Cootehill 0-13
Bailieboro 1-6

Cootehill Celtic brushed aside Bailieborough Shamrocks tonight at Kingspan Breffni Park to book their place into the last four of the intermediate football championship.

Ciaran O'Malley's men never looked in danger of losing this game once they took their first lead with Enda Hessin outstanding in his contribution of 0-7.

Bailieborough were fortunate to trail by only two at the halfway stage and only got themselves back in contention in the closing quarter when Aiden Reilly registered the game's sole goal.

The winners always looked in control though and could afford to stroke a last minute penalty over the bar to ensure their semi-final berth.

It took Cootehill 10 minutes to gain the lead in this contest after Michael Argue's early brace was eventually cancelled out by points from Hessin and Damien Sherlock before the former darted over a 30-metre free from the right flank.

Sherlock contributed his second point on the quarter hour mark and when John Carney nipped through for another white flag Cootehill were threatening to pull clear with their opponents in a scoring drought that spanned over 20 minutes.

Argue had the chance to stop the rot in the 22nd but struck his 30-metre free wide and it allowed the Celts to stretch their advantage to four when Stevie O'Connor cut inside and looped the ball over.

Cootehill had more chances to extend their lead but landed them the wrong sides of the post, totalling six wides in the first-half, and it let their neighbours back in before half-time as frees from Conor Gilsenan and Argue left it at 0-6 to 0-4.

Hessin pushed Cootehill back into a four-point lead with a fine brace of points in the early stages of the resumption before Reilly got one back for the Shamrocks.

John McCutcheon hit Cootehill's ninth soon after and Tom Hayes came close to putting them in double digits but his effort of a point was confidently caught by the outstretched Gilsenan.

Hessin, who was a constant thorn in Bailieborough's side, stretched it to five before the game's only goal arrived in the 48th minute which saw Reilly's deflected effort roll through the legs of Ryan Carroll to the back of the net.

It didn't seem to rattle O'Malley's men in the slightest though, as reliables Hayes and Hessin (free) hit the next two scores to all but seal the win before James Fulton launched over at the other end to leave a goal in it.

In the added minutes, it was Cootehill that had the only opportunity to raise the green flag when O'Connor got himself dragged down after gathering the rebound of an effort which came off the bar. The resultant penalty was wisely chipped over by Hessin to seal his side's place in the last four.

Cootehill Celtic: Ryan Carroll; Mark Mullen, Barry McGahan, Eoin Roche; Ryan O'Reilly, Joshua Hayes, Dean Connolly; Brian Sherlock, John McCutcheon (0-1); Neil McCluskey, Enda Hessin (0-7, 2f, 1 pen), Damien Sherlock (0-2); John Carney (0-1), Tom Hayes (0-1), Stevie O'Connor (0-1). Subs: Sean O'Connor for M Mullen (37mins), Caoimhin Carney for for D Sherlock (47).

Bailieborough Shamrocks: Conor Gilsenan (0-1, 1f); Ciaran Reilly, Peter Clerkin, Darren Clarke; Conor Tierney, Sean Cooney, Luke Moynagh; Michael Argue (0-3, 2f), Declan O'Reilly; Senan O'Reilly, Aidan Reilly (1-1), Christopher Dunne; Niall Comey, Eoin Sullivan, Damien O'Reilly. Subs: Harry O'Neill for D O'Reilly (37mins), Gary Daly for C Dunne (42), Darren Brady for E Sullivan (52), James Fulton (0-1) for D Clarke (53, inj), Shane Dillon for C O'Reilly (58, inj).

Ref: MG Brady (Mullahoran)

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