Athlone 3:09, The Downs 1:11
Athlone qualified for the knockout stages of the senior championship when they recorded a hard earned victory against a strong and rugged Downs side in Cusack Park last Sunday.
The four point margin at the end somewhat flattered Athlone as this game was closely fought from start to finish. It took a blistering run in second half injury time from Dermot McManus, who passed into Padraic Fogarty and he in turn picked out Neil Dolan on the edge of the square to rocket the ball past The Downs goalkeeper and into the back of the net for the deciding score. Athlone now take on Mullingar Shamrocks in the quarter-final in four weeks time, Castledaly await the winners in the semi-final. Best for Athlone were Stephen Hahassey, Rory O ' Connell, Oliver Keating, Seamus Mitchell and Neil Dolan.
Athlone: Richard Daly, Patrick Dunning, Damien Kelly, James Kilroy, Oliver Keating, Fergal Murray, Brendan Kenny, Rory O ' Connell, Stephen Hahessy, Dermot McManus, Shane Geraghty, Seamus Mitchell, Tom Stuart Trainor, Neil Dolan, Adrian Moran. Subs used, Padraic Fogarty.
