as a result. Paddy Doran did
nip in with a consolation goal for the
Duns but it was never going to be enough
as the two star men on view had themselves
a point apeice to secure Mitchels a
well earned victory.
Those two stars were Cooney and Kearney
and between them they secured Mitchels
another bite at the cherry in their
quest for survival.
Dundrum: T.Byrne, C.McKibbin, J.Hurley,
M.McKibbin, M.Melville, M.Murray, P.Shields,
K.Walsh (0-03, 3 Frees), A.Doyle, J.McMullan
(0-01, 1 Free), P.Doran (1-00), P.McComiskey
(0-03), C.McShane (0-01), C.Kielty,
M.Coughlan. Subs: G.Graham and N.McComiskey.
