AFTER last week’s loss to Erin go Bragh, St. Marys bounced back to beat Sons of Erin thanks to a second-half goal spree by the recently crowned 2020 intermediate champions.
Sunday’s action on the upper pitch at Pairc na hÉireann was one of two intermediate fixtures completed on Sunday with Four Masters recording their first win of the campaign away to Rugby Gaels on a score line of 5-13 to 4-06.
Playing with a powerful wind in their faces in the opening half hour Wolverhampton grabbed the first of six goals for the afternoon from the penalty spot, Alan Brooks lashing home past Adrian O’Connor.
Sons plugged away as they tried to make the most of the wind at their backs and they responded with a point from open play but a high ball into the Northampton goalmouth ended with Brooks capitalising to drill home his second goal.
Brooks then turned provider as he played in Kelvin Magee who slotted over the bar from the right-hand side. Brooks could have had his hat-trick moments later when he stole through the heart of the Sons defence only to roll the ball narrowly wide of the far post. Sons deployed Benny McKenna to full-forward but the momentum largely remained with St. Marys and Brooks who once again raced through on O’Connor’s goal only to rattle the crossbar and send the ball over the bar.
A close-range scramble at the start of the second-half inside the Wolverhampton goalmouth saw Sons find the back of the net as they slowly but surely brought themselves back into contention.
However, that signalled a response from St. Marys who returned back up the other end with two points (one free from Brooks) before Finn Mullen forced a superb save out of O’Connor.
The pressure told though as moments later Brooks released Mullen who made no mistake this time to find the back of the net.
The game was effectively safe when Magee veered in from the right to fire the ball beyond O’Connor and when Mullen popped up in front of the Sons goalkeeper soon afterwards he made no mistake in rounding O’Connor and rolling the ball over the line for a sixth major of the afternoon.
Sunday also saw an opening win for John Mitchels who came away from Nottingham with a 4-10 to 1-08 victory over St. Barnabas in the Senior Football League.
Teams:
St. Marys: J Amos; J Flynn, J McGlynn, E Corby; C Walpole, M Cronin, D Mason; R Blanchette, O Durney; G Mannion, A Brooks, K Magee; M Cosgrove, F Mullen, C McCann.
Sons of Erin: A O’Connor; A Heayberd, D McGrath, N Campbell; I Smyth, T Kilcoyne, C Dunneely; B McKenna, P McMahon; S Rycroft, E Bonner, A Al Tayub; C Rutherford, T Ruddy, J McLoughlin.
Referee: C Heffernan
Final score
ST.MARYS 6-07 (25)
SONS OF ERIN 2-05 (11)
