Naomh Brid up and running with win over Naomh Muire

Naomh Brid bounced back from their opening day defeat to chalk up a home win against Naomh Muire on Saturday evening in Trummon.
Naomh Brid 2-6
Naomh Muire 1-5

Gearoid Gallagher and Damian Cleary scored the goals for the winners - both in the first half while Eoghan Rushe, Darren Russell and Darragh Brogan chipped in with points in the four point win over the men from the Lower Rosses.

Daniel Devlin top scored for Naomh Muire with 1-3, the goal from the penalty spot late in the game while veteran Harry Harden was the other scorer for the visitors.

The locals were much the better side in the first half and playing with the breeze they spayed the ball around and using the quick delivery into the corners stretched the Naomh Muire defence.

Callum Gallagher, Eoghan Rushe and Gearoid Gallagher were very prominent in the early exchanges. And it was Gallagher struck for the games opening score when the big full-forward got on the end of a quick ball free from Gallagher to smash the to the back of Declan Martin’s net. That was on six minutes and just after Harry Harden had opened the score with a close in free for the visitors.

Naomh Brid were dominant for the next 20 minutes and by the time Darragh Brogan found Damian Cleary with pinpoint accuracy for goal number two they had raced into a good lead.

The goal five minutes from half-time stretched the advantage out to eight points 2-3 to 0-1. Daniel Devlin from a fine long range strike and Harden from a free hit late points for Naomh Muire for a 2-3 to 0-3 half-time score.

The second half was more evenly contested and with the strong breeze in their backs and no doubt a Danny O’Donnell roasting at half time Naomh Muire came more into the game.

Tomas O’Donnell Ferdia and Fintan Doherty in the defence the ageless Brian Gillespie in the middle of the park, Darren Sweeney and Devlin in the attack upped their games. By the three quarter mark the lead was down to five points thanks to two Devlin frees.

But with Sean Gormley standing firm at the heart of the home defence chances were too few and far between for the men from the Rosses. Devlin did cut the lead to three when he converted from the penalty spot five minutes from the end.

But a 40-metre Eoghan Rushe run shortly after to set up Russell for a point the margin was back to four and Naomh Brid without every reaching the dizzy heights of the first half performance held on to win by four.

Naomh Brid scorers: Gearoid Gallagher 1-1; Darren Cleary 1-0; Eoghan Rushe and Darren Russell 0-2; Darragh Brogan 0-1.
Naomh Muire scorers: Daniel Devlin 1-3, 1-0 pen, 2f; Harry Harden 0-2, 2f.

Naomh Brid: Pauric McDaid; Eoin McGarrigle, Clint Walsh, T J Gallagher; Liam Duffy, Sean Gormley, Eoin Quinn; Thomas Gallagher, Damian Cleary; Darren Russell, Callum Gallagher, Darragh Brogan; Ryan Brogan, Gearoid Gallagher, Eoin Rushe. Subs: Richard Walsh for Quinn, Declan McCafferty for Cleary.

Naomh Muire: Declan Ward; Conor Cannon, Michael Greene, Tomas O’Donnell; Fintan Doherty, Ferdia Doherty, Shane Boyle; Brian Gillespie, Adam O’Brien; Ultan Boyle, Paddy McCafferty, Darren Sweeney; Joey Gillespie, Daniel Devlin, Harry Harden. Subs: Jamie McCready for Cannon, Patrick Rodgers for U Boyle, Jack O’Donnell for Harden.
Referee: Jimmy White (Killybegs)