Mary's stutter their way to a second SFC victory, seeing off stubborn O'Connell's in Dunleer

Anchor Tours SFC group two

Ardee St. Mary’s 1-16 O’Connell’s 0-14

Mark Fay beat the half-time whistle in finding the net as Ardee St. Mary’s punctured O’Connells’ brave challenge at a sodden Dunleer.

Minus five players who have switched their allegiances to clubs across the Irish sea, including key forward pair Cian Doyle and Robert Quigley, O’Connell’s were rank outsiders in this game and while they were never truly in contention, their effort was admirable given the circumstances.

But moral triumphs aren’t championship currency and O’Raghallaigh’s certainly won’t be quaking at their sight next weekend, in a winner takes all clash. Although, that feeling will be mutual given that O’Connell’s put 3-18 past the Drogheda men in winning last season’s group meeting.

It must also be said that for all Marys’ impressive traits, they always give the opposition a chance by leaving them in games where they ought to be out of sight. Here, for instance, Fay rifled to the corner of the net to give the Deesiders a 1-9 to six-point half-time lead. Yet, by the three-quarter mark, just two stood in the difference, with O’Connell’s having fired seven of the half’s first 10 points, the best of which saw the impressive Andrew Sharkey land his fourth from a 50m free. Stuart Reynolds also converted back-to-back 45s.

And only for the post’s divine intervention, from Dean Stanfield’s flick, O’Connell’s could, somehow, have gone in front.

The match was similar in many ways to Marys’ opening round victory over O’Raghallaigh’s, in that it was tighter than expected, though Kian Moran and Clarke (3) points gave them enough of a cushion to see the game through, albeit in a far from convincing manner.

Ardee St. Mary’s: Duane Crosbie; Conor Keenan, Donal McKenny, Barry McCoy; Tom Jackson (0-2), Niall Eccles, Éimhín Keenan; Karl Faulkner, Robert Leavy; Ciarán Keenan (0-1), Darren Clarke (0-8, four frees & 45), Kian Moran (0-1); Mark Fay (1-0), Rónán Carroll (0-3, one free), Conor Gillespie

Subs: Paudi Clarke (0-1) for Fay (37), Jamie Rooney for Moran (49), Jonathan Commins for Gillespie (54), Brendan Matthews for Jackson (60), Cian Commins for Ciarán Keenan (60)

O’Connell’s: Stuart Reynolds (0-2, 45s); Jason Carroll, Conor Byrne, Emmet Byrne; Stuart Osborne, Salem Rifaie (0-1), Paul McKeever (0-1); Ciarán O’Brien, Seán Cairns; Conor Culligan, Andrew Sharkey (0-4, one free), Conor McGill; Jackie Agnew, Niall Conlon (0-5, four frees), Gary Connolly

Subs: Dean Stanfield (0-1) for O’Brien (HT), Keith Ryan for Culligan (50)

Referee: Stephen Johnson (Glen Emmets)