IFC: O'Mahony's advance to last eight

Duggie Dillon gains possession for Navan O'Mahony's during their round 3 IFC clash against Bective at Simonstown

Navan O’Mahony’s 2-19
Bective 2-16

O’Mahony’s came out on top in a hard-fought battle against Bective in Simonstown on Saturday evening, with the game up for grabs until the final whistle.

Bective opened the scoring before Paddy Dillon got O’Mahony’s on the board with a well-taken two-pointer from play, with the Bective netminder getting a touch to it. A Bective goal shortly afterwards put them in the lead.

Niall Higgins and Aodhán Mallon found the target, with Jack Quinn then putting O’Mahony’s ahead. Cormac Nugent followed with a superb two-point score as O’Mahony’s edged into the lead. A goal shot from Duggie Dillon was denied by the Bective goalie and it was Bective who found the net at the opposite end of the pitch.

A good clearance from Darragh Maguire through Higgins finished with Ronan Clarke finding the net. In the twenty-sixth minute, when Bective hit a free wide after a three-up breach, a good team play through Dillon, Higgins, Quinn and Cormac Nugent ended in the net.

Navan O’Mahony’s 2-09
Bective 2-03

The second half proved a much tighter affair. O’Mahony’s extended their advantage early on through Quinn, Nugent and Niall McGrane, who regained possession after being blocked down and stayed on course for a point, but Bective showed great determination to fight their way back into it.

Five points in a row for Bective, including a two-pointer heaped the pressure on Darren Clarke’s side. With the gap reduced to just two points, O’Mahony’s needed to regain their composure. Subs Evan Coffey and Robbie Keelaghan both produced important scores to keep O’Mahony’s in front, before further points from Eoghan Nugent and Coffey helped see the game out.

Bective added a late two-point score to leave only two between the sides in the dying seconds. A calm Keelaghan fisted the ball over the bar, giving O’Mahony’s a small bit of breathing space and securing a place in the knockout stages.

In defence, O’Mahony’s were well served by Darragh Murphy, Darragh Maguire and Conor Brady, with Sean Betson, Ivo Fitzherbert and James O’Reilly making key contributions throughout the pitch.

Navan O’Mahony’s: Jamie O’Reilly, Darragh Murphy, Paddy Dillon (0-02, 1 2P), Conor Brady, Darragh Maguire, Niall McGrane (0-01), Sean Betson, Niall Higgins (0-01), Aodhan Mallon (0-03, 1 2P), Cormac Nugent (1-03, 1 2P), Ivo Fitzherbert, Duggie Dillon, James O’Reilly, Jack Quinn (0-03), Ronan Clarke (1-0)

Subs: Eoghan Nugent for O’Reilly, Evan Coffey (0-02) for Maguire, Robbie Keelaghan (0-03) for Clarke, Shane McCarthy for Quinn