Bornacoola made home advantage count yet again as they maintained their one hundred percent with a four-point victory over Ballinaglera in this Smith Monumentals Intermediate Football Championship clash, winning by 2-11 to 3-04.

Both sides came into the contest with one win and one loss from their opening two games, but both had been beaten in their round 2 matches. Ballinaglera lost narrowly at home to Annaduff by two points, while Bornacoola lost by eleven points away to Aughnasheelin.

Bornacoola came out of the blocks in blistering fashion, leading by 1-03 to 0-02 after the opening quarter of an hour.

Ronan Mulligan and Daniel Farrell with a free, on four and six minutes, gave the home side a good start. However, the visitors almost raised the green flag shortly after those scores, but Enda McGuire’s rasping twenty-yard diagonal shot from the left struck the crossbar and went over for a point with Bors’ keeper Farrell well beaten.

In the eleventh minute, the home side struck the first goal. Damien Moran’s initial shot was saved by Ballinaglera keeper, Conor O’Brien, but the rebound was rifled home from close range by Ronan Mulligan.

Moran slotted over his first point of the contest just a minute later to put them up by five points before a Seamie McMorrow free registered the Glera’s second point two minutes later.

Ballinaglera then reduced the deficit to just a point with a goal on sixteen minutes with a close-range finish from Aaron McCauley after good work from Wayne Reynolds.

Ronan Mulligan’s free increased the advantage for Seamus Mallon’s charges to two points on nineteen minutes, and then a fine score from the same player from a tight angle on the right in the twenty-second minute gave them a three-point cushion, 1-05 to 1-02.

However, in-between those two Mulligan points, Ballinaglera missed a golden goal opportunity which would have put them ahead. Midfielder Padraig Cornyn floated a superb long-range lobbed pass into his unmarked brother Thomas, but with just Bornacoola keeper Farrell to beat, he curled his shot just wide.

The visitors did score a second goal in the twenty-seventh minute when McCauley fired home his second goal. McGuire and Bors’ full-back Damien McGuinness both jumped for a high ball, with McGuire winning the tussle, he majestically caught the ball, turned, left McGuinness in his wake, surged in on goal and delivered a perfectly weighted hand pass to the inrushing McCauley, and he rattled the Bornacoola net to level the contest. That left the sides level with the score-line, Bornacoola 1-05 Ballinaglera 2-02.

The home side responded in fine style to score 1-01 without reply in the closing stages of the first half to hold a four-point advantage at the interval.

Sean McKeon with a free, and then a lucky goal right on the half time whistle from Damien Moran gave Bornacoola a half-time advantage of 2-06 to 2-02.

Daniel Farrell stepped up to take a forty-five, but he completely fluffed his effort, however, the ball reached Damien Moran and he blasted the ball to the net off the underside of the crossbar.

Bornacoola increased their lead to six points just four minutes into the second-half with points from substitute Anthony Mulligan and Ronan Mulligan.

Daniel Farrell with a free and Wayne Reynolds for the visitors swapped scores, but then Ballinaglera were back within three points when substitute Anton McGourty pounced to score his sides third goal on forty-eight minutes. McGourty latched onto a clever Wayne Reynolds pass and despatched the ball under keeper Farrell to the net.

When a Reynolds free reduced the deficit to two points, it looked like the visitors were in the ascendency, but Bornacoola finished strongly to fire over the last two points of the match in stoppage time, courtesy of Allan Croghan and substitute Jake Shiels to run out winners by four points.

Bornacoola sprang a surprise with a 2-09 to 1-10 victory over a fancied Kiltubrid side, in this Smith Monumentals Intermediate Football Championship clash at the Bornacoola GAA grounds.

Kiltubrid came into this clash as Division 3 league champions against a home side who had struggled in the league, and the visitors were expected to win this contest, but the Bors had other ideas.

Seamus Mallon's charges surged to a 1-02 to no-score lead after just eight minutes.

Bors keeper Daniel Farrell opened the scoring with a long range free in the fifth minute, and two minutes later, Mervyn Howard drilled the ball to the back of the Kiltubrid net, while Damien Moran slotted over a fine point from play to give the home side a five point cushion.

Ciaran McTeague's men finally got their act together to register the next four scores to leave just a point between the teams by the 14th minute.

Captain, Michael McCormack, Danny McWeeney, and a brace from Barry McWeeney (one free) all converted to bring Kiltubrid back into the match.

Bornacoola responded with the last three scores of the first half, as Ronan Mulligan fired over twice (one free), and Damien Moran added the last score of the half as the home side went in at the break leading by 1-05 to 0-04.

The visitors got off to a brilliant start upon the resumption, as Danny McWeeney blasted a brilliant low, diagonal shot to to the bottom right corner of the Bornacoola net in the first minute, reducing the arrears to just a point.

Damien Moran with a free and Barry McWeeney then swapped points for each side.

Substitute Emmet Mahon was superb when introduced and he was at the heart of Kiltubrid's attacking play, levelling the contest with an excellent 38th minute score.

Kiltubrid then went three points clear on 48 minutes with scores from the McWeeney brothers. Barry slotted over two points with Danny adding the other point, all from play.

Bornacoola rallied with a goal and a point to retake the lead. Sean McKeon fired over his first point in the 50th minute before Damien Moran raised the green flag at the second attempt in the 53rd minute.

Moran's first effort was brilliantly saved by Kiltubrid keeper Noel Gill, but the ball came back out to Moran and he blasted home the rebound.

The Bors one point lead didn't seem to be enough when midfielder Liam Jones was black-carded on 57 minutes, especially when a minute later, Kiltubrid keeper Noel Gill split the uprights with a forty-five to draw the sides level.

However, resilient, resolute defending kept the visitors at bay, and late, late points from Sean McKeon and Ollie Vaughan edged Bornacoola home by a two point margin, as it finished Bornacoola 2-09 Kiltubrid 1-10.

Match commentary was kindly sponsored by Carmel Murphy of HR Solutions.