Home comforts for Donaghmore / Ashbourne in Feis Cup decider

Donaghmore/Ashbourne ......................1-4-11 (22)

Skryne .................................................1-1-12 (17)

Donaghmore/Ashbourne took advantage of some Skryne ill-discipline to claim the first silverware of the year with victory in Friday night's Feis Cup final at Ashbourne.

Batterstown was deemed unplayable early in the day following torrential showers and after a coin toss Donaghmore/Ashbourne were awarded home advantage and they made good use of their knowledge of the way the wind blows down the field in Ashbourne and of the slight slope that helped them pull clear in the second-half.

Skryne did rally late on despite having Niall Finnerty and John O'Regan sent-off in the 44th and 55th minutes respectively.

Ian Davis was introduced for the closing stages and almost dragged Skryne back into the game with a punched goal and a fine point, but he saw a couple of other chances fly wide as Donaghmore/Ashbourne held on for a deserved win and their second Feis Cup title in three years.

The early stages were certainly a slow burner with just one score from play in the opening 16 minutes. That fisted point from a Luke Barrett goal chance cancelled out Darragh Campion's opening pointed free for Skryne and moments later Skryne should have retaken the lead, but Finnerty missed a 20-metre free from in front of the posts.

Campion took responsibility for the next free and converted, but Donaghmore/Ashbourne goalkeeper Andy Colgan responded in kind to restore parity again.

Kevin Fenton, who replaced the injured Sean Tyrell after just nine minutes, saw a goal chance blocked on the line by Jack Swan, but early in the second quarter Darragh McGovern pointed Donaghmore/Ashbourne's second score from play to make it 0-3 to 0-2.

The game livened up in the run-in to half-time.

Fenton put two between the sides for the first time, but two Campion frees, one of which was awarded after a member of the Donaghmore/Ashbourne management showed dissent to the referee, dragged Skryne level by the 24th minute.

Another Donaghmore/Ashbourne burst led to points from Kevin Cully, Zach Thornton (free) and Darragh McGovern, but Niall Finnerty landed a superb two-pointer to close the deficit to one in first-half injury-time.

However, two minutes later Jamie Browne netted from a metre out after Michael O'Sullivan's fisted effort came back off the upright and wasn't dealt with by the Skryne defenders in the small square. That goal ensured a 1-7 to 0-6 interval lead for Donaghmore/Ashbourne.

Swan gave Skryne the perfect start to the second period with a fine point and even though Fenton replied with a score Skryne were further boosted when Oisin Daly picked up a black card to leave Donaghmore/Ashbourne down a man.

Campion punished Daly's foul with a converted free, but Donaghmore/Ashbourne hit the perfect reply when Colgan landed a two-point free to make it 1-10 to 0-8.

As the intensity rose Campion and O'Regan pointed to close the gap to three-points, but then it started to go wrong for Skryne.

Niall Finnerty was issued a black card following an off the ball block on Dominion Agbaha and as he was leaving the field he turned back to the referee to express his frustration further and that earned him a yellow card to add to the black and he received a subsequent red card.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne took full advantage. Restored to 15 players by Daly's return, twins Thomas McGovern and Darragh McGovern hit two-pointers either side of another Campion free to extend the hosts lead to 1-14 to 0-11 with 50 minutes played.

Davis gave Skryne hope two minutes later when he punched Ciaran Lenehan's centre to the net, but Donaghmore/Ashbourne replied again with Cully and Evan Kelly on target before O'Regan picked up a straight red card to leave Skryne down to 13 men.

Billy Smyth clipped over to close the gap to four, but another two pointer, this time from Fenton made it 1-18 to 1-12 in the 57th minute.

Davis and Rob Gallagher did manage consolation scores for Skryne, but the badly needed second goal never arrived and it was Browne who closed the scoring five minutes into injury-time to ensure victory for Donaghmore/Ashbourne.

Donaghmore/Ashbourne - Andrew Colgan (0-3 one two-point free, one free); Oisin Daly, James Redmond, Luke Barrett (0-1); Dominion Agbaha, Evan Quinn, Cillian Hegarty; Kevin Cully (0-2), Jamie Browne (1-1); Evan O'Kane, Darragh McGovern (0-4 one two-pointer), Thomas McGovern (0-2 one two-pointer); Zach Thornton (0-1 free), Michael O'Sullivan, Sean Tyrell. Subs - Kevin Fenton (0-4 one two-pointer) for Tyrell 9m, Evan Kelly (0-1) for Thornton 50m, Jack Doran for Hegarty 56m.

Skryne - Michael Donnelly; Tom Lenehan, Michael Doherty, Jack Swan (0-1); Shane Smyth, John Finnerty, Mark Swan; John O'Regan (0-1), Darragh Campion (0-7 six frees); Conor O'Donohoe, Padraig Finnerty, Charlie Swan; Niall Finnerty (0-2 two-pointer), Oisin Keogh, Andrew Canavan. Subs - Ciaran Lenehan for O'Donohoe, Conor O'Brien for Canavan both half-time, Billy Smyth (0-1) for P Finnerty 38m, Ian Davis (1-1) for Keogh 45m, Rob Gallagher (0-1) for M Swan 55m.

Referee - Keith Sheerin (Castletown).