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Allianz FL D4 round-up

Derry footballer Enda Lynn.

Derry footballer Enda Lynn.

Allianz Football League Division Four

Sunday March 24

WICKLOW 0-8 LONDON 0-6

ANTRIM 2-12 LIMERICK 1-11

Antrim finished their Division Four campaign with a morale boosting win over Limerick at Kilmallock thanks to second-half goals from Ryan Murray and Matthew Fitzpatrick.

Limerick bossed the first half and were five points to the good at the interval, but Antrim chipped away at that advantage and eventually ran out four-point winners to claim third place in the final standings on scoring difference.

Billy Lee would have been delighted to see his side in good form early on and with Jamie Lee showing great promise from open play and from placed balls they raced into a 0-5 to 0-2 lead after 18 minutes.

Antrim rallied though to levelled matters eight minutes later, while points from Murray and Fitzpatrick meant the Ulster side were going well against the wind. Three minutes from the break Cillian Fahy hit the net for Limerick to help them into a 1-7 to 0-5 half-time lead, but Antrim continued to show their class after the restart.

Ryan Murray scored a great goal seven minutes after the break when he cut in from the right and blasted to the net, which closed the gap to three points, while Fitzpatrick’s goal levelled matters after 52 minutes. From there on Antrim dominated with McBride, Colum Duffin, and Murray on target to seal the victory.

Meanwhile in Aughrim, Wicklow picked up their third win of the campaign.

Playing against the wind Wicklow led 0-4 to 0-3 at half-time, and considering London led 0-3 to 0-0 after 23 minutes, it was quite the turnaround. Mark Kenny and Marc Jackson points settled Wicklow, while a couple of Gearoid Murphy frees put them ahead at half-time.

Rory Finn pointed to stretch Wicklow’s lead after the restart, and Anthony McLoughlin added a sixth for his side, and in the end Wicklow held on to finish joint third in the table on six points.

Saturday March 23

LEITRIM 1-20 WATERFORD 2-9

DERRY 3-21 WEXFORD 4-16

Leitrim and Derry warmed up for their Allianz NFL league Division 4 final with respective wins over Waterford and Wexford.

Derry will enter next Saturday’s final as slight favourites after they maintained their perfect campaign with a seventh straight win in a goal-fest at Bellaghy.

Benny Herron punched the opening goal after ten minutes to put Derry into the ascendancy and three minutes later Enda Lynn fired their second. Ben Brosnan hit back straight away with a Wexford goal, but the three-pointers continued to flow when Ryan Dougan scored Derry’s third in the 16th minute.

Derry led 3-11 to 1-8 at half-time, but Kevin O’Grady’s strike pulled Wexford back to within six points. Barry O’Connor and Ben Brosnan hit two goals late on for Wexford, but Christopher Bradley point settled Derry as they ran out two-point winners.

Meanwhile, with Ryan O’Rourke, Emlyn Mulligan, Ray Mulvey and Evan Sweeney on target Leitrim raced out of the blocks into a 0-5 to 0-0 lead after 11 minutes at Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada. But Waterford settled well after that and scores from David Hallihan and Conor Murray soon had them back in touch.

A goal from Ryan O’Rourke nine minutes from the interval saw Leitrim pull clear and points from Domhnaill Flynn and Sean Moran saw Leitrim take a 1-13 to 0-5 at the interval.

Sub JJ Hutchinson kicked two points for Waterford straight after the restart, but Mulligan and Conor Cullen hit back and although Dylan Guiry and Michael Curry goaled for Waterford late on, Leitrim were never in trouble as they claimed their sixth win.