Keith Beirne kicked nine points as Mohill made a winning start to the Connacht Gold Leitrim Senior Football Championship.

Eight points was the difference in the end but the scoreline doesn’t reflect the real story of the game. St. Mary’s gave the 2020 champions a real game and will rue shot selection and rushed shots.

It was a real battle, played in sweltering heat with some fine performances, great scores, and good passages of play.

Paul Keaney kicked over the game’s opening score with Ronan Gordon drawing Mohill level. The sides were level again minutes later before Mohill kicked four unanswered points to lead by four points at the first water break.

After the resumption of play Beirne set Gordon up for the game’s only goal to extend Eamonn O’Hara side’s lead to seven points. Credit to St. Mary’s, they came back at Mohill. James McGrail won vital ball in the middle of the park; he kicked over a point and set Keaney up for a neat point as Alan Flynn’s side cut the gap to three points. Mohill replied with two frees from the boot of Beirne to lead at the break - 1-09 to 0-07. 

Despite their dominance in the second half St. Mary’s were unable to show it on the scoreboard. Both teams had chances to register the first score of the half but it didn’t arrive until the 40th minute; Jordan Reynolds kicking over a fine point. Beirne then added another point to his tally to restore Mohill’s seven point advantage.

Jack Casey got St. Mary’s first point of the second half in the 47th minute. Two minutes later Keaney kicked over a point but that was to be St. Mary’s final score of the game. They were wasteful in front of the posts and on a number of occasions were thwarted by some good defending by Mohill with Shane Quinn colossal in that defence.

In the final minutes, Beirne kicked over three points (two frees) while Oisin Madden saw his shot just wide near the end as Mohill finished the game well.