Maynooth have belief

SIGERSON CUP QUARTER-FINALS:  NUI Maynooth 0-9 Uni of Limerick 1-2:MAYNOOTH CAUSED an upset when they punished a star-studded University of Limerick for not taking their chances in Belfield yesterday. UL had reached this point after an impressive win over a hotly-fancied DIT and with Kerry seniors Anthony Maher and David Moran in their ranks there were big things expected off them.

But UL were left rueing appalling finishing in front of goal, with Moran looking a shadow of the player who was a class apart against Dublin at Croke Park in the league last Saturday night.

UL got a dream start when Moran goaled in the seventh minute but they failed to do themselves justice and their cause wasn’t helped by an injury which forced out Galway star Seán Armstrong before half-time. At half-time UL led by just 1-1 to 0-3.

Maynooth grew in confidence. Goalkeeper Shane Connolly saved smartly from Moran and they never looked back. They had a great conductor in Laois’s Paul Cahillane, with a Paul Kennelly free in the 50th minute the only UL score of the half. They introduced Kerry’s Jonathan Lyne and Tipperary’s Philip Austin to revive their hopes – but to no avail. The Maynooth win was built on a hard-working defence that broke smartly to attack.

NUIM:S Connolly; C Freeman, D Booth, K O'Brien (0-1); T Gallagher, D Quinn (0-1), P Ó Conghaile; C Brophy, C Berrigan; F Barry, M Hanratty, B Mitchell (0-1, free); P Cahillane (0-3, frees), G McIntyre, D Quinn (0-3, two frees). Subs: C Mallon for Hanratty (42 mins), C Mullins for Mitchell (45 mins), N Murphy for McIntyre (50 mins), W Ryan for Gallagher (53 mis), A Behan for Cahillane (58 mins).

UL:J Lyster; D O'Sullivan, M Dalton, M Cullotty; D Rattigan, N Coyne, S Hickey; A Maher, D Niblock; M Geaney, A O'Donovan, B Fox; C Dempsey (0-1), D Moran (1-0), S Armstrong. Subs: P Austin for C Dempsey (15 mins), P Kennelly (0-1, free) for Armstrong (23 mins), J Lyne for Rattigan (40 mins).

Referee:C Brannigan (Down).