MAXIMUM MARKS FOR HARPS

MONAGHAN HARPS 0-13
CASTLEBLAYNEY 0-07

BY COLM SHALVEY

MONAGHAN HARPS produced an improved second-half performance to run out fairly comfortable winners at home to Castleblayney in the Drumlin Group of Credit Unions Senior Football League last Friday.
The Harps were lucky to be level at the end of a low-scoring first half where Blayney kicked seven wides, but they won the second period by ten points to four to pull away.
The Harps had Aodhán Óg McAnespie back to anchor their defence, but their injury list lengthened when Dean Fanning was forced to come off after barely two minutes.
Blayney were without county hurlers Peter and Mark Treanor and Jim McHugh, although they welcomed Cormac Brady and Paddy Mallon back from suspension.
Donal Hahessy scored eight points in an impressive showing for the Harps, but it was far from a one-man show, with Stephen Driver, Emmett McArdle, Shane Smyth and Nicholas Scott also playing their part. Ciarán Hanratty, Conor Gurn and Kealan Duffy were best for Blayney.

Coyle opener
Shane Coyle opened the scoring in the third minute for Monaghan Harps, who quickly doubled their lead with a 20-metre free by Donal Hahessy after a foul on David Loughran.
Ciarán Hanratty got Castleblayney up and running with a well-taken point after good work by Kealan Duffy and Damien Hughes, but Hahessy replied from a 25-metre free after a foul on Emmett McArdle.
Blayney improved as the half went on, though, as Martin McElroy linked up with Dermot Malone to reduce the gap to the minimum and they missed a number of chances to at least draw level. Hanratty found a gap in the Harps defence on 21 minutes, only to be denied by goalkeeper Conall McKenna, but Blayney did equalise when Keith Hill tapped over a 13-metre free for a foul on Hanratty. The sides changed ends on level terms at 0-3 apiece.

second half
Hahessy converted a 20-metre free for a foul on Loughran to regain the lead for the Harps less than a minute into the second half, but Blayney quickly responded with a point from play by Hanratty. The Harps edged ahead once again, though, with a point from Nicholas Scott after McArdle had been picked out by a quickly-taken free from Shane Coyle and they never looked back from then on.
McArdle added a well-taken score at the end of a move involving Shane Smyth and Paul Rushe, before Hahessy sent over a brace of frees after fouls on Loughran and Gary White. Hahessy swung over a fine score from play to finish off a counter-attack involving Conor Galligan, White and McArdle, but Hill won and scored a free from a difficult angle to end 16 scoreless minutes for Blayney. A foul …