Comfortable win for Eoghan Rua over city side

At the midpoint of the Division1 league campaign Eoghan Rua have now won seven of their eight games and are in a good position going into the second half of the league.

The home side were never headed in this game after going three points up inside the opening four minutes. After Steelstown opened their account in the 5th minute with an Aidan Cleary point Eoghan Rua grabbed their first goal just two minutes later. The move for the goal began in defence with Sean Leo McGoldrick breaking up an attack; he continued his run forward before linking up with Richard Carey and taking a pass from Ciaran McGoldrick the centre back struck low to the corner of the net. By the mid-point of the half further points from Declan Mullan and Liam McGoldrick from a ‘45’pushed Eoghan Rua seven clear 1-5 to 0-1.

Steelstown then squandered a couple of chances from frees before Eoghan Rua all but secured the win with a double strike late in the half. Ciaran McGoldrick tapped over a close-in free before he finished off a sweeping move with a well taken goal after 26 minutes. An Aidan Cleary point from a free in the last minute of the half left the visitors trailing 2-6 to 0-2 at the break. In the third quarter both sides were guilty of some poor finishing Stephen Coyles and Ciaran Lenehan wasting good chances for Coleraine while Darren McDaid and Michael McKinney were the guilty parties for Steelstown.

Eogahn Rua added to their lead with Colm and Ciaran McGoldrick points before Steelstown enjoyed their best spell with three points in a row Ryan Devine, Paul O’Hea from a tight angle and Liam Heffernan from range scoring. However the city side really needed a goal to threaten Eoghan Rua’s dominant position and that never looked likely against a packed Coleraine defence.

The sides than traded points Anton Rafferty for Eoghan Rua while Ryan devine struck over a ‘45’ for Steelstown, that was their last score of the game with still ten minutes left. Not surprisingly with the intense heat the final minutes of the game were played out at a fairly pedestrian pace, the destiny of the league points never in doubt from a long way out. Further points from Sean Leo and Ciaran McGoldrick gave Eoghan Rua a comfortable eleven point winning margin 2-11 to 0-6.

Eoghan Rua scorers:Ciaran McGoldrick (1-4, 0-1 free), Sean Leo McGoldrick (1-1), Declan Mullan (0-2), Liam McGoldrick (0-2, 0-1 ‘45’), Anton Rafferty (0-1), Colm McGoldrick (0-1).

Clinical finishing sees Eoghan Rua to big win over Swatragh

In mid-week Eoghan Rua were super clinical on the goal scoring front as they smashed in seven, three from penalties, to record a twenty point win over Swatragh, 7-6 to 0-7 in this Division 1 league game at Pairc Eoghain Rua.

The home side got off to the best possible start with a goal inside two minutes Conor Carey tucking away his opportunity in some style. Despite that good start Eoghan Rua never really got going in the opening quarter as Swatragh defended well playing some tidy football, they did squander a number of good chances in that period however. After Sean Leo McGoldrick got forward to add a point for the home side Swatragh got onto the scoreboard with a Conor McAtamney point following a fine fetch in midfield by Michael Friel.

The sides then exchanged points, Sean Paul Henry and then James Kearney from a free for Swatragh scoring. There was still only four between the sides going into the last ten minutes of the half as Conor Carey and Ciaran McGoldrick struck points for the home side with James Kearney replying for Swatragh.

It was only in the last five minutes of the half that Eoghan Rua struck with a two goal salvo, both penalties. The first came when Colm McGoldrick intercepted a pass just outside the penalty and burst forward only to be hauled down, he dusted himself off to get up and drill the penalty low to the corner of the net. Then in the final minute McGoldrick was involved again, this time he was bundled over under a high ball, the referee having no option but to award a second penalty, the result the same only this time McGoldrick hit high to the roof of the net, Eoghan Rua ahead 3-4 to 0-3 at the break.

Strangely it was all Swatragh at the start of the second half, indeed within 15 seconds they should have had a goal back when Brian Diamond was through on the left side but he hit his shot low just the wrong side of the near post. They continued to dominate around the middle in that opening ten minute spel but had only two more points James Kearney and Brian Diamond scoring.

However the game was all but put to bed in a two minute spell at the end of the third quarter with another two goal salvo from the Coleraine outfit. Bustling full forward Colm McGoldrick completed his hat-trick sliding a low drive in at the near post before taking a sublime pass from his brother Sean Leo before smashing in his fourth and his sides’s fifth. The goals kept coming though after Swatragh got a point back. Colm McGoldrick turned provider as he set up another brother Ciaran for the sixth goal.

The sides then traded points before the seventh goal arrived in the final minute. Substitute Gregory Bradley was only on the pitch a couple of minutes before he was brought down and no one but himself was going to take the penalty, dispatched with some authority as Eoghan Rua completed a comprehensive victory.

Eoghan Rua scorers; Colm McGoldrick (4-0, 2-0 penalties), Ciaran McGoldrick (1-3, 0-2 frees), Conor Carey (1-1), Gregory Bradley (1-0, pen), Sean Paul Henry and Sean Leo McGoldrick (0-1 each).