Moorefield cruise past St Martin’s with ease

Moorefield 2-13 St Martin's 0-4: It turned out a routine day for Moorefield as they cruised to a comfortable 15-point victory over Wexford champions, St Martin's in this Leinster Club senior football championship quarter-final at Wexford Park yesterday afternoon.

Apart from spells in the opening half, St Martin’s were forced to play second fiddle to a team that oozed confidence and deployed their experience and craft to telling effect.

It was a sobering experience for the first time Wexford champions who were totally outclassed in the second half.

After Ciarán Kelly and Stephen Murphy had exchanged opening points inside the first two minutes, St Martin's, through point points from Ciarán Lyng and Ciarán Redmond, led 0-3 to 0-2 after ten minutes.

The Wexford champions had made the start they needed, but in the second quarter Moorefield began to thrive on their outfield possession, and it was only two superb saves from home 'keeper Tomás Hayes, denying Niall Hurley-Lynch after 11 minutes and Adam Tyrrell 12 minutes later. But the goal they had been threatening arrived on the half hour with Patrick Murray finishing an inspired Ronan Sweeney move to the net leaving his side leading 1-5 to 0-3 at the interval.

There was to be no reprieve for St Martin's on the resumption as Sweeney and Daryl Flynn dominated the midfield exchanges, with Sweeney setting up a second goal for sub David Whyte after 39 minutes.

Their dominance was never threatened thereafter as St Martin's could only manage a single second half point from a Ciarán Lyng free.
MOOREFIELD: T Kinsella; L Callaghan, G Haughton, P O'Flynn; R Houlihan, K Murnahan (0-1), J Lonergan; D Flynn (0-1), R Glynn; A Mullins (0-1), P Murray (1-0), A Tyrrell; N Hurley-Lynch (0-2), R Sweeney (0-1), C Kelly (0-4). Subs: D Whyte (1-2, 0-2 frees) for Murray , K Duane (0-1) for Tyrrell (both 36 mins), F Hanniffy for Mullins (47 mins), K O'Neill for Glynn (49 mins), P Wolfe for Sweeney (51 mins).
ST MARTIN'S: T Hayes; J Coleman, K Price, M Maloney; E O'Byrne, D Hayes, P Kelly, S Murphy (0-1), D Waters; B Berney, C Lyng (0-2, 0-1 free), J Boggan; J Carty, R Devereux, C Redmond (0-1). Subs: R Murphy for Berney, (10 mins), P Waters for O'Byrne (30 mins), D Higgins for Coleman (39 mins), D Byrne for Carty (47 mins).
Referee: J Hickey (Carlow).