DERRY GAA: Moneymore shock misfiring Doire Trasna in Junior Championship

Doire Trasna 0-07, Moneymore 1-08

This one wasn't an easy one to get your head round.

Moneymore scored a superb Premier Electrics Junior Football Championship Group B victory over Trasna but it was a game of contradictions at Corrody Road on Sunday.

The Henry Joys were excellent in the first half, compact in defence and lightning quick in transition, establishing a thoroughly deserved interval lead of 1-07 to 0-3 against a totally out of sorts Trasna. Yes, the home side were missing Tom Casey, Dermot McCrossan and a couple of others but even with that, the Pearses looked well short of their usual level of performance.

Moneymore just never gave them a second with corner-back Chinasa Okoronkwo superb and forward Tiarnan Kelly a constant thorn while midfielder Darren O’Kane was the best player on the pitch, just edging out goalscorer Mark Bell. Where Moneymore were quick and incisive, Trasna were slow and predictable as they washed up against Moneymore's disciplined defensive blanket time and again.

The Moneymore half-time team-talk must have been 'More of the same, lads!'

And yet second half the Henry Joys went from dominance to dangerous territory as Trasna suddenly found their gear box. The visitors went 24 second half minutes without troubling the scoreboard before Aaron Moore's free became their only score of the half and it was needed because Trasna had the game back to three points and missed at least numerous goal opportunities.

And that's the thing; while this was a brilliant away day for the Henry Joys, they won't be fooled into thinking that sort of second half scoring return will carry them too many championship victories. But IF they can manage to turn their first half performance into a 60 minute display they could have a say in this championship.

For Trasna manager James McQuillan there will only be frustration. For all his team's second half improvement - and there was a marked stepping up from his players - they managed only four points and passed up at least three gilt edged goal chances, chances that would have won them a game they probably didn't deserve to. However 0-07 won't win you any championship game!

There were bright spots. Conall Guille was superb, carrying the fight from half-back, and the fact they were creating chances offers some solace but you can't allow a team the sort of head starts Moneymore had here.

The warning signs were there from early on. Inside five minutes Moneymore were two up thanks to a Moore free and a clever mark from Kelly. Even before 12 minutes had elapsed that lead was doubled as the lively Maciej Orzel scored a lovely solo effort and Bell hit a huge effort from the right.

Eoghan Quigg finally got Trasna on the scoreboard after 13 minutes but Moneymore responded in style with the game's only goal six minutes later, a strike which arrived with their half-back Kevin Kerr watching from the dug out having been black carded for an off-the-pull on Quigg.

Yet even with 14 men Moneymore found the net and it was all down the the power of O'Kane who came in off the right to hit a huge shot which was heading over the bar until Trasna keeper Gavin Bradley did well to stop it over his own crossbar. Unfortunately for Bradley he could only knock it down and Bell, who had bust a lung to follow up, was able to gather and fire into the net for 1-04 to 0-1.

Sean Fleming fired over a response but Moneymore's ability to win turnovers and break meant Trasna made no inroads as the south Derry side went into half-time seven points up at 1-07 to 0-03.

Whatever McQuillan said in the Trasna dressing room, it had the desired impact everywhere but the scoreboard. Two points apiece from Quigg, one a free, and Michael Philson were the sum total of their second half efforts but it should have been so much more.

Eight minutes into the second period Tomas Crossan's sublime pass inside picked out Philson in the clear only yards from the Moneymore goal but his shot was too close to Padraig Donaghey who produced a fine stop and a potential game changing moment was lost.

Caolan Doyle twice saw his goalbound efforts blocked on the line after frees dropped short before substitute Pol Brown's late fisted effort forced another excellent save from Donaghey, diving low to his left, with one minute left. It was that sort of day for Trasna.

Nothing's won or lost on day one of the new championship formats but there’s plenty to ponder for both after this one. Moneymore highlighted both their potential and their vulnerability at times while Trasna's first half caution left them too much to chase.

Doire Trasna scorers: Eoghan Quigg (0-3, 1f), Michael Philson (0-2), Sean Fleming (0-1), Conal Guille (0-1).

Moneymore scorers: Mark Bell (1-1), Aaron Moore (0-3, 3f), Tiarnan Kelly (0-3, 1f, 1m), Maciej Orzel (0-1).

Doire Trasna: Gavin Bradley, David Og Officer, Tomas McCrossan, Conall Guille, Daniel Doherty, Shane Lyttle, Niall Gallagher, Caolan Doyle, Adam McGuinness, Eoghan Devlin, Sean Fleming, Caelan O’Connell, Michael Philson, Eoghan Quigg, Tiarnan Fleming. (Subs) Pol Brown for T Fleming 57’.

Yellow Cards: C Doyle 27mins; E Quigg 36mins; S Fleming 52mins.

Moneymore: Padraig Donaghey, Chinasa Okoronkwo, Luke Moran, Ryan McAllister, Emmet Crozier, Kevin Kerr, Mark Bell, Darren O’Kane, Conan McCoy, Mark McLoughlin, Maciej Orzel, Dean Kelly, Rory Young, Tiarnan Kelly, Aaron Moore. (Subs) : 17 Stephen McGurk for D Kelly 51mions; Chris Marshall for A Moore 60mins.

Black Card: K Kerr, 17mins.

Referee: Aidan McAleer.