Aghamore finish strongly to maintain unbeaten run

Mayo SFL Division 2 – Round 8 

Aghamore 2-24 

Bonniconlon 2-10 

Daragh Coyle in Aghamore 

Despite a rain-soaked pitch and strong winds against them in the first-half, Aghamore did more then enough to get the best of Bonniconlon in Friday evening’s rescheduled Mayo SFL Division 2A clash. The East Mayo side were already assured of their place in the Division 2 final and this latest win was their seventh in eight games, with the other game drawn.

In defeat, Bonniconlon saw their outside chance of reaching the final disappear, on an evening where the gap between senior and junior championship teams was well illustrated.

Mayo attacker Fergal Boland was on song for Aghamore, contributing nine points, including five from frees, but his club compatriots all contributed. Indeed, shooting twenty scores from play from just 24 shots was an incredible display of accuracy by the Red and White. Trailing by eight points at half-time was an unassailable position that Bonniconlon found themselves in, despite the efforts of offensive-minded wing-back Conor Igoe who by full-time had contributed exactly half of Bonniconlon’s overall tally – 1-5 out of 2-10.

Aghamore started lightning-quick with two points inside two minutes, Oisin Duffy setting up David Hession for the opener courtesy of a ‘solo-and-go’, before a Fergal Boland free doubled the lead.

Bonniconlon would reply in similar fashion, as Ciarán Gaughan hit a fabulous curling score from out wide on the left after chasing a ball into the corner. A stunner of a two-pointer followed from Conor Igoe through the middle, his high-arcing shot sailing for an age but straight over the black spot.

The aforementioned accuracy from the hosts, combined with an intensity out of possession, saw Aghamore score 1-8 unanswered, the goal coming from the palms of Cillian Mooney in the seventh minute after a great carry from James Lyons into the Bonniconlon area. Moments later, Mooney would follow his major up with a curling point from a tight angle to left of goal.

Fergal Boland picked up four more points in this run, scoring two frees, while James Lyons and Sean Óg Tigue tacked on the rest before a free from Seán Neary halted the run in the 23rd minute. Igoe added his second two-pointer with another looping shot off his left that again had the spectators watching and waiting before the umpire held aloft the orange flag. However, Hession would grab his second point of the game just before the close of the first period, to leave Aghamore 1-11 to 0-6 ahead.

The second period opened with two Gaughan frees sailing over from off the floor as Bonniconlon sought to soften their first-half arrears. However, despite a more solid start to the half, the men from North Mayo fell behind further after another brace from Boland and one point from Lyons.

A spell between the 40th and 45th minute could have seen the visitors make a remarkable comeback. It started with Gaughan converting a free after Aghamore goalkeeper Adam Byrne took too long over his kickout, after which Darragh Fox set up a golden goal chance that was denied excellently. Working his way in from the left, Fox was faced by three Aghamore defenders in front of goal so shifted the ball to Gaughan to his right. The corner-forward aimed his shot for the top right corner but a diving stop from Byrne saw the ball superbly tipped past the post, keeping the score at 1-14 to 0-9. That miss would come to hurt Bonniconlon, as Neary slotted home a penalty shortly after that chance, leaving them trailing by five instead of a much narrower two points.

Aghamore exploded from there, sprinting over the finish line in some style. They responded in the next minute with a Boland point, following on with a goal from Oisin Duffy and a point from substitute Michael McNeive. A stunning left footed goal from some distance out by Conor Igoe kept faint Bonniconlon hopes alive at 2-16 to 2-9, however, with an eight point to one run from Aghamore between there and the finish, they sealed an impressive win.

Scorers – Aghamore: Fergal Boland 0-0-9 (5f), Cillian Mooney 1-0-2, Sean Óg Tigue 0-1-2, Oisin Duffy 1-0-0, Michael McNeive 0-0-3, David Hession and James Lyons 0-0-2 each, Hallam Coen and Johnny Conlon 0-0-1 each.

Bonniconlon: Conor Igoe 1-2-1, Sean Neary 1-0-1 (1-0pen, 1f), Ciarán Gaughan 0-0-4 (3f), Ronan Neary 0-0-1.

Aghamore: Adam Byrne; Conall Breslin, Conal Hession, Liam Cassidy; David Kenny, Robert Lyons, Hallam Coen; Briain Breslin, Sean Óg Tigue; Oisin Duffy, Fergal Boland, James Lyons; Cillian Mooney, Darren Duffy, David Hession. Subs: Michael McNeive, Johnny Conlon, Derry Óg Cox, Justin Kelly.

Bonniconlon: Aidan Doherty; Martin Durcan, James McKenzie, Darragh Fox; Shane Tolan, Niall Greavey, Conor Igoe; Richard McKenzie, Jonathan Lavelle; Ronan Conlon, Wesley Loftus, Ronan Neary; Sean Neary, Brian O’Malley, Ciarán Gaughan. Sub: Daniel Tuohy.

REF: Jerome Henry (Castlebar Mitchels)