Leitrim open NFL campaign with a win
Allianz NFL Div 2A
Leitrim 0?12
Offaly 0-11
Leitrim scored a surprise and fully merited win over Offaly in Cloone on Sunday with a Shane Foley point two minutes from the end of an exciting encounter.
Leinster finalists, Offaly struggled in the first half with Leitrim taking a four points lead by the twenty-third minute.
Leitrim continued to hold the upper hand and went in still leading by three points at the interval.
Offaly won a free deep in injury time and had a chance to force a draw but Niall McNamee?s effort from sixty yards drifted wide.
Matters were evenly matched in the opening twelve minutes with Leitrim?s Ciaran Kennedy and Offaly?s Ciaran McManus swapping points from play at opposite ends.
But Leitrim edged into a two point lead in the next nine minutes when Ciaran Duignan and Fintan McBrien shot points apiece.
However a Niall McNamee converted free brought Offaly right back into contention by the nineteenth minute.
It seemed as if Offaly would claim a share of the spoils when McNamee levelled maters with two points on the trot in the sixty-fourth and sixty-fifth minutes.
However before the finish of this knife edge contest, Leitrim rallied and put together a well worked move, which left half back Shane Foley finished off in a clinical manner.
Leitrim: N. Gill, B. McWeeney, J. McKeon, D. Reynolds, C. Kennedy 0 ? 2, B. Prior, S. Foley 0 ? 1, M. Duignan, G. McCloskey, C. Regan, M. Foley 0 ? 2, B. Brennan, F. McBrien 0 ? 2, C. Duignan 0 ? 5, J. Glancy. Subs D. Beck for Brennan (49m.), D. Brennan for McBrien (60m.), S. Canning for McCloskey (68m.)
Offaly: K. Meehan, G. Rafferty, J. Quinn, N. Grennan, K. Slattery, S. Sullivan, E. Byrne, C. McManus 0 ? 1, K. Hogan, S. Brady, P. J. Ward 0 ? 1, A. McNamee, T. Deehan, N. Coughlan, N. McNamee 0 ? 8. Subs S. Ryan 0 ? 1 for Hogan (27m.), P. McConway for Byrne (32m.), K. Casey for Deehan (45m.), J. Coughlan for Ward (51m.), J. Reynolds for Brady (57m.)
Referee: M. Sludden (Tyrone)
Photos (207 of them !) now available inÓgallery – thanks to James Molloy
This report – courtesy of PJ Leddy
04-Feb-07 by PJ Leddy
