Mayobridge
start defence of SFC title with win - 18/08/2003
All
County Senior Football Championship: Mayobridge 4.14 Saval 2.05 - 17/08/2003
As expected reigning Down champions,
Mayobridge easily advanced to the quarter-final of the SFC with an impressive
and one-sided win over near-neighbours Saval on Sunday evening 17th August at
Pairc Esler, Newry.
The scoreline of 4-14 to 2-05 tells its
own story as the Mayobridge side were always in command in a match that was played
in poor playing conditions, with rain falling throughout. One of the highlights
of the match was the outstanding performance by the Mayobridge and Down star,
Mickey Linden. The 40 year-old was always in the thick of the action, and showed
on this performance he means business this season once again.
The match was over as a contest really at the break when Mayobridge trailed by
ten points - 0-12 to 0-02. And this was emphasised in the opening minutes of the
second-half when another county star, Benny Coulter finished a five man move to
send to the Saval net.
Saval to their credit continued to
battle on and were rewarded ten minutes from the end when Fergal McConville punched
a goal to put a more respectable look on the scoreboard. The sides exchanged goals
in the closing minutes with Benny Coulter adding a second for Mayobridge and he
finished the game with a personal tally of 2-1. Danny Hughes was the Saval goal-scorer
with the last kick of the game. Hardly a great test for the champions, but they
showed by the way they went about their business they are still the team to beat
in Down senior ranks this season once again.
Mayobridge -
Sean Featherstone; D. Tighe, K. O'Hare, R. O'Hare; B. Rodgers, F. Poland,
N. Sexton; E. Woods, D. Rooney 0-1; Mickey Linden 0-4, Michael Walsh 0-4, R. Sexton;
G. McMahon, R. Coulter 2-4, Benny Coulter 2-1.
Subs: Brendan Grant for F.
Poland; J. Coulter for M. Linden; G. Barry for R. O'Hare.
Saval
-
P. Murphy; J. Hughes, D. McCarthy, M. Turley; D. Quinn, G. Quinn, D. Cunningham
0-2; K. Morgan, C. Turley, F. McConville 1-0; G. Hughes, P. Turley; G. Digney.
D. Hughes 1-3, K. Faloon.
Subs - P. Greenan for K.Morgan; M. Haveron for M.
Turley; S. Clarke for D. Quinn.
Referee: S. O'Hanlon for
Kilcoo.
