Barrow Rangers stun Mooncoin with huge intermediate championship win
Barrow Rangers 2-21 Mooncoin 0-19
Barrow Rangers caused a big upset when knocking Mooncoin out of the intermediate championship at the first time of asking with a fully merited 2-21 to 0-19 win in Danesfort last Sunday evening.
The Paulstown/Gorebridge outfit had alreay enjoyed a fruitful year to date as they maintained their status in their time in the intermediate grade in over 30 years but they were clearly not content with their lot as they put Mooncoin on the backfoot for large periods of this round one affair.
Two first half goals from Joe Healy and Billy Hanlon set the tone for the 2025 junior champions and no matter what Mooncoin tried, they couldn’t get close to the on form winners with Jack Kelly excelling alongside Hanlon and Healy in attack and the result was certainly no fluke.
In front of a big attendance, Barrow Rangers raced out of the blocks with Keith Flavin, Billy Hanlon and Gary Hill all pointing from play inside the opening five minutes.
Mooncoin belatedly got on the scoreboard with a Killian Hogan point in the sixth minute before Robbie Doherty had a shot at goal blocked wide shortly afterwards.
Hogan and Joe Healy then exchanged efforts to leave Barrow Rangers ahead on a 0-4 to 0-2 scoreline but the underdogs would go on to dominate the folllowing 10 minutes or so as they upped it a few gears.
Outscoring Mooncoin 0-6 to 0-1 between the 10th and 19th minutes was no mean feat with Joe Healy converting two frees in addition to Kieran O’Neill, Patrick Purcell, Jack Kelly and Killian Rudkins all finding their range.
As a result Barrow Rangers led 0-10 to 0-3 but a Mooncoin rally was expected and anticipated and when Liam Hogan, Robbie Doherty and Paul Henebery scored in quick succession, the tide looked to be turning a little.
Barrow Rangers had other ideas however and after Joe Healy narrowly shot wide, the same player got another chance at goal as John McDonald’s team pounced on defensive indecision in the Mooncoin ranks and Healy didn’t need to be asked twice as he buried a shot to the net.
The corner forward then added on a free to make it 1-11 to 0-6 in his side’s favour before their opponents hit back with a trio of Killian Hogan scores and it looked all to play for.
Barrow Rangers would get another goal before the interval however with Billy Hanlon’s shot into the ground evading Mooncoin stopper Donnacha Hogan as the leaders went into the break with an eight point advantage.
Those first half goals and the big half-time deficit seemed to dent the Mooncoin effort as they never really got any continuous momentum going in the second half and the closest they ever got was wto within eight points which is what they trailed by at the interval.
All the credit in that regard must go to Barrow Rangers as they kept tapping away at the scoreboard Billy Hanlon, Jack Kelly and others producing their best display of the season. A score of 2-21 is no mean feat either and they will go into their clash against championship favourites James Stephens on Sunday with no fear in the world as they look to cause an even bigger shock in the intermediate quarter-final.
For Mooncoin, it must be said that last Sunday was a difficult day for everyone associated with the club after the recent death of Denis Hogan and with his funeral taking place earlier on the day of the game, the team itself looked far from themselves.
Teams and Scorers
Barrow Rangers: Joe Healy (1-6, 5fs); Billy Hanlon (1-3); Jack Kelly (0-5); Kieran O’Neill (0-1, 1f); Patrick Purcell, Keith Flavin, Mikey Doyle, Gary Hill, Shane McDonald, Killian Rudkins (0-1 each)
Mooncoin: Killian Hogan (0-8, 3fs); Liam Hogan, Robbie Doherty (0-3, 1f each); Paul Henebery (0-2); Aidan Carroll, Adam Croke, Martin O’Neill (0-1 each)
Barrow Rangers: Richie Doyle; Paul Delaney, Martin Drea, Kevin Brennan; Killian Rudkins, Kieran O’Neill, Patrick Purcell; Jack Kelly, Marc Drennan; Keith Flavin, Billy Hanlon, Mikey Doyle; Joe Healy, Gary Hill, Shane McDonald.
Subs: Brian Kelly for Hill, 48 mins; James Hogan for Purcell, 62 mins.
Mooncoin: Donnacha Hogan; Martin O’Neill, Cormac Daly, Ben O’Hanlon; Aidan Doyle, Liam Hogan, Cormac Kinsella; Mark Kearns, Killian Hogan; Paul Henebery, Jim Delahunty, Robbie Doherty; Aidan Carroll, Billy Delahunty, Adam Croke. Subs: James O’Keeffe for Kearns, h-t.
Referee: John Kennedy