Impressive second half display seals ticket to the knock-out stages

SFC, Group 4, Round 3

Knockmore 1-13

Aghamore 0-8

Knockmore underlined their championship credentials with an impressive win in Charlestown on Saturday evening. The former champions pulled away in the second half to win by eight and finish top of the group on scoring difference. They were pushed hard by Aghamore in the first half but took control after the interval and were by far the better team in the closing 30 minutes.

The first period was a battle or wits and wills. There was very little room for either team to flourish and the paltry return of just two points from play in the entire first half told its own story. Knockmore went to the dressingroom with a slight 0-5 to 0-3 advantage after Peter Naughton converted four frees and Shane McHale knocked over one from play.

At the other end, Adam Byrne and Fergal Boland landed frees and Tom O'Flaherty kicked a classy score but any thoughts Aghamore had of ultimate victory were banished two minutes into the new half when Darren McHale planted the ball in the roof of their net.

That put Knockmore five clear and they were never going to be caught after that. Aghamore couldn't generate creativity in attack and Colm Reape's goal was never really under any threat. Boland and Conor Kilkenny tried hard to get the chasers back into it but they were fighting a losing battle.

Aiden Orme, Pearse Ruttledge, Oliver Armstrong, Aaron Timlin and Kevin McLoughlin were highly prominent for the North Mayo men as the match progressed and despite a classy Aghamore point from Liam Lavin there was never any prospect of a revival. The final point of the evening was scored from distance by Connell Dempsey and was rich reward for his tireless efforts over the hour. The eight-point margin copper-fastened Knockmore's place at the head of the group and sent them into the quarter finals as top seeds.