Leixlip beat Rathangan to top IFC Group A

Leixlip 3-11 Rathangan 1-15 

Two goals in the last five minutes of the first half were the decisive scores as Leixlip secured the win needed to top Group A of the Auld Shebeen Intermediate Football Championship and ease themselves into the quarter-final.

There was nothing to choose between the teams with 25 minutes played, 0-4 apiece, before a lung bursting run by Ronan Fitzsimons cut open the Rathangan defence and laid the ball off to Jack Barrett who swivelled neatly before firing home.

Leixlip got their second a couple of minutes later when David Vaughan took down Ben Travers inside the square and Tommy Moolick confidently despatched the penalty into the top corner of Craig Shannon’s net.

That left the half time score at 2-5 to 0-5, although Leixlip almost scored a third goal in injury time when Luke Mahon hit the crossbar and the post in a goalmouth scramble, and Leixlip looked to have put the game beyond doubt when Darren McDermott was allowed travel too far without a meaningful challenge and his shot found the net to make it 3-5 to 0-6 after 33 minutes.

Despite that setback, Rathangan battled back into the game. Sam Savage and Mark Fitzsimons pointed to cut the gap back to six before Rian Teahan smashed a shot into the side netting.

They were given hope with a 44th goal by Stefan Lawler but Jack Barrett’s striking at the far end just about fended off their challenge despite some nervy late moments.

Elsewhere in the goal, Colm Dalton scored 3-4 as Sallins beat Straffan by 4-13 to 1-6.

That means that Leixlip top the group with Sallins in second place and both go through to the quarter-finals while third placed Rathangan play in the preliminary quarter-finals.

LEIXLIP: Niall McConnell; Liam Mahon, Ryan Doyle, Kevin Conneely, Ciaran Fadian, Jack Quinn, Jack Travers; Tommy Moolick 1-0pen, Ronan Fitzsimons; Ben Travers, Jack Barrett 1-6 (2fs, 1’45), Darren O’Connor, Luke Mahon 0-1, Darren McDermott 1-2 (1m), Paddy Meagher 0-1. Subs: Eamon Murphy 0-1m for Mahon, 38; Ciaran Silke for O’Connor, 45; Sean Englishby for B Travers, 52; Niall White for Barrett, 57.

RATHANGAN: Craig Shannon 0-1’45; Oisin O’Loughlin, David Vaughan, Shane O’Loughlin, Eoin Curtin, Michael Fitzsimons 0-1, Ben Murphy; Rian Tehan, Ross Teahan; Mark Fitzsimons 0-2, Sam Savage 0-6 (4fs), Aaron Mullins, Muiris Curtin 0-1, Stefan Lawler 1-1, David Murphy 0-2 (1f). Subs: Conor Jamieson for Mullins, 38; Aran Teahan for Curtin, 38; Daniel Mulpeter 0-1m for Vaughan, 47; Brandon Maloney for R Teahan, 53; Alex Conlan for D Murphy, 60+1.

REFEREE: Ray Kelly.