ACL 1
SO EASY FOR CHAMPS
Rostrevor 0-7 Mayobridge 4-10
Fifteen minutes in to Fridays First Division match at Pettit Park and Mayobrige led by ten points and we might as well all have gone home early. It wasn’t that Bridge had blasted Rostrevor out of their way with a surge of that brilliance we all know they are capable of. It was more that they had already blown Reds away without ever having had to go near top gear!
EASY, EASY
Benny Coulter, Michael Walsh, Ronan Sexton and co had stro;lled through for two goals and four points. Indeed, the two goals had literally been “walked” into an empty net as the visitors powerful thrusts had so completely stripped the home defensive cover that first Adrian Barry and then Michael walsh had been left with tap-ins after Benny Coulter had twice drawn the goalkeeper as last man left standing. Add two casually-taken points by Coulter and one apiece for Noel Sexton and Michael Walsh and you had Bridges argument unanswerably stated.
NO ILLUSIONS
No-one was under any illusion, least of all Rostrevor, that Reds had any inkling how to turn that ten point margin around. And even though the home side got enough out of the second quarter to outscore their opponents by 0-5 to 0-1, the fact that four of those points came from frees, and the other was fisted over by Brian Cole from another Colm Clerkin free, made it clear that the penetration needed to really get Rostrevor back into this game was not at their command.
WRAPPED UP
Having seen what Rostrevor were capable of and having been duly underwhelmed, Mayobridge effortlessly wrapped it all up in the third quarter.Young Ryan Brady set up Noel Sexton for a point and then snapped up the goal he so richly deserved himself after Benny Coulter had again ripped open the hapless Reds rearguard and and in the 44th minute the Sexton brothers played a family duet for goal number four, scored by older brother Noel. In between these goals, Benny Coulter had hooked over a memorable point to crown a classic Bridge move constructed out of their full back line with a necklace of accurate kicked passes. Cathal Magee, Michael Walsh and Noel Sexton had the visitors scoring completed by the 50th minute. Rostrevors misery was such that their first point of the second half did not come until the 59th minute and that was another Dermot Mackin free!
TWO QUESTIONS
Two questions remain. First, just how bad were Rostrevor? Let’s not even go there. Suffice to say that this was the sort of performance which leaves fellows avoiding eye contact in the village square for a week afterwards. The only relief for Reds is that such gloom doesn’t have to last more than a week and that a winning performance next week-end will be enough to have people feeling good about themselves again.
Question number two, and one which will be of acute interest all around the county; how good were Mayobridge? Well, you could certainly tell that the Championship was in the offing. They are. Once again, the standard every one else will have to aspire towards. Of course we know just how formidable they can be when there established stars like benny Coulter, Ronan Sexton, Noel Sexton and Michael Walsh are on song. What really worries the rest of us is how formidably they are filling the rest of their panel. On field, they had two county minors, Ryan Brady and Caolan Lynchehaun. It is a long long time since any corner forward in the county caused as many problems for the ever-resourceful Jarlath Farrell as young Brady did here. All this and the sight of county under 21s like Cathal Magee, John Caldwell and Brendan Rooney still on the sideline! It will take a very very good team indeed to unseat Mayobridge tis summer on this sort of form.
Rostrevor scorers; Colm Clerkin [0-4] 4 frees; Dermot Mackin [0-2] 2 frees; Brian Cole [0-1]
Mayobridge scorers; Noel Sexton [1-3]; Michael Walsh [1-2] 1 free; Ryan Brady [1-1]; Benny Coulter [0-3]; Adrian Barry [1-0]; Cathal Magee [0-1]
Rostrevor team; Christopher McCartan; Eddie Magee, Paul Magee, Jarlath Farrell; Shaun Parr, Niall Farrell, Kevin McGrath; Martin Cole, Colm Murney; Brian Cole, Conor Mackin, John Fegan; Dermot Mackin, Colm Clerkin, Joe Fegan.

Mayobridge team; Liam Coulter; Gavin Barry; Brendan Grant, Caolan Lynchehaun; Seamus Grant, Shane O’Hare, Conor Garvey; Eoghan Woods, Michael Lively; Noel Sexton, Michael Walsh, Benny Coulter; Ryan Brady, Ronan Sexton, Adrian Barry
Subs used; John Caldwell; Cathal Magee; John Quinn
Man of the Match; Michael Walsh [Mayobridge]