Killeavy 0-11 Cullyhanna 0-08

Killeavy entertained Cullyhanna on Sunday, again needing two points to haul themselves up the table. The league is really split this year into two halves and Killeavy have won three in a row against teams in the lower half of the league. Cullyhanna were in the top six and it gave Killeavy a good chance to guage their progress over the past few months. The exciting news was that Stephen McDonnell and all county players were available for the game. Mal Mackin and Paul Watters were injured so didn't play. Ciaran McKeever started for St Pats. Conditions were again perfect for the match and there was a slight breeze favouring St Pat's in the opening half.
The game turned out to be a carbon copy of the previous meeting between the two sides, with St Pats halfback line really impressing and running strongy at Killeavy. Their midfield gave as good as they got as well, while in comparison, Killeavy looked a little tired after a few tough training sessions through the week. For all that, St Pats inside forward line again failed to impress and finish off the good work of their colleagues out the field. As this trend continued through the half, scores were at a premium. Stephen McDonnell wasn't at his best, but replied a St Pats opener with a superb score, when he dispossessed a St Pats defender, and banged over a monster from forty yards. St Pats then had their best spell, and overlapping runners were causing big problems. They hit three points in a row, and were denied two goals by Brian Teggart, the Killeavy keeper, keeping the side in touch going towards half-time. Killeavy then hit three quick scores in succession. Gerard Byrne got two on the spin, while Adrian Doran got the equaliser. The latter two scores were pleasing as Killeavy tackled back to win possession, and then broke quickly to score.

Half-Time: Killeavy 0-04 Cullyhanna 0-04

At the start of the second half St Pats went two clear with a close range free and a point from play by Ciaran McKeever. Gary Reel again managed to get up from halfback for his trademark score. Stevie banged over another fifty yard effort to leave Killeavy level again. St Pats then went down to 14 men. A late tackle on Gerard Byrne, who really upped his game in the second period saw Peter McKeever sent off for a second yellow. A Gerard Byrne free gave Killeavy back their lead, and another McDonnell point seemed to put them in a great position. St Pats responded well to get a few points and tie it up again. Killeavy still weren't playing well but the numerical advantage, and the scoring prowess of McDonnell proved the difference in the end. He tagged on two more, leaving him with five in total, four of which came from in excess of forty yards. Barry Duffy ended the scoring with a rousing point. Great to see Killeavy winning without playing particularly well. Two more wis will have them safe, although they'll be looking for much more than that, having won their last four league games. Competition for places is now extremely high as injured players in the back line weren't overly missed and Bernard Hannaway was still held in reserve, and with the B team still in the championship things look good.

Full-Time:Killeavy 0-11 Cullyhanna 0-08

Killeavy Team: B. Teggart, C. Byrne, F. Mallon, C. Quinn, B. McKevitt, P. McArdle, G. Reel(0-1), J. Duffy, B. Duffy(0-1), R. Teggart(S Toner 40mins), S. McDonnell(0-5, 2f), P. Rocks(T Kelly 45mins), G. Byrne(0-3, 2f), A. Doran(0-1), S. Carroll.

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