Faughanvale run riot against Limavady to set up Steelstown semi-final

Faughanvale 3-18, Limavady Wolfhounds 1-04

Some days everything just clicks into gear for you.

The sun is shines, you're playing superb, flowing football and everything you hit finds it's target.

Then some days you can do nothing right!

Depending on which side of the Faughanvale-Limavady fence you were sitting in O'Cahan Park, you'll have experienced one of those days on Sunday. For Joe Gray's 'Vale team, this was champagne football at it's best with Kevin Martin sublime on his way to a personal tally of 1-09 but Paddy O'Kane and Eoin McElhinney weren't far behind him. In Gordon Fahey the Greysteel men had possibly the best player on the park as he negated the impact of Wolfhounds dangerman, Cormac Quigley, but it was difficult to pick out a bad performance in green and white.

The match itself was over as a contest by half-time with 'Vale 1-10 to 0-02 up and coasting toward a mouth watering semi-final showdown with Steelstown but such was the 'Vale dominance that there was precious little for the watching Brian Ogs contingent to take away from the game.

Neither was there much for Limavady to take away. Again, all the analysis in the world won't take away from the fact that this was just one of those days for Dominic Woods' team.

There was no arguing Faughanvale were the better team and fully deserved their victory but luck also deserted the Wolfhounds. Limavady's afternoon can best be summed up by one passage of second half play. With 43 minutes on the clock, Quigley set off on a scathing solo run through the heart of the 'Vale defence before unleashing a fierce shot that cannon off the inside of the post, eluded waiting Limavady forwards and landed square in the arms of grounded 'Vale keeper Daryl Moore. Moore sets 'Vale off on the attack in a move that ends with James Moore blasting a lovely shot into the top corner barely 30 seconds after Quigley's had gone so close.

Limavady had other goal chances too but it's doubtful even a couple of goals could have stopped 'Vale in this sort of mood though Limavady didn't help themselves with a defensive shape that was too square along their 45m line and allowed Vale to simply by-pass defenders and feed the ball into the open spaces in front of Martin and O'Kane, two men who didn't need the extra help.

Vale's opening goal arrived shortly before the break and the Greysteel men already 0-10 to 0-2 up, Eoin McElhinney getting himself on the end of a flowing move that involved both Cathal McKane and Martin before firing a low finish for an 11-point interval lead.

Things didn't improve for the Wolfhounds after the break but some of Kevin Martin's finishing was right out of the top drawer and a joy to behold.

Limavady did get themselves a goal when Ruairi Hassan's quick thinking over a free allowed Richard King to score via the post but it was never going to change the result.

Moore's goal wasn't long arriving after that Wolfhounds consolation and only two minutes later, with 45 minutes gone and with Limavady heads dropping, Martin grabbed the goal his own display deserved. It was actually Martin's long range shot which came back off the upper reaches of the O'Cahan Park posts but Oran Hartin, who made a number of good saves in the Limavady goal, had to right to expect more support from a non-existent defence on the rebound. Cathal McKane was first to react to it but Hartin closed him down only to find Martin had strolled forward to receive a square pass from McKane and roll the ball into an unguarded net.

It was an unfitting end for a Limavady team that has improved steadily during this truncated season, a team who are without doubt better than what was on display here.

For 'Vale, the serious business starts in the semi-final and what a game that looks set to be against a Steelstown team who play a similarly hard running, attacking game. On the basis of what both teams have produced in their respective quarter-finals, that is one not to be missed!

Faughanvale scorers: Kevin Martin (1-8, 2f), Paddy O'Kane (0-5, 2f), Eoin McElhinney (1-2), James Moore (1-2, 1f), Shane McElhinney (0-1),

Limavady scorers: Richard King (1-0), Oisin Hasson (0-1), Aaron McGregor (0-2), Cormac Quigley (0-1)

Faughanvale: Daryl Moore, Mark Creane, Gordon Fahey, Sean Butcher, Shane McElhinney, Michael Sweeney, Kyle McGuinness, Aaron Cassidy, Eoin McElhinney, Cathal McKane, Conor McGuinness, James Moore, Kevin Martin, Michael McLaughlin, Paddy O'Kane. (Subs) Thomas Bradley for P O'Kane, 55mins;

Limavady: Oran Hartin, Kieran McGlinchey, Tomas Deery, Manus Quigley, Ruairi O'Kane, Conor Boyd, Jamie McLaughlin, Jack Deery, Harry McLaughlin, Aaron McGregor, Ruairi Hasson, Sheagh McLaughlin, Oisin Hassan, Cormac Quigley, Richard King. (Subs) Mark McGroarty for K McGlinchey, 26mins; David Brolly for S McLaughlin, 36mins; Callum Carten for J McLaughlin, 39mins;

Referee: Anthony Campbell.