Four Masters seal home win but pushed right to the end by Gaeil Fhánada

There’s a common theme running through the Four Masters senior team at the moment – their league status shows that they get the job done, but they seem to do it the hard way. 

That was again on show on Saturday evening as they fought off a second-half surge from Gaeil Fhánada to emerge four-point winners in Tír Conaill Park. 

Substitutes Killian Faulkner and Alex McCalmont were introduced in the second period of the game to spark some energy into the home side, and while they brought renewed vigor by nailing over three points between them, Gaeil Fhánada fought to the end and may feel they didn’t put Four Masters to the sword enough in the first half to come away with any points. 

It looked from the early moments of the match that it was going to be Four Masters’ day again. It was a match that looked like it was on life support up until the last 10 minutes when the home team for some reason took their foot off the gas.  

It was a period that left many in the ground scratching their heads wondering why there was a sudden lapse of concentration. No doubt it will be a period of the game the Masters management team will look at. 

Four Masters’ youngest starting player Conor Meehan opened the scoring on the second minute from a free, which was followed moments later by a long-ranged point by Joe Leape. 

The return of the Donegal Town side’s county U-20 players has been a massive lift, with Seanán Carr’s line breaks perhaps their side’s biggest danger in the game with the young Donegal star kicking over three points on the bounce – two from frees – and setting Jamie Crawford up with a fantastic goal on the seventh minute after the initial ball was won by Richard O’Rourke from an opposition kickout. 

Gaeil Fhánada held possession well but were unable to create any real damage with their side only scoring three points in the first half, all of which came from dead ball, with Liam McGrenaghan and Darren McElwaine adding their names to the scoresheet to leave it 1-6 to 0-3 at the break. 

Faulkner’s point in the opening 30 seconds of the half followed by Leape’s second, looked like Four Masters were going to cruise to victory, but a reply from McElwaine, and two unreal dumbing scores from McGrenaghan, who slid through the opposition defence gave the away side renewed hope. 

Mark McAteer would nail home a goal on the 37th minute for the away side to bring Gaeil Fhánada right back into the contest with three points now separating the teams at 1-9 to 1-6.  

Alongside Carr, Aaron McCrea’s running speed was a big loss after he was forced to go off, but Masters maintained their lead, capitalising on Gaeil Fhánada’s mistakes in possession with McCalmont and Faulkner landing a point a piece in the final 10 minutes. 

The away side was dangerous on the attack but failed to break through the wall of blue and white and could only manage two more McElwaine points as Kevin Sinclair’s side finished with the victory as they now sit in third position on nine points from six games. 

Scorers – Four Masters: Jamie Crawford 1-1; Seanán Carr 0-3, 2fs; Conor Meehan 2fs, Killian Faulkner, and Joe Leape 0-2 each; Alex McCalmont 0-1. Gaeil Fhánada: Mark McAteer 1-0; Liam McGrenaghan 3fs, and Darren McElwaine 3fs, 0-4 each. 

Four Masters: Ryan Haughey; Brian Fegan, Dylan Kennedy, Aidan McHugh; Seán McKiernan, Caolan Loughney, David Monaghan; Oisin Reid, Conor Reid; Joe Leape, Aaron McCrea, Richard O’Rourke; Conor Meehan, Jamie Crawford, Seanán Carr. Subs: Killian Faulkner for McCrea (HT), Alax McCalmont for Meehan (41 mins), Seanan Quinn for McKiernan (45 mins), Caolan Sweeney for Leape (55 mins). 

Gaeil Fhánada: Mark McConigley; Oisin McFadden, James Coyle, Calum McAteer; Brandon McClafferty, James Gallagher, Shaun Kerr; Odhran Shiels, Patrick Carr; Mark McAteer, Liam McGrenaghan, Darren McElwaine; Paul Coyle, Alan McAteer, Patrick Heraghty. Subs: Michael Sweeney for Heraghty (35 mins), Patrick Heraghty for McFadden (57 mins) 

Referee: Val Murray (Aodh Ruadh)