Semi-final slot for Coralstown/Kinnegad

Coralstown/Kinnegad's improvement under Meath legend Colm Coyle continued at Cusack Park last Saturday evening in the second leg of a Westmeath senior football championship double-header when they qualified for the county semi-final. However, they were flattered by an eight points winning margin against a gallant St. Malachy's team, who were in relaxed mood with their senior status secured by virtue of the result from the first game on the programme.Two more victories would see the Flanagan Cup make the 12-mile journey out the N4 for the first time in 13 years but even the most biased red and white-clad fan will accept that sterner challenges lie ahead. For their part, Mick Lowry's charges will be pleased to have avoided a perilous relegation play-off game, with The Downs now very surprisingly confined to that role from this group, with Bunbrosna having the opportunity to send the 2003 and 2005 senior champions down to the intermediate grade for 2010. In Saturday's encounter, which lacked the atmosphere normally associated with championship fare, the sides were actually level with seven minutes remaining in normal time and late goals from substitute Enda Leonard and a second of the day from Wayne Fox undoubtedly distorted the final score.Wearing the blue jerseys of hurling neighbours Raharney, the wind-assisted winners impressed in the early exchanges and they raced into a five-points lead by the sixth minute. A great point from 40 metres by Alan Giles opened their account in the second minute and it got even better some two minutes later, Wayne Fox bravely guiding the ball to the net with his outstretched leg, following a great punt forward by Mark Gorman. The latter player then registered his first score with a high shot from 40 metres. Livewire corner forward Sean Whelan got the red and blacks on the scoreboard, fisting the ball over the bar after a typical darting run.The latter's brother Ronan was wide from a scoreable free and Coralstown/Kinnegad made the most of this let-off with three unanswered points between the 11th and 15th minutes.Alan Giles scored the first of these with a super finish after receiving the ball from Ronan Foley's quickly-taken free. Cian Flynn kicked another terrific score and, exactly midway through the first moiety, Mark Gorman made it 1-5 to 0-2, after initially seeming likely to find the net following an error by the losers' netminder Gary Jackson.Sean Whelan fired over a fine left-footed point from a tight angle but two bad wides ensued from the losers. Mark Gorman was on target again for the winners in the 23rd minute but three points in as many minutes by St. Malachy's gave the losers real hope of causing an upset. Sean Whelan, Shane Carey and Ronan Whelan were the men on target, but Carey's point will go down as a genuine goal opportunity wasted. Alan Giles pointed a 30-metre free from his hands in the 29th minute but Conor Daly popped up with the last score of the half, pointing a few seconds into added-time, with a goal again looking likely as he got set to shoot. At the break, Coralstown/Kinnegad led by 1-7 to 0-6.The winners were guilty of three wides at the start of the second half, an indication of the lethargic performance to follow. Shane Carey narrowed the gap with a terrific point taken with the outside of his boot in the sixth minute. With Coralstown/Kinnegad definitely dropping the tempo, St. Malachy's got right back into contention with a brace of points from Tommy Carey and Alan Mangan (from a free), in the tenth and 15th minutes respectively. As the winners' wides (many of them careless) continued to mount, St. Malachy's drew level in the 23rd minute, Ronan Whelan shooting a great point from 35 metres.Indeed, the losers should take taken the lead in the next minute but Alan Mangan's weak effort was cleared and, in the blink of an eye, Enda Leonard had the umpire at the Dunnes Stores' end of the ground reaching for the green flag.The substitute fired home the rebound after his initial effort was saved by Gary Jackson, at the end of a great move in which tigerish corner back Jason Lynch was prominent more than once. With time running out, Coralstown/Kinnegad wrapped up the win with an unanswered 1-2. A fisted point from their other sub Joe Kenny was followed by a second opportunist goal of the evening from Wayne Fox. Seconds later, with normal time just up, Mark Gorman completed an impressive hour's work for him with his fourth point from play, to end a match where both the victors and the vanquished will have felt more than a little content.Coralstown/Kinnegad: Damien Molloy; Jason Lynch, Stephen Bracken, Ronan Doyle; Ronan Foley, Eamonn Fleming, Derek Griffin; Cian Flynn (0-1), Niall Kilmartin (capt); Paul Lewis, Fergal Dardis, Alan Giles (0-3, 0-1 from a free); David Kilmartin, Mark Gorman (0-4), Wayne Fox (2-0). Sub: Joe Kenny (0-1) (for Lewis, half-time), Enda Leonard (1-0) (for Dardis, 49 mins).St. Malachy's: Gary Jackson (capt); Ronan Corcoran, Johnny Tuite, Eamonn Óg Clarke; John Gallagher, Joe Clarke, David Langan; Tommy Carey (0-1), Paddy Corcoran; Conor Daly (0-1), Ronan Whelan (0-2), Eddie O'Neill; Alan Mangan (0-1, from a free), Shane Carey (0-2) Sean Whelan (0-3).Subs: Alo Geoghegan (for P. Corcoran, inj, 51mins).Referee: Pat Fox (Rosemount).