Goals make the difference for Mills

O’Callaghan’s Mills 3-14   Wolfe Tones 0-15

THE ability of the Mills to find the net proved the difference between the sides at Cusack Park on Tuesday night.
In terms of possession, territory and even point-scoring capability there wasn’t very much in it but on only one occasion did Wolfe Tones really test John Cooney, while the forwards at the other end raised three green flags.
The sides were level at half time, 1-5 to 0-8 and it was a fair reflection of the play. But in the second half the Mills outshone a Tones side that has been ravaged by emigration and retirements to take their first points of the campaign.
Wolfe Tones will be able to take positives from the evening. They had several good individual displays but they are still pointless after two rounds and now their priority will be to avoid a relegation battle.
The Mills started quite well and had the first point through Adrian Flaherty. However, they had four wides in the first nine minutes, while Wolfe Tones hit three points, two from frees and one a fine score by Declan O’Rourke, which left them ahead by 0-3 to 0-1.
However, the Mills began to steady their shooting and had the next three points, to lead by a single point midway through the half.
A handpass from Gary Leahy found O’Rourke in space and he pointed from the right wing in the 18th minute, tying it up before the first Mills goal.
It came through Flaherty and when he found the ball in space to the right of the goal he drove it with fierce power past Ronan Hehir. Indeed, such was the power behind it that it struck the back stanchion and came back into play, before Niall Donovan hit it back into the net, just to be on the safe side.
A free from Gary Neville put the Mills into a four-point lead but a strong finish by the Shannon men had them level by the break. For them Garret McPhillips pointed a free, Dáithí O’Connell added one from play and Gary Leahy added two fine points from distance.
As the sides resumed it was anyone’s guess as to where the points would go. Stephen McInerney put the Tones ahead in the second minute but they followed it up with three wides on the trot.
The Mills had been slow to start but Jonathan Lyons, who had a fantastic second half, had their second goal in the seventh minute. Patsy Keyes seemed to have flushed out the goal threat with a typically robust shoulder on Niall Donovan but when the ball fell to Lyons to the right of the goal, he placed it nicely into the far corner.
Wolfe Tones reacted well to the goal. Garret McPhillips replied with a point, while Aaron Cunningham, who came more into the game in the second half, had another after intercepting a short Mills free. However, the Tones were hit with another blow in the ninth minute when a Niall Donovan goal made it 3-5 to 11. This time the Mills hung onto the momentum, with Lyons tacking on two points after the goal, leaving it at 3-7 to 0-11.
The Tones weren’t finished though and they had three of the next four points, bringing it to 0-14 to 3-8 but the Mills then began to take charge. In the space of three minutes they added three points, through Lyons, Neville from a 65 and Flaherty from a free.
Garrett McPhillips had the last Wolfe Tones score from a free on 22 minutes but points from Lyons, substitute Alan Duggan and Flaherty from a free made the points safe for the Mills.
The winners will be reasonably happy with the display, as well as the result. Their full-back line were quite solid, while Jonathan Lyons and Bryan Donnellan did well, as did Adrian Faherty and Adrian Donovan. For Wolfe Tones, Brendan Hughes, Bobby McPhillips, Garret McPhillips, Gary Leahy and Aaron Cunningham were among their better performers.

Wolfe Tones: Ronan Hehir; Joe McGauley, Patsy Keyes, Brendan Hughes; Barry Loughnane, Bobby McPhillips, Stephen McInerney; Kevin McCafferty, Daithi O’Connell; John Guilfoyle, Gary Leahy, Declan O’Rourke; Aaron Cunningham, Garret McPhillips, Paul Walsh.
Subs: Richie Lillis for Stephen McInerney.
Scorers: Garret McPhillips (0-5, 2f), Gary Leahy (0-3, 1f), Aaron Cunningham and Declan O’Rourke (0-2 each), Bobby McPhillips (’65), Stephen McInerney and Dáithí O’Connell (0-1 each).
Wides: 8   Frees for: 11
Yellow cards: Patsy Keyes.
Red cards: 0
“Goals win games and the goals tonight really killed us,” Alan Cunningham, selector.

O’Callaghan’s Mills: John Cooney; Ger Frost, Conor Cooney, Gerry Cooney; Jonathan Lyons, Patrick Donnellan, Bryan Donnellan; Gary Neville, Sean O’Gorman; Adrian Donovan, Declan Donovan, James McMahon; Eoin Pewter, Niall Donovan, Adrian Flaherty.
Subs: Alan Duggan for Pewter and Kevin O’Callaghan for Neville.
Scorers: Adrian Flaherty (1-4, 3f), Jonathan Lyons (1-4), Gary Neville (0-3, 2f, 1 65), Niall Donovan (1-0), Adrian Donovan (0-2) and Alan Duggan (0-1).
Wides: 8   Frees for: 14
Yellow cards: 0
Red cards: 0
“I suppose the goals came at the right time for us. It was a poor first-half display but we improved after the break. We’re happy with the win but there is a lot of room for improvement,” Peter Carmody, manager.