The 2017 Intermediate Championship kicked off this weekend and what a weekend to play football. In the most perfect of conditions Swinford and Shrule Glencorrib played a fine game of football on Sunday afternoon.

Just a month ago Shrule Glencorrib beat Swinford by 4 points in the opening league game at Robert McCallion Memorial Park. The championship team for Swinford saw four changes from that team.

Shrule started the better and got the first score of the game after 30 seconds with a straight forward free. Swinford strick back with a point from Liam Moran and then after five minutes Jason McLoughlin hit the net to put Swinford a goal ahead. Shrule scored another free and followed up with their first from play to narrow the gap to 1.

Michael Prendergast got his first score of the game which was soon cancelled out by another Shrule free. So after a very good opening ten minutes there was only one between the teams. Shrule leveled the game before Michael Prendergast got his second to put Swinford back ahead.

Shrule then hit the back of the net to put them ahead for the fist time. Swinford rallied but hit two wides. Shrule were then awarded a dubious penalty which was well saved by Ryan Convey. Shrule soon extended their lead with another point after twenty minutes to 3 points. Both teams then traded wides before Swinford scored two points before the break by Kevin McShea and Michael Prendergast.

At the break Shrule Glencorrib lead by one on a score of 1-5 to 1-6.

Swinford started the second half in flying fashion and within three minutes had completely turned the game around with a point from Jason McLoughlin and two from the Liam Moran. In between a couple of Swinford wides Shrule leveled the game with a point from play and from a free. Shrule then dominated the game and for some poor finishing could have finished Swinford off. They struck five wides before retaking the lead on the 43rd minute. Liam Moran strick a free to level the game.

Entering the last quarter the teams were level, Shrule then hit a golden patch and kicked five points in five minutes to take control of the game. One of the scores brought uncertainty to the linesmen as one signalled wide and the other waved the white flag. With eight minutes left on the clock Swinford were looking dead and buried but this team did not die and came back with a voracious intensity.

Liam Moran took a hold of the game by the scruff of the neck and ran at the Shrule Glencorrib defence. Three points from his boot and one from Jason McLoughlin had the game back to one with fifty eight minutes on the clock.

Shrule steadied themselves and got the crucial score of the game to put two between the teams as injury time approached. Liam Moran was not finished yet and scored his eight point of the game.

Liam was then awarded a free from a difficult angle and with three Shrule players no more then five yards from him in clear breach of the rules he hit the upright and the ball came back into play and was cleared by the Shrule defence to the sound of the full time whistle. It was a clear matter that the free should have be retaken from a more advantageous position.

Today wasn’t to be Swinford’s day but they showed great courage and heart and are not to be written off yet by anyone.

Swinford: Ryan Convey, Aiden McLoughlin, Sean Brady, Alan McLoughlin, Mark McNicholas, Mark Forkan, James Lavin, Michael Walsh, Kevin Barry, James Sweeney, Johnny Burke, Liam Moran, Jason McLoughlin, Kevin McShea, Michael Predergast Subs: Joshua Smith, Damien Geraghty

Scorers: Liam Moran 0-8, Jason McLoughlin 1-2, Michael Predergast 0-3, Kevin McShea 0-1