Elmes simply superb as Hibs are blitzed

Elmes may have scored just a single goal but his partnership with Lloyd Colfer up front saw him in the lead up to all of his sides goals. There was no doubt but that both Elmes and Colfer must have done their chances of playing their way into the Oscar Traynor squad no harm, as their combination, superb individual skills and attacking ability gave the vicitors back four a nightmare ninety minutes.

There was little to indicate what was to follow during the opening fifteen minutes a period dominated by Courtown who saw a Leighton Gleeson 20 metre effort go straight into the arms of home keeper Keith Roche after just five minutes. The visitors continue to press but were unable to break down the homesides back four superbly marshalled by Johnny Keating and left back John Coady, who was outstanding all through.

John Flood's Duncannon charges gradually played their way into the game. Following a spell of sustained pressure they took the lead after 17minutes.

It was a superb piece of play from Elmes that saw him create space before firing beyond keeper Patrick Fortune from fifteen metres.

It took a couple of super saves from keeper Fortune to keep out efforts from both Elmes and Colfer before Duncannon increased their lead after thirty-three minutes. Elmes chased a ball which seemed lost, but amazingly ke kept it in play, before crossing for the inrushing full-back Des Foley to hammer high into the top right hand corner of the net.

Outplayed in midfield despite the best efforts of Leighton Gleeson and the hard working Eugene O'Brien, Hibsfell further in arrears after 43 minutes. Colfer and Elmes combined to tear the back four apart, and it was Colfer who got on the end of Elmes neat cross to make it 3-0 at the interval with a clinical finish from ten metres.

Courtown Hibs came flying out of the traps on the resumption. Eugene O'Brien had an effort just wide, while Gleeson was denied by the home keeper. But that was as good as it got for the visitors as Duncannon gradually assumed control, going on to add a fourth after 58 minutes. After a Courtown attack had broke down the homeside counter attacked at pace with Elmes laying the ball off into the path of Keith Donnolly to applied a great finish leaving keeper Fortune helpless with a low shot to the bottom of the net.

Ian Brannigan had an effort beaten away by home keeper Keith Roche but for Duncannon the three points eases their problems in the bottom half of the table, while for Courtown Hibs it's very much back to the drawing board .

Duncannon: Keith Roche, Des Foley, Johnny Keating, Stuart Dunning, John Coady, Keith Donnolly, Alan Meyler, Emmett Dunning, Lloyd Colfer, Tom Elmes, Kevin O'Grady. Subs: Paul Diskin, Martin Nolan, Daniel Stenning, Ronan McDonald, Mark Molloy.

Courtown Hibs: Patrick Fortune, Colin O'Brien, Conor Fortune, Colm Kinsella, Matthew Cullen, Michael Kinsella, Leighton Gleeson, David Fitzpatrick, Eugene O'Brien, Ian Brannigan, Ian Travers. Subs: Anthony Donohoe, Karl Curry, Darren Kennedy.

Referee: Damien Donovan.