Late Moate points keep tenacious Tang at bay

Moate All Whites 2-11, Tang 0-14

Moate All Whites claimed a deserved victory but were pushed all the way by a determined Tang team in this Westmeath SFC encounter in Tubberclair last Friday night.

Ultimately, influential contributions from some key Moate players when needed in the second half proved enough to overcome Tang. Yet it was a close contest with Tang cutting Moate's lead to the bare minimum in the 57th minute (2-9 to 0-14).

The fact that Moate struck for two goals when wind-assisted in the first half was a key factor. The All Whites struggled to find their rhythm in that opening half, but goals from Billy Berry and Robbie Forde provided a 2-3 to 0-5 cushion at the interval.

Val Daly's charges were boosted by the driving runs of midfielder Daragh Lowry and Ruairi Cunningham's strong presence in attack. Forde and Berry scored 2-7 between them while there were fine contributions from Paul Gorman and Cathal O'Brien among others.

Having been somewhat unlucky to be edged out by Garrycastle in the opening round, this was an important win for Moate as there is little scope for slip-ups in Section B.

From Tang's perspective, the shooting prowess of Aidan Burke (scorer of 0-9) kept them in touch, while the likes of Conall McKiernan and Ronan and Shane Hanley showed plenty of defiance.

A combination of travelling and retirements has left Tang shorn of several players who have been key figures over recent years. For a club with a shallow pool of players to pick from, this has further reduced numbers but the word coming out of Tang was that those on the panel were showing admirable commitment and this was evident on Friday night.

Having lost to St Malachy's in their opening game, Tang are seen as the most likely team to be relegated but with John Rock to return in their next game, they will feel they can still defy those expectations.

There were errors and turnovers aplenty but the closeness of the scoring meant this game gripped the attention throughout. In a fixture with a later than usual starting time of 8.30, Moate were aided by the stiff breeze in the first half. Yet it was Stephen Coy's men who made the brighter start, with Aidan Burke (a free) and Tommy Lennon posting early points.

The All Whites got an ideal fillip in the fifth minute when, after a move involving James Bracken, Billy Berry slipped a low shot to the Tang net.

But this did not signal a spell of Moate dominance as the exchanges continued to be keenly contested. And there was an intriguing battle at midfield between Tang's Ciaran Clear and Moate's Harry Niall, with both players having some good moments.

Pointed frees were exchanged between Burke (after a foul on Martin Rock) and Forde, before prominent Tang attacker Shane Hanley levelled matters (1-1 to 0-4) with a 23rd-minute point. Eoin Bracken put Moate back in front, lofting the ball over after a one-two with Daragh Lowry.

Better was to come for Moate with their second goal following in the 26th minute. Lowry earned a turnover around midfield, instigating a move which saw Cunningham place Forde and the Westmeath forward did the rest in composed fashion.

Due to dissent from the Moate camp on the sideline, a Tang free was moved a considerable distance forward, making it a mere formality for Burke. Just before the half-time whistle, Forde had a similarly easy free at the other end after Tang were pinged for a breach of the 'three up' rule.

Within four minutes of the restart, Tang had halved the four-point deficit with points from Burke and Rock, who fired over after Conall McKiernan's well struck delivery. Ruairi Cunningham steadied Moate with a point despite being under pressure, with Lowry's run forward then paving the way for Berry to fist another. When Tang were penalised for passing the ball back to goalkeeper Owen Coughlan, Forde's resulting routine free left it 2-6 to 0-7. One wondered if Tang's challenge would fade away.

But the first of Burke's two-pointers revived Tang hopes and three more points from the same man (including another two-pointer free) left Moate clinging on to a 2-7 to 0-12 lead. Not for the first time, however, Daragh Lowry stepped forward with a powerful run, his inspiring point a swift riposte. The resulting Tang kickout went awry and Forde set up Cunningham for his second point, though there was a hint of a goal chance.

Yet Tang still managed to cause some more anxious moments for the Moate faithful as a sumptuous two-pointer from substitute Jack Keenan (57th minute) left just a single point between them again.

But late Moate points from Forde (a free) and Berry (his second punched effort) sealed victory, ensuring the pints tasted a bit sweeter in Don's Bar than in the Three Jolly Pigeons over the weekend.

Scorers - Moate: R Forde 1-5 (0-5f); B Berry 1-2; Ruairi Cunningham 0-2; E Bracken and D Lowry 0-1 each. Tang: A Burke 0-9 (2tpf, 5f); J Keenan 0-2 (tp); T Lennon, S Hanley and M Rock 0-1 each.

Moate All Whites - James Mitchell; David Mullins, Andrew Gorman, Cathal O'Brien; James Bracken, Paul Gorman, Conor Bracken; Harry Niall, Daragh Lowry; Dylan Nulty, Ruairi Cunningham, Eoin Bracken; Billy Berry, Robbie Forde, Ronan Murray. Subs: Luke Whitney for Mullins (38 mins); Tobby Conteh for C Bracken (46).

Tang - Owen Coughlan; Ciaran Hanley, Conall McKiernan, Eoghan Bannon; David Marlow, Ronan Hanley, Jason Coughlan; Ciaran Clear, Shane Keenan; Tommy Lennon, Aidan Burke, Callum McGarry; Martin Rock, John Tumelty, Shane Hanley. Subs: Fergus Farrell for McGarry (h-t); Jack Keenan for Tumelty (38 mins); Andrew Gill for C Hanley (46); John Tumelty for Lennon (53); Ciaran Hanley for McKiernan (inj., 57).

Referee - Enda Kelly (Castledaly).

*See this week's printed issue for extensive coverage of the GAA action on what was a bumper weekend