Nobber 1 – 18 (21) Moylagh 2 – 13 (19)

Nobber opened their 2026 Junior A Football Championship Group C campaign on Sunday last with an impressive victory over fellow North Meath team Moylagh. It was Nobber’s first time winning their opening round championship fixture since 2022. The game was played in Carnaross with the pitch and grounds in good condition for an entertaining game for the neutral with a nail-biting finish for supporters.

The green and white of Moylagh started the brightest and went into a 4 points to 0 lead in the opening 7 minutes. The black and ambers responded with scores of their own in the 9th and 10th minute through Sean Meade and Dale Larkin respectively. The opening quarter belonged to Moylagh and they led by 0 – 6 v 0 – 2 after 15 minutes of play. During the first half the Nobber defence were under pressure from a lively Moylagh attack. Moylagh managed by former Meath star Peadar Byrne were proving dangerous going forward with their direct running and were creating plenty of scoring opportunities. Nobber’s midfield maestro Paul Meade had other ideas however, Meade picked up the ball and ran directly towards the Moylagh defence and unleashed an unstoppable shot from 25 yards and rattled the back of the net to the delight of the Nobber support. Surely a contender for goal of the weekend across all championship grades in the county.

Nobber concluded their scoring in the first period by the highly determined and energetic corner forward Lorcan McEntee. Nobber netminder Dary Hutchinson played a key role in the first half for Sean Carolans’s charges. Hutchy was a commanding presence to his teammates, a calming voice and most importantly saved a penalty to keep the black and ambers alive in the tie going into the half-time interval.

Half-time – Nobber 1 – 4 (7) Moylagh 1 – 9 (12)

The green and white hoops of Moylagh increased their lead to 7 points early in the second half. After 35 minutes the scoreline read Moylagh 1 – 12 Nobber 1 – 5. For the remaining 25 minutes of play the Deesiders went on to outscore their opponents by 0 – 13 v 1 – 1 (4). Nobber showed huge levels of character, resilience, and a great attitude in the second half particularly. The odds may have been stacked against them early in the second half according to most spectators but Dale Larkin, Sean Meade, Gustas Pocevicius and co. had other ideas.

Larkin firmly had his shooting boots on and was unstoppable from placed balls on the day. He scored some impressive two pointers from various angles across the forward line to keep the black and ambers within touching distance. The final 10 minutes of the game contained in bit of everything, including chaos, uncertainty, tension, and exciting football at both ends of the field. The experienced Dary Hutchinson played a pivotal role in Nobber’s win. After saving a penalty in the first half, Hutchy made two more outstanding saves in the final 10 minutes.

Eanna Fagan, and Barry Cassidy drove the Nobber team on and further scores from Conor Owens, Larkin, Sean Meade, and McEntee sealed the win for the black and ambers.

Next up for Nobber in Round 2 involves the black and ambers travelling to Ludlow Park, Syddan to face St Mary’s Donore on Thursday, August 20 at 7:30 PM.

Nobber team – Dary Hutchinson, Cathal Cassidy, Eanna Fagan, Seamus Fagan, Kian Donohoe, Barry Cassidy, Paddy Clarke, Paul Meade (1 – 0), Mark Condra (0 – 1), Conor Owens (0 – 1), Sean Meade (0 – 4), Gustas Pocevicius, Lorcan McEntee (0 – 3), Dale Larkin (0 – 9, 3 X 2P), Niall Farrell.

Subs used – Adam Keating, Thomas Murtagh.

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