Fermanagh make vital late charge

NFL DIVISION THREE/Fermanagh ... 3-10 Leitrim ... 2-9 DESPITE A bright start which saw Leitrim lead Fermanagh for three quarters of this game, in the end they failed to hold their advantage in Carrick-on-Shannon yesterday.

Both sides played without one of their midfielders for the second half following the dismissal of Leitrim's Michael Duignan and Fermanagh's Martin McGrath but Leitrim, leading by four points, suffered the added handicap of losing Shane Foley in the 44th minute.

Leitrim got off to a bright start and a Declan Maxwell goal in the 35th minute gave the home side a 1-5 to 0-4 lead at the break.

Leitrim started as they had left off with Emlyn Mulligan scoring a pointed free and his side's second goal within two minutes of the restart to lead by eight points.

One minute later Matthew Keenan gave Fermanagh a lifeline with a goal. The turning point came when Shane Foley was dismissed and Leitrim's good work started to unravel.

A second Fermanagh goal in the 50th minute saw parity and they were two points ahead when a Leitrim fightback, led by points from Mulligan and Michael Foley, brought the sides level again.

Two more Fermanagh points from Tom McElroy and Matthew Keenan put distance between the sides but another Mulligan point three minutes into added time reduced the arrears to a point before Patrick Cadden got a goal that sealed Fermanagh's win.

FERMANAGH: F Murphy; S Goan, R McCloskey, N Bogue; D Kelly, S Lyons, R Johnston; M MacGrath (0-1), M Murphy (1-0); C McElroy, M Keenan (1-4, 0-2 frees), M Little (0-2, frees), P Cadden (1-0), L McBarron, R Keenan. Subs: J McGurn for McBarron, T McElroy (0-2) for Johnston, P Ward (0-1) for R Keenan, N Keenan for McGurn.

LEITRIM: E Lyons; D Reynolds, J McKeon, M McGuinness; G Reynolds, B McWeeney, S Foley; G McCloskey, M Duignan; C Regan, D Maxwell (1-2), M Foley (0-3); C Duignan, D Brennan, E Mulligan (1-4, four frees). Subs: D Duignan for Regan, P McGuinness for C Duignan.

Referee: R O'Donnell (Donegal).

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times