Clan na Gael moved two points clear of the chasing pack after a late point from a Robbie Curran free saw his side snatch a 1-13 to 2-10 draw against St Mochtas in Louth Village.

The game was evenly balanced for much of the first half as the teams shared six points inside 24 minutes. However, a Declan Byrne goal helped the Mochtas take a 1-6 to 0-5 lead at half time.

Five minutes into the second half Nigel Farrell blasted home a second goal to increase the gap to five points. However, the Clans were in no mood to give up and reduced the gap to two points when Billy Smith reacted quickest to send the ball to the net after Fergus English has saved a penalty.

Two Declan Byrne frees increased the gap to four but Curran helped the Clans get back on terms. In a tense finish Darren McMahon looked to have won it for the hosts only for Curran to have the final say with the equaliser.

Dundalk Gaels moved into second place in the table after a late Chris Sweeney goal helped them defeat St Brides by 1-8 to 0-8 in Knockbridge.

After dropping their first point of the season the previous week, St Brides were looking to bounce back but it was the Gaels who started brightly and were five points up inside ten minutes. Before the break the hosts, boosted by two Kevin Hearty points, had the deficit down to 0-5 to 0-3.

The teams traded points in the third quarter but with seven minutes remaining Sweeney fisted home the only goal of the game to put his side five clear. The Brides fought until the end but they couldn't stop the Gaels from returning home with both points.

Nh Fionnbarra moved off the bottom of the table after defeating Hunterstown Rovers by 1-10 to 0-11 to record their first victory of the Divison 2 campaign.

The game in Ballygassan saw the visitors start well but the Finbarrs struck the first real blow when Máirtín Murphy scored the only goal of the game. Rovers fought back to take the lead and at the break found themselves 0-8 to 1-3 clear with Ryan Burns and Glen Matthews contributing to their tally.

With the wind in their backs the Finbarrs raised their game in the second half and with the help of points from Stuart Osborne and Hugh Osborne they struck back to level matters. In the closing stages Conor Lenihan and Bernard Osborne struck to seal a very important win for their side.

Na Piarsaigh picked up a vital draw in their battle to stay clear of the relegation zone when two late points saw them claim a 0-14 to 1-11 draw away to O Raghallaighs. The Dundalk side were quickest off the mark as scores from Ciaran Murphy and Mark Larkin helped them establish an early lead. However, Ruairi Moore and Alan Doyle responded to reduce the gap to 0-8 to 0-6 at half time.

It looked as if a second half goal from Ben Rogan would be enough to help the O Raghallaighs to victory but the visitors finished strongly to claim a draw.

Dundalk Young Irelands continued their winning run and inflicted more pain on struggling Glyde Rangers when they scored a 4-6 to 1-8 win.

Dean Maguire helped the Dundalk men get off to a flying start with an early goal and he added a second just before the break to put his team 2-3 to 0-3 ahead at the interval.

Jordan O'Donoghue added a third goal just after the restart but Glyde fought back with three points before a Stephen Carroll goal left just three points between the teams. However, the Young Irelands composed themselves and a goal from Johnny Lynch put the game beyond doubt.

In the remaining game in the division, St Josephs picked up their fourth win of the campaign to move into fifth place thanks to a 3-13 to 2-7 win over Oliver Plunketts.

Tweet

Most Read Stories