Moynalvey lost out to St. Michaels by two points in round 12 of the All County A League on a 0-14 to 2-6 score line at Carlanstown on Sunday afternoon July 27^th.

St. Michaels 0-14 Moynalvey 2-6

With both sides sitting mid table in the league safe from the relegation zone and out of the equation for promotion hopes, it was the Intermediate side St. Michaels who ran out two point winners against their Senior opponents Moynalvey. As the score line proved, Michaels’ easily outscored their South Meath opponents fourteen scores to eight. Only two points separated the sides at the final whistle and but for two excellent second half saves from St. Michael’s goalkeeper Paul McCormack the visitors Moynalvey nearly snatched something from this game.

The home side were first to trouble the score keeper when St. Michael’s wing forward J.B O’Reilly split the posts in the 4^th minute. Moynalvey’s first score of the game arrived in the 5^th minute when full forward William Harnan unleashed an unstoppable left footed rocket to the corner of McCormack’s net. Two minutes later Moynalvey midfielder Brian Conneely fisted over, extending the visitor’s lead to three points, 1-1 to 0-1. Following a second point for the Carlanstown men, Moynalvey wing back Brian Harnan burst forward to point in the 21^st minute following some excellent build up play from Barry O’Keeffe. Harnan’s point proved to be Moynalvey’s last score of the first half and the home side rattled off six unanswered points before the half time whistle. The departure of St. Michael’s midfielder Felim O’Reilly to a serious injury accounted for six additional minutes at the end of the first period in which Moynalvey’s Paul Conneely was black carded and O’Reilly’s replacement substitute Matthew Halpin accounted for two of his sides’ three injury time points, the third from David Lynch, leaving Michaels ahead 0-8 to 1-2 at the break.

Thirty seconds after the restart Michaels’ extended their advantage to four points when corner forward Ronan Lynch clipped over. A mazy run from Moynalvey’s Shane Lenehan from his own half back line saw him fouled 21 yards out near the sideline, Ciaran Ennis stepped forward to curl the resulting free kick over the black spot to leave three between the sides again eight minutes into the second half. David Lynch fired over Michaels’ 10^th point of the game in the 42^nd minute with Moynalvey’s William Harnan replying with an excellent point of his own three minutes later. The three point margin separated the sides for eleven minutes as scores came hard to come by, before St. Michael’s Peter O’Connell broke the lull in the 26^th minute. Michaels’ looked to have secured both points on offer when pointing again in the 57^th minute, leaving five between them on a 0-12 to 1-4 score line. However two minutes later a Ciaran Ennis ’45 which was dropping short was fisted to the St. Michael’s net by Moynalvey midfielder Brian Conneely, leaving an anxious few minutes for the home side with six minutes of additional injury time set to be played after numerous second half injury stoppages. In the injury time David Lynch pointed yet again for the home side and two Ennis frees for Moynalvey, the first a converted free after Barry O’Keeffe was bundled over and the second an effort from play left just a point between the sides with three minutes left to play. Some wasteful shooting from Moynalvey cost them snatching something from the game and St. Michaels’ Peter Connell ensured victory for the Carlanstown side when pointing in the 64^th minute, leaving St. Michaels’ holding out for a well deserved two point win on a 0-14 to 2-6 score line.

Moynalvey: Ollie Regan, Anthony Brien, Padraig Donoghue, Fearghal McCabe, Brian Harnan (0-1), Stephen Donoghue, David Donoghue, Donal Smith, Brian Conneely (1-1), Eamonn Walsh, Ciaran Ennis (0-3), Paul Conneely, Shane Lenehan, William Harnan (1-1), Barry O’Keeffe.
Subs: Luke Duffy for P. Conneely (black card), Mark Lenehan for Walsh.