Second half Browne strike seals victory for hurlers

28.02.10 | Longford 1-11 Cavan 1-9

A Sean Browne goal midway through the second half was enough for Longford to open their NHL campaign with a two point victory over near neighbours Cavan. Browne’s strike was the first score of a tight second half, which gave the midlanders a three point advantage, as the sides were level 0-7 to 1-4 at the interval.

The accuracy of Bernard Gaffney kept Cavan in contention throughout, finishing with an impressive tally of 1-7, all from placed balls, while Declan Tanner was in similar form for the home side as the Offaly native finished with 0-8.

The turning point of the game came with only five minutes of normal time remaining. Cavan full-forward Mark McEntee was given a straight red card from Down referee Declan Magee for an off the ball altercation with Thomas Stakem and while Cavan levelled affairs at 1-8 apiece a minute later, Longford used the extra man to good effect in the closing stages to close out a hard fought two point victory.

The teams were deadlocked at the break with Gaffney and Tanner punishing any indiscipline from either defence. Gaffney finished the opening half with 1-3 registered, while Tanner had 0-5 to his credit. Longford opened the scoring through Conor Egan in the fourth minute with a good point, although this lead did not last too long as Cavan took the lead in the tenth minute.

The Longford defence was harshly penalised and the accurate Gaffney fired home the twenty metre free with a piledriver to the bottom corner of the net. Longford responded well with two Tanner frees in the twelfth and seventeenth minutes to bring the sides back level.

Gaffney slotted over his first point of the day in the nineteenth minute to put the Ulster side back in front and stretched the lead to two with a similar effort three minutes later. Tanner reduced the deficit to the minimum, after Anthony Sheridan put in a heavy challenge on Tanner. The sides were level again on twenty six minutes, Tanner again raising a white flag.

Longford put themselves in front in the twenty seventh, courtesy of a great point from Wolfe Tones clubman Mark Cassidy. Cassidy’s pace allowed him to create the space needed for him to fire over from close range.

Cavan substitute Eugene Hill brought the sides level for the third time in the half, before Gaffney edged the Cavan men back in front with just two minutes remaining in the first half. However, in a tit for tat first half it was fitting that the sides went in level at the break with Tanner firing over a close range free on the stroke of half time.

The first score of the second half did not arrive until the eighteenth minute, but from a Longford perspective it was worth waiting for. A scramble ensued on the Cavan twenty metre line and it was Sean Browne who pulled on the sliothar which ended up in the back of the Cavan net.

Cavan responded through the ever reliable Gaffney five minutes later, although the gap was quickly restored to three points through Tanner. However, Cavan hit a purple patch and hit three unanswered points in five minutes to bring the sides back level, 1-8 apiece. Gaffney accounted for two of these while substitute Eugene Hill was on the mark for the other point.

In the last minute of normal time Tanner edged the Longford men back in front and added a further one in the third of nine minutes injury time played by the Down referee. Cassidy notched his second point of the game deep into stoppage time to leave the gap at three and while Gaffney did slot over his seventh point of the afternoon it was not enough to deny the Longford men a hard fought win.

LONGFORD: Patrick Cullen, Brendan Stakem, Thomas Stakem, Ciaran Finucane, Rory Donnellan, Seamus Hannon, Robert Ryland, Martin Coyle, Seanie Stakelum, Conor Egan (0-1), Sean Browne (1-0), John Lynam, John Newman, Declan Tanner (0-8, all frees), Mark Cassidy (0-2).

SUBS USED:- John Minnock for M. Coyle (39 mins, inj.).

CAVAN: Mark Curry, Daithi Neary, Michael Carr, Anthony Sheridan, Brendan Devine, Cormac Nelligan, Andrew Nelligan, Paul Sheridan, Gary Brennan, Jamie Rosney, Bernard Geffney (1-7, all frees), Ciaran Brennan, Kevin Downes, Mark McEntee, Micky O’Connell.

SUBS USED:-  Eugene Hill (0-2) for M. O’Connell (24 mins), Ronan O’ Hagan for C. Nelligan (inj, half time), Darren Sheridan for M. Curry (38 mins).

REFEREE: Declan Magee (Down).

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