Belcoo 2-13 Maguiresbridge 1-09

Belcoo manager Barry Hanrahan is expecting a different challenge when his side face Derrylin in Round Two of Group A of the Intermediate Championship.

Belcoo began their campaign with a hard fought win over Maguiresbridge, with a late 1-04 flourish sealing the win.

While Derrylin were put to the sword away to Devenish.

“We face a different challenge heading down the road to Derrylin,” said Hanrahan.

“They are probably feeling the pressure after coming off the back of a defeat against Devenish. They have home advantage against us and all the expectation is on them, I suppose. It’s a must win game for them in many ways.

But in saying that, his side will approach the game as any other: “But like I said before, we just concentrate on our own game. We will look to get our own performance right. We are going there on the back of a good win. We have a had a very good year to date. Our approach to games has been the same all year. That won’t change in Derrylin. I expect a good encounter. We are in very good form and we are enjoying our football.

“There’s very little expected from us. We are playing with a real freedom. We are looking forward to the game.

Looking back at the Bridge game Hanrahan said the only thing that mattered was winning the game.

“That’s precisely what we did. I felt we controlled most of the game and always looked comfortable. They had a purple patch in the second half and came back at us.

“It’s always good to win the first championship match, especially in this new round robin system. We will probably have tougher tests ahead but we were very pleased to get through this game unscathed.”

Maguiresbridge manager Ciaran Carey had seen his side move right into contention late in the game before Belcoo finished well to take the win.He wants his side to take the positives from the encounter as they move into a clash with Devenish this weekend.

“We hit three points in a row to get back level but Belcoo finished strongly when we needed to add on a few scores. That’s championship football and we just have to take the learnings and the positives from it and take that into the Devenish game.

“Devenish had a good win over Derrylin and I thought they were going well towards the end of the league and were unlucky to be releagted so they will be coming to Maguiresbridge with a view to qualification.

“I’m looking for Maguiresbridge to improve on last week’s performance and see where that takes us,” he said.

Played in difficult conditions, the sides were level as the game drew to a close, but 1-04 without reply saw Belcoo home.

There was not much between the sides in the first 30 minutes of football, however Belcoo were guilty of some wayward shooting and passing in the final third.

Lawrence McKeown opened the scoring before Feidhlim O’Connor levelled with the outside of his boot.

Ciarán Flaherty restored Belcoo’s lead from a tight angle but the Bridge responded through a Danny Teague free.

Belcoo looked like they were beginning to control the game when a Paul McGrath free and goal put them 1-03 to 0-02 ahead.

But the Bridge responded immediately when Ryan Hyde got on the end of a good move and found the roof of the net.

A good Dara Flanagan point would ensure that Belcoo led 1-04 to 1-02 at the break.

For most of the second half the sides traded scores.

Daniel Teague, Sean and Ciaran Corrigan all getting on the scoresheet for the Bridge.

Sean Corrigan with two great scores from distance while his brother did well to tap over after running at the Belcoo defence before adding another point from out o the right.

While Belcoo had scores from McGrath frees, Cillian Murray and substitute Matthew McAloon.

And it looked like it was going to be a tense finish when Teague fired over a big score from the left to make it 1-09 apiece.

But Belcoo won the next kick out which ended in McGrath converting a free.

And from here on it was all Belcoo.

Murray hit a fine score to put two points in it and then McAloon would hit his second after shrugging off a Bridge defender’s challenge.

McGrath would grab his second goal of the game when a fumble by a Bridge player gave Flaherty the chance to gather possession and lay off to the midfielder who made no mistake firing to the roof of the net.

And from the resulting kick out, Josh Killilea pounced on another Bridge mistake and played in McAloon who sealed the 2-13 to 1-09 win for Belcoo.