Setanta flex their scoring muscle away to Aodh Ruadh with opening ten-point win

Setanta had little difficulty in disposing of youthful Aodh Ruadh side in this 13-a-side fixture in Father Tierney Park on Friday.

The winners led by 0-12 to 0-3 at the break but the home side could only manage a further 1-1 in the second half.

Setanta tacked on the points from the start and eased into a 0-5 to 0-0 lead after just ten minutes with Ryan Coyle, Colm Melaugh and Niall Cleary doing the damage.

Gareth Sheerin got Aodh Ruadh’s first point while Fionn Farren of Setanta and Daniel Breen then swapped points.

Sheerin did manage to add another over but that was the final score for the home side in the opening stanza. 

Noel Ewing, Cleary, Melaugh and Cleary all pointed before the short whistle to leave Setanta with a nine-point half-time lead.

It got no better for the home side, who were missing a host of regulars on the restart. Setanta opened the scoring after the break with a Tommy Lee Scully effort but Aodh Ruadh hit back with a goal from Dara Cleary five minutes into the second half.

But it did little to stem the tide as Farren, Coyle, Cleary and Conor Gallen pointed to leave Setanta leading by 0-18 to 1-3 midway through the second half.

The Finn Valley men then added a cracking goal from Ewing who pounced on a high ball to the Ballyshannon net.

Conor McGettigan, Cleary (free) and three points in a row from Melaugh extended Setanta’s lead.

Curtis hit the final point for Setanta and substitute Ciaran O’Neill found the net before Sheerin got the final point for the home side.

Aodh Ruadh scorers: Dara Cleary 1-0; Gareth Sheerin 0-3,1f; Daniel Breen 0-1. 

Setanta scorers: Colm Melaugh 0-6; Noel Ewing 1-2; Niall Cleary 0-5,2f; Ryan Coyle 0-4; Ciaran O’Neill 1-0; Fionn Farren 0-2; Conor Gallen 0-2; Tommy Lee Scully 0-2.

Aodh Ruadh: Tommy Clyne; Ciaran Rami, Kyle McCaffrey, Cian McKenna; Kenzie Lee Ayres, Adam Clarke, Ryan Ayres; Daniel Breen, Dara Cleary; Martin Larkin, Gareth Sheerin, Jack McCadden; Daniel Downey.

Setanta: Kevin Campbell; Conor McGettigan, Denim Rowan, Fionn Farren; Mark Callaghan, Tiernan McConnell, Ryan Coyle; Niall Cleary, Pauric Moss; Colm Melaugh, Conor Gallen, Tommy Lee Scully; Noel Ewing. 

Subs; Travis Lafferty for Tiernan McConnell (40), Ciaran O’Neill for Tommy Lee Scully (53), Tommy Lee Scully for Noel Ewing (59).

Referee: Marc Brown (Four Masters)