Newly promoted Senior side Ratoath got the better of Moynalvey by three points in this Feis Cup preliminary round fixture played on Sunday afternoon February 21st on a 1-8 to 1-5 score line.
Ratoath 1-8 Moynalvey 1-5
Following the heavy overnight rain Moynalvey’s pitch was unplayable so Moynalvey travelled to Sean Eiffe Park, the home of the current Meath and Leinster Intermediate Champions. With just a handful of other knock out fixtures within the county going ahead, this game was given the green light following a pre-match pitch inspection of the back pitch in Ratoath, which was deemed playable by the referee.
In what was a day where defences were on top and scores were hard to come by in the difficult conditions, it wasn’t until the 10th minute that the first score arrived when a sweeping Ratoath move up the field was finished to the back of the Moynalvey net. The home side’s lead was extended to four points within sixty seconds when full forward Conor Rooney sent over.
Moynalvey’s Fearghal McCabe volleyed over half a goal chance in the 13th minute to open the visitor’s account. A late tackle on Dan Treacy as he was offloading a pass resulted in a free kick, which Mark O’Sullivan duly converted to half the deficit on the quarter hour mark, leaving it 1-1 to 0-2.
Ratoath goalkeeper Shane Duffy stepped forward to convert a free in the 20th minute and another free in the 25th minute, this time from Mark Daly put four between the sides once again. Three points separated the sides in the 28th minute when Moynalvey wing forward James Kelly pointed and a minute later the sides were level when a piece of good fortune saw a Kelly effort at a score skid on the slippery surface over the oncoming Ratoath ‘keeper Duffy into the back of the net. Two minutes into injury time Daly pointed his second free to hand the home side a one point half time advantage, 1-4 to 1-3.
Playing uphill and against the breeze Moynalvey failed to score until the 18th minute of the second period, when Dan Treacy split the uprights after gathering a ’45 from Stephen Donoghue which was falling short of the target. In this time the hosts had registered a further two points to their tally leaving it 1-6 to 1-4.
Two points separated the sides again in the 56th minute when following another Ratoath point, a rasping effort from distance by Mark O’Sullivan just cleared the crossbar when it could quite easily have gone under it, which would have drawn the sides level for a second time. O’Sullivan’s point would prove to be the visitor’s last and a further Ratoath point in additional time left three between the sides at the full time whistle.
Moynalvey team: C. Ennis, R. Lawless, C.McCabe, D. Brennan, E. Walsh, S. Donoghue, D. Branigan, D. Smith, D. Reilly, S. Lenehan, D. Treacy (0-1), F. McCabe (0-1), J. O’Neill, M. O’Sullivan (0-2, 1f), J. Kelly (1-1).
Subs: S. Duggan for McCabe, J. Weldon for Treacy.
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