Goals do the trick for Raheens
JOE MALLON MOTORS SFC GROUP D, ROUND 3
RAHEENS 3-12
CLOGHERINKOE 0-18
By Daire Walsh at Manguard Plus, Hawkfield
Paddy Woodgate, Liam Power and Mikey McGovern all shook the net at Manguard Plus Hawkfield on Saturday to give Raheens a hard-fought win over Clogherinkoe in Group D of the Kildare Senior Football Championship.
Cein McMonagle kicked seven points for Clogherinkoe in a superb individual performance, but the Longridge outfit are now consigned to a relegation final against Castledermot.
Raheens did come under early pressure in this contest, with McMonagle and Dean Hanley pointing after Jack Robinson (mark) and Woodgate (free) had swapped set-piece scores. Woodgate subsequently knocked over a superb effort with the outside of his right boot from 50 metres, however, before hammering to the Clogherinkoe net on the stroke of 10 minutes.
Back-to-back McMonagle points got his side back on level terms, only for Raheens to once again raise a green flag through McGovern in the 13th-minute. This enabled the Caragh-based outfit to keep a safe distance for the remainder of the half.
Though McMonagle added three points to compliment a solitary score from Robinson, Murphy and Woodgate (two) split the uprights to ensure Raheens led 2-5 to 0-9 at the midway stage.
Eager to reinforce their authority on the restart, a Murphy point was swiftly followed by an expertly-drilled goal from midfielder Power. Raheens threatened to run away with the game when McGovern and Woodgate points increased their cushion, but Clogherinkoe showed plenty of grit.
Cein McMonagle, Mark Grehan, Eoghan McMonagle and Robinson all found the target in quick succession to leave them just four in arrears (3-8 to 0-13) heading towards the final-quarter.
Raheens possessed enough firepower to keep them at arm’s length, though, as Power, Murphy, Woodgate and Graham Waters all kicked over at the end of enterprising moves. Clogherinkoe may have outscored their counterparts in the closing moments thanks to Mikey Barea, McMonagle (two), Daniel Grehan and Mark Grehan, but it wasn’t enough to halt Raheens’ march towards the last-eight.
Scorers: Raheens: Paddy Woodgate 1-6 (0-4 frees), Liam Power, Mikey McGovern 1-1 each, Conor Murphy 0-3, Graham Waters 0-1.
Clogherinkoe: Cein McMonagle 0-7 (1 free), Jack Robinson 0-5 (2 frees, 1 mark, 1 ’45’), Mark Grehan 0-2, Mikey Barea, Dean Hanley, Eoghan McMonagle, Daniel Grehan 0-1 each.
RAHEENS: Declan Campbell; Aidan Dunlea, Tom Early, Jack Hamill; Graham Waters, Matthew Betts-Symonds, Killian Thompson; Liam Power, David Fitzpatrick; Rory Donnelly, Paddy Woodgate, David Malone; Mikey McGovern, Conor Murphy, John Jennings. Subs: Sean McLoughlin for Jennings (41), Adam Malone for Thompson (60), Colm Power for McGovern (61).
CLOGHERINKOE: Keith Wilkinson; Joe Mulraney, Elian Scanlon, Mikey Barea; Caelum Flanagan, Gavin Scanlon, Jamie Boyle; Eoghan McMonagle, Daniel Grehan; Mark Grehan, Mark Nolan, Dean Hanley; Cein McMonagle, Killian Galligan, Jack Robinson. Subs: Robert Dunne for Boyle (35), David Hill for Galligan (61).
REFEREE: Liam Herbert.