Muff overturn five point deficit 17.06.11

Naomh Pádraig Iskaheen...0-13 Naomh Pádraig Lifford...1-7 by Damian Dowds at Ture (Photos: Herbie Barr) A STRONG second-half performance helped Naomh Pádraig Iskaheen defeat Naomh Pádraig Lifford at Ture on Saturday night. Muff had trailed by double scores, 1-7 to 0-5, early in the second half when it looked like the Lifford men would prevail in the battle of the Naomh Pádraigs. But having been outplayed for large periods, Muff finished like an express train and Lifford failed to score for the final 25 minutes of the game. Eunan Keaveney fielded a succession of high balls at midfield and brother Dermot drove forward to hit three fine points. Damian Diver chipped in with four points and Michael McColgan also found the target as Aiden McAleer’s men finished on the right side of a 0-13 to 1-7 scoreline. Two frees from the reliable boot of Damian Diver gave Muff the early advantage before Lifford took the lead in bizarre fashion. A harmless looking Shane Meehan ball from far out on the left wing saw keeper Christy Lynch caught in two minds. He seemed frozen on his goal line as the ball bounced just outside the square and Brian Breslin nipped in to punch the ball into the net.

That was in the fourth minute, and Lorny Crossan punished Muff moments later when they misplaced a free kick inside their own 45 and the midfielder put the ball over the bar. It was end-to-end stuff early on. Gerard McColgan picked up a cross field pass to point from distance and Damian Diver got on the end of a long Martin Duffy ball to draw his side level by the 11th minute. But Lifford, missing several first team players who were attending a club wedding in Clare, took control of the game after that and would outscore their hosts by six points to one over the next 25 minutes to lead by 1-7 to 0-5 five minutes into the second half. Muff’s normal high tempo style of strong off the shoulder running and quick passing was absent as Lifford dominated midfield and created a series of scoring chances.

Kevin McBrearty converted a free from an acute angle near the right sideline before Lorny Crossan took a pass from the influential Daniel Carlin and pushed his side 1-3 to 0-4 clear. Indeed, were it not for some nifty goalkeeping Lifford could have put the game beyond Muff’s reach before the break. Christy Lynch, with some help from Brendan McColgan, made amends for his earlier mistake by twice saving from Shane Gallagher in the 20th and 23rd minutes. Mark and Daniel Carlin were having a field day, with the pointing from a central position to establish a three point lead for Lifford by the 20th minute.

There was a scrappy end to the first half, with both sides guilty of hitting wides, although Muff did get the last score before the break when Diver broke a Gerard McColgan ball down to Martin Duffy and the rampaging midfielder broke forward to drive the ball over the bar. Trailing by 0-5 to 1-4 at the half time, Muff found themselves five points behind with just six second half minutes gone. Lifford maintained their stranglehold on midfield, with Crossan particularly influential and his half backs and half forwards picking up all the breaks. Points from play from Kevin McBrearty, Shane Meehan and Crossan, the latter soloing 40 metres through the centre of the Muff defence, had Lifford 1-7 to 0-5 in front and in complete control. Remarkably, though, Lifford would fail to score for the remainder of the game. With Muff in danger of slipping out of touch, Dermot Keaveney took it upon himself to pull his team back into contention with two fine points in the 37th and 44th minutes.

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