Dempsey to fore as relegation threat hangs over Breaffy
Connell Dempsey kicked a trio of two-pointers in Knockmore's win away to Breaffy.
Knockmore secured their place in Division 1 for next season when holding off a late rally from Breaffy on Friday evening.
The home side had a chance to earn at least a share of the spoils shortly after Conor O’Shea’s two-point free made it a one score game on 57 minutes. The restart saw Brian McMahon’s kickout intercepted by Pierce Deane 30 metres from goal and he picked out Davitt Neary, only for his shot on goal to cannon back off the post.
Joe Mellett did bring it back to two and in the final action of the game, Ben Murphy had a free from just beyond the 13-metre line. The substitute had to go for goal but his rasper flew over the bar, and time ran out on the comeback.
The defeat means Breaffy must avoid defeat in Tallagh in a fortnight against Belmullet, who are a point behind Sean Deane’s men, or the West Mayo side face relegation.
Although Knockmore’s final score of the game came in the 48th minute, courtesy of a Connell Dempsey two-point free, they did much of the damage in the first-half. They kept Breaffy to four points, with Kieran King, David McHale and Adam Naughton suffocating the Breaffy forwards.
Conor O’Shea did get Breaffy off the mark inside two minutes, but that was their only score of the first quarter. Knockmore, with the aid of a slight breeze, got the next five points, with all but one coming from Dempsey. Conor Flynn levelled matters in the third minute while Dempsey struck two placed balls from inside the arc before punishing a breach from Breaffy with his first from outside the 40-metre range.
Quickfire points from O’Shea and Pierce Deane, a free, brought the gap back to two but the early introduction of Caolan Hopkins, replacing the injured Keith Ruttledge, reaped a quick impact with his first of the half seconds after coming on.
At the other end, Fergal Keane came to the rescue to deny Paul McDermott a certain goal after good work by Robbie Fadden and Davitt Neary. Breaffy brought it back to two points again thanks to another Pierce Deane single before Hopkins picked off quickfire back-to-back points.
Knockmore led 0-10 to 0-4 at half-time thanks to a second Connell Dempsey two-point free but they would not score for the entirety of the third quarter. However, Breaffy, who now had that advantage of the breeze behind them, only scored two points themselves in this period through Deane, a free, and O’Shea. Another goal chance fell Breaffy’s way on 44 minutes as Davitt Neary and Daire Morrin combined before putting in Deane, but he blasted wide.
Dempsey opened Knockmore’s second-half account on 46 minutes from a short-range free and he would complete his hat-trick of two-point frees from outside the arc two minutes later to put them seven clear of a team who had only scored six points up to this stage.
Breaffy were not going away though. Robbie Fadden struck the game’s only two-pointer from play moments later and Conor O’Shea’s two-point free, following a breach by Knockmore, put this game in the melting pot.
Neary would soon strike the upright while at the other end, Caolan Hopkins was denied by Breaffy goalkeeper Cillian Curley.
Joe Mellett left only two between the sides before Ben Murphy’s free went the wrong side of the crossbar, as Knockmore secured league safety.
They will round off their league campaign with a short trip to local rivals Ballina Stephenites. The trip north to Belmullet for Breaffy is significantly longer and has a lot more at stake.
Scorers – Knockmore: Connell Dempsey 0-3-3 (3tpf), Caolan Hopkins 0-0-3, Conor Flynn 0-0-1.
Breaffy: Conor O’Shea 0-1-3 (1tpf), Pierce Deane 0-0-3 (2f), Robbie Fadden 0-1-0, Joe Mellett and Ben Murphy (f) 0-0-1.
Breaffy: Cillian Curley; Mark Ward, Mark Dervan, Conor Coghill; Ross Connolly, James Minogue, Daire Morrin; Robbie Fadden, Conor O’Shea; Paul McDermott, Tommy O’Reilly, Davitt Neary; Joe Mellett, Pierce Deane, Yousif Coghill. Subs: Gavn McManamon (for McDermott 51), Ben Murphy (for Minogue 54, inj), Daniel Rabbette (for O’Reilly 60+2).
Knockmore: Brian McMahon; Nathan Armstrong, David McHale, Ryan Casey; Adam Naughton, Kieran King, Darragh Holmes; Fergal Keane, Connell Dempsey; Adam Battle, Liam Durkan, Charlie Bourke; Keith Ruttledge, Thomas Clarke, Conor Flynn. Subs: Caolan Hopkins (for K Ruttledge 21, inj), Peter Naughton (for A Naughton 33), Oliver Armstrong and Pearse Ruttledge (for D Holmes and Clarke 47), Dylan Coleman (for Flynn 59).
REF: Shane Corcoran (Islandeady)
