Newtown draw first blood 27.05.11
Intermediate Football Championship – First round, first leg

Naomh Colmcille...0-14 Carndonagh...1-06 by Dónal Campbell at Páirc Cholm Cille, Newtown EIGHT weeks ago these teams met in the league at the same venue. On that occasion John Gibbons’ Carn emerged with a surprise two-point win but the return of All-Ireland winner Barry O’Hagan to the ranks of the home side on Sunday evening – and his man-of-the-match contribution of eight points – ensured that first blood in the championship went to Naomh Colmcille. The Newtown men were quick out of the blocks, the superb Thomas McKinley firing over a good effort on the run after four minutes. O’Hagan and corner-forward Willie Gillespie added to their tally before Eanna Newton finally opened Carn’s account with a well struck free on the tenth minute. A strong cross-field breeze made long-range accuracy difficult but to the credit of both teams the quality of kicking was top-drawer. McKinley and O’Hagan combined to set up Stephen Davenport for Newtown’s fourth point and things were already looking dicey for the visitors, not helped by the fact they were picking up very little possession around midfield. Eanna Newton popped up to finish a superb Carn move on the 16th minute, firing over a point from the narrowest of angles to reduce the deficit to two points.

Despite monumental efforts by Carn around the middle of the park, with big Dermot Simpson in particular now claiming more than his fair share of ball, Carn were unable to get scores on the board. Michael McLaughlin did raise the flag for the visitors with a fabulous individual score but in a three minute spell before half-time the home side went on a rampage that yielded three points – two from O’Hagan and one from Ryan McErlean. Leading 0-7 to 0-3 at half time, the game was now Newtown’s for the losing. They resumed the pressure within four minutes of the restart – that man O’Hagan again converting a ’45 from the dead ball. Three minutes later he added his fifth point of the evening, a superb effort from play off the side of his boot. It was hard to find fault with the performances of any of the Newtown men on Sunday evening but there is no doubt they are a different prospect entirely with O’Hagan on the pitch. The Lurgan man pulled all the strings on Sunday – he clearly instils confidence in his colleagues. Two points from Eanna Newton kept the Carn men in touch and he brought them right back into it on 17 minutes when he crashed the ball to the back of the net from close quarters following great work by Joseph Lafferty.

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