ERNE GAELS .................................... 2-13

DERRYLIN ......................................... 1-8

Erne Gaels in the end had plenty to spare over visiting Derrylin to rack up their first win of the season but they had to come from behind to do it.

Their first half performance was lacklustre though they were to haul themselves back into the game in dramatic fashion in the five minutes leading up the interval when they poached two goals.

Derrylin had been generally the brighter team in the early stages and they were to scoop up a number of points. Barry Murray, Mark Murphy and Cahir Shannon were on target for them with Shane O'Brien occasionally answering for the home side.

But then Erne Gaels sprang to life with a two goal burst that radically changed the tenor of the contest. Brian Mullin and Seamus Ryder both hit the net and it was Belleek who were to head into the interval pep talk with the encouragement of the lead to bolster them.

In the second half the Derrylin challenge was to fizzle out and the O'Connell's were to add just two more scores to their tally over the closing thirty minutes. One of those scores was to be a goal, Eoin Maguire shooting home on forty minutes but in the end this was to be nowhere near enough to prevent a quite heavy eight points defeat.

Erne Gaels were to be much the more dominant side from the resumption onwards and with their attack now been channelled in an ample supply of play and their accuracy statistics considerably improving they scooped up a long stream of points to ease themselves more than comfortably clear.

In the end it was a fluent team performance from the winners, Damian Lyons and Ciaran Smith organising the rearguard well in the second half and in the middle of the park, Mark O'Shea and Shane O'Brien had a fine hour.

Up front for them Seamus Ryder was always a threat to the Derrylin defence.

For Derrylin, the team display was to tail off badly after a breezy enough start. Paul McManus, Cahir Shannon and Mark Leavey all tried hard for them Erne Gaels appeared to be the sharper side all round.

Referee John Mohan Aughdrumsee