Moynalvey bowed out of the race for Senior Championship honours at the quarter final stage with a one point defeat at the hands of Gaeil Colmcille at Trim on Sunday afternoon September 24^th.

Gaeil Colmcille 1-11 Moynalvey 0-13

The last time these sides met in championship fare it was Moynalvey who came out on top in the Intermediate decider exactly six years ago to the day. However it was the Kells men who narrowly came out on top in this contest to dump Moynalvey out of this year’s Senior Championship race and send themselves through to a semi-final spot for the third year running.

Having dominated proceedings in the opening half Moynalvey went in at half time with a four point advantage which should have been more only for some wayward shooting. The Kells men had the better of the second half, outscoring Moynalvey 1-9 to 0-5.

Moynalvey stormed into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after just 10 minutes with points from five different scorers, Cillian O’Sullivan (2), David McLoughlin, Stephen Donoghue, John Donoghue and Anthony Forde; with Oisin Reilly accounting for Gaeil Comcille’s point.

With three minutes of the half remaining Gaeil Colmcille had reduced the margin between the sides to three, 0-6 to 0-3, with a Seamus Mattimoe free and a second from Oisin Reilly. David McLoughlin and Adam Murphy pointed for Moynalvey to leave it 0-8 to 0-3 after 33 minutes. Deep into injury time Mattimoe pointed his second, this one from play to leave the half time score reading 0-8 to 0-4 in favour of Darren Fay’s men.

Lar Wall’s half time team talk obviously had the desired effect as the Kells men got off to the perfect start to the second half hitting 1-1 within the first three minutes, the goal coming from substitute Ryan Farnham and the point from Brian Hanlon. In a thirty second space within the 7^th minute of the half a brace of points saw Gael Colmcille take the lead for the first time making it 1-3 without reply since half time to take a 1-7 to 0-8 lead.

Points from David Mcloughlin and Stephen Donoghue left it all square for a second time after 43 minutes. A McLoughlin point saw Moynalvey regain the lead momentarily but the Kells men had it level again two minutes later to leave it 0-11 to 1-8 at the three quarter hour mark.

The sides proved inseparable in the final quarter until full back Barry Smith popped up to send over what would prove to be the winning point in the 59^th minute. A couple of late Moynalvey goal chances went a begging and Gaeil Colmcille held out for the one point win on a 1-11 to 0-13 score line to send them through to a semi-final against either Summerhill or Navan O’Mahony’s.

Moynalvey: Ray Ryan, Conor Harnan, Robert Lawless, Darren Brennan, Anthony Forde (0-1), Padraic Harnan, Daniel Treacy, Donal Smith, Stephen Donoghue (0-2), Cathal McCabe, John Donoghue (0-1), Brian O’Reilly, David McLoughlin (0-5), Cillian O’Sulivan (0-2, 1f), Adam Murphy (0-1). Subs used: Mark O’Sullivan (0-1) for McCabe, Shane Lenehan for C. Harnan, James Kelly for J. Donoghue, Eamon Walsh for Smith.