Sarsfields take local bragging rights
Moorefield Aaron Masterson and Sarsfields Sean Campbell say hello in typical Newbridge derby style
The opening game of the Joe Mallon Motors Senior Football Championship saw Sarsfields take the spoils in a disappointing Newbridge derby on Friday night in Manguard Park.
Once they got on top in the second quarter Sarsfields looked the likely winners and although Moorefield battled hard a classy, improvised goal from Ben McCormack four minutes from the end proved the clinching score in front of onlooking new Kildare manager Brian Flanagan.
Flanagan, along with a decent crowd, endured a laboured opening quarter in which Moorefield enjoyed the better early possession, but they only had a ninth minute Kevin Murnaghan point from play and a Mark Murray free three minutes later before Sarsfields finally got off the mark in the thirteenth minute through a classy Ben McCormack effort.
Evan O’Brien’s sweetly struck free from the right wing stretched the lead to two points, but Sarsfields began to motor, particularly with a few pacey counterattacks, and Shane Doyle came roaring into it with four points in succession (two frees and two excellent scores from play) to make it 0-5 to 0-3. He might have had a goal too but was denied by the crossbar after a penetrating run by McCormack.
Moorefield were still struggling to get past the Sarsfields half-back line, although O’Brien was unfortunate to see a goal attempt come back off the post, but they were reduced to fourteen men when Mark Murray tripped Colm Harnett on the half-hour mark and Sarsfields took advantage to stretch their half-time lead to three points with a Karl Hartley snapshot. Half-Time: Sarsfields 0-6 Moorefield 0-3.
Although Doyle’s fifth point stretched the Sarsfields lead, Moorefield made light of the numerical disadvantage to reduce the gap with points from an Aaron Masterson free, Adam Sweeney with a beauty and Eoin Meehan.
But another Doyle free and two from play from substitutes Cian Hughes and Barry Coffey made it 0-10 to 0-7 before Sarsfields themselves lost Ethan Mountaine to a black card.
During his absence, Moorefield pulled a point back through another O’Brien free but on 56 minutes an Alan Scully through ball was flicked up TJ Reid style by McCormack and his second touch diverted the ball to the net past Tom Kinsella.
Despite losing Liam Healy to another black card late on, Moorefield pulled two points back through frees from O’Brien and Murray, but their town neighbours ran out deserved winners, without suggesting at this early stage at least that they will provide a significant threat to four-in-a-row chasing Naas.
