Unbeaten no Moore as Conn advance
The Conn Rangers team pictured before their Connacht Cup tie against Moore United. Picture: Conn Rangers FC
An excellent first half display saw Conn Rangers advance to the last 16 of the Connacht Cup after defeating unbeaten Roscommon & District League leaders Moore United in Mount Falcon last Sunday afternoon.
The home side were in front on 10 minutes when Peter Naughton won the ball from a kickout from the opposition. Naughton chipped the ball of the centre backs heads to put Eoin Prendergast through and he slotted it into the bottom left corner.
The goalscorer was involved again for Conn’s second four minutes later. He took the ball down the line on the left and lifted it over the approaching midfielder and slotted it out to Colm Rutledge on the right, who raced through to bury it into the back of the net.
It got better from here as Conn added a third ten minuets before half-time. Liam Durkan won the ball in the middle of the field and played in Rutledge on the right. Appearing to shoot, he cut in on the left before curling it into the bottom left corner.
Moore tried to find a way back into the game but were coming up against a side who looked they were going to score at every opportunity. Naughton went close with a thunderous shot that missed the top corner before the best move of the game. Conn played it out from the back into Liam Durkan’s feet and as the Moore defence raced out to play a high line, he slotted it through Rutledge down the right and put it straight across to Eoin Prendergast but the ball just evaded him.
Whatever was said to Moore at half-time looked to have inspired them as Moore showed plenty of gusto and Charlie Killeen pulled one back with a strike off his left boot that looped over Brian McMahon and in off the crossbar five minutes after the restart.
It was to and fro from there, as Conn duo Eoin Prendergast and Colm Rutledge were both denied by Euan Kelly while McMahon was forced into action by Charles Nevin. With ten minutes to go, Moore won a penalty and Charles Nevin sent McMahon the wrong way to make it 3-2, but Conn saw the game out well and made sure in injury-time. Under 18 player Thomas Varkonda Kilroy put it across to Conor Flynn and his low drive from outside the penalty area nestled in the bottom corner.
