Cloonacool opened their Connacht Gold Junior A football championship with a convincing win over Eastern Harps in a splendid Bunnanadden Community Park on Saturday evening. Intermittent showers didn’t dampen a youthful Cloonacool’s enthusiasm as they triumphed over a hardworking Eastern Harps.

A wasteful Cloonacool could be punished on another day for kicking nine wides in the opening half. Indeed, the scoreline at the first water break put both sides level on no score apiece. Eoin Carty on his championship debut put Cloonacool ahead after the restart with a well taken point. Three further scores from the victors left the half time score at Cloonacool 0-04 Eastern Harps 0-00.

Whatever words of wisdom Cloonacool’s manager Brian Mc Intyre and coach Barnes Kelly imparted at half time had the desired effect. Within 20 seconds of the restart Harps keeper Errol Flynn was picking the ball out of his net after being beaten by a rasping effort from Rian Moylan. Cloonacool corner forward Conor Prendergast widened the gap further on 32 minutes when he finished neatly to the Harps net. However, Cloonacool could not rest on their laurels and Cloonacool’s keeper Joe Neary could do nothing to stop Ciaran Hannon’s effort finding the back of his net after a route one ball in from midfield after 38 minutes.

However, this was as good as it got for the Harps men as their centre back Barry Convey received his marching orders from referee Paul Clavin after collecting a yellow card along with a black card he picked up earlier. Cloonacool were now in the driving seat and they finished off the job in hand with a number of well taken points and goals from Brian Towey, Ronan Leonard and Jason Brennan.

Overall a good workmanlike display by Cloonacool but sterner tests await in this year’s Connacht Gold Junior A championship.