Kiltegan topple AGB challenge
O’Toole’s goals prove vital
KILTEGAN AGB 2-11 0-11
KILTEGAN maintained their dark horses tag for the Renault Senior football championship of 2017 with this hard-fought victory over a somewhat depleted AGB outfit in Joule Park, Aughrim, on Saturday evening last.
Missing such key men as the Hyland brothers, Ciaran and Cormac, defender Tom Maher, and with Cathal Kelleher and Darragh Fitzgerald carrying injuries, the Arklow men were always going to struggle against a physically strong and talented outfit and so it came to be.
The big question was whether AGB could solve the Seanie problem, i.e. counteract the high ball and devastating goal threat of the county star. And for much of this game they did just, that with Karl Kirwan turning in a fine shift on the full-forward along with some much-needed help from his defensive colleagues.
It was abundantly clear from the outset that Trevor Doyle’s men were going for the high ball to Seanie plan in the hope that the full-forward would do the damage himself or else the very capable Derek Daly would collect the scraps.
The first such ball was repelled while the second brought danger to the AGB goal that was thwarted by a fine save from Mervyn Travers from Seanie Furlong although it looked as though Derek Daly had fouled Jack Hamilton as the high ball arrived.
AGB were giving Kiltegan lots of room around the middle third of the field and with the likes of Rory Finn, Ronan Byrne, Mikey Foley, and John and Stephen Farrell around that will bring its won consequences.
The 45 from Travers’ save went short to Daly but his snap shot was gathered easily by the AGB goalkeeper and the danger was averted.
AGB collected three wides, one each from Healy, Philip Gleeson and Cal Kelly before Healy got the scoring show up and running with a pointed free following a lazy foul on himself by Mikey Foley.
An Ivan Hurley point was replied to by a pointed free from Seanie Furlong and then AGB bagged the move of the game when Darragh Fitzgerald’s free from his own 45 was collected by the speeding Healy who flicked to Ciaran O’Shea who charged into the Kiltegan territory and dropped a beauty over the bar for a 0-03 to 0-01 lead for the Arklow men.
Seanie Furlong gathered ahead of Kirwan shortly after this and hoisted up a shot which seemed to tail off just as it passed the upright but both Seanie and his manager Trevor Doyle were adamant that it was a point with the Rathnew man telling linesman Jimmy Kelly that the dog out in the car park knew that it was a score. Nevertheless, it was clocked as a wide.
AGB were enjoying a very good spell. Their deep and capable defending was frustrating Kiltegan and they were managing to break in numbers and with points from Daire McBride and a bomb from Stephen Hurley they were also in a healthy 0-05 to 0-01 lead after 16 minutes.
But Seanie Furlong was proving lethal from the frees and any transgression was going to be punished and he dropped over a beauty from 45 yards out to reduce the deficit.
A frontal charge by Blaine Harmon on Philip Healy saw Stephen Hurley drop in a free and it looked to be helped over the crossbar by a combination of Rory Finn and Philip Gleeson.
The difficulty for AGB was that their retreat into their defensive structure game Kiltegan all the time in the world to look for holes and pathways to danger and Rory Finn looked to be on commission for every high ball he lobbed in because they were coming thick and fast from the midfielder and one such ball was gathered by Seanie, laid off to the steamrolling Jacko Dalton whose shot for goal was superbly blocked over for a point by the body of Jack Hamilton.
AGB’s lack of numbers up top was also restricting them and allowing Kiltegan get men back to disrupt and intercept with Stephen Farrell and Ronan Byrne doing very well in this regard.
A sublime Mikey Foley effort and another Seanie free from distance sent the teams in with AGB leading by 0-06 to 0-05 but you wondered how long they could maintain this energy sapping game for?
The Arklow men opened up a 0-07 to 0-05 lead not long after the restart and then Trevor Doyle switched Jeffrey Bermingham and Adam Wynne and this brought Bermingham more into the game which was a major boost for the west side.
The introduction of Anthony Furlong was also a massive moment for Kiltegan and their hunger for goals was soon to be rewarded when Padraig O’Toole got on the end of a move and drove home low past Marvyn Travers for the game’s opening goal after five minutes.
Anthony Furlong complimented the goal with two points before that high ball proved productive again when Jacko Dalton dropped it in, Seanie won it, fed Derek Daly who popped it across the square to an unmarked Padraig O’Toole and he palmed home his second major of the day. Game pretty much over you would think.
AGB continued to battle bravely and had some very nice scores but Kiltegan were always able to attack at will and had screamers from Jeffrey Bermingham and Padraig O’Toole and at 2-11 to 0-11 the game looked done and dusted but then AGB won a penalty after Rory Finn pulled down Tiernan McBride but Karl Kirwan’s effort was saved by Fergal Harmon and the danger cleared.
In the next move, Philip Healy would gather but his instinctive shot would blaze wide and referee Noel Kinsella would sound the final whistle for a deserving win for the Kiltegan men.
Scorers – Padraig O’Toole 2-01, Seanie Furlong 0-04 (4f), Anthony Furlong 0-03 (1f), Jacko Dalton 0-01, Mikey Foley 0-01, Jeffrey Bermingham 0-01.
AGB: Philip Healy 0-03 (2f), Ivan Hurley 0-02, Ciaran O’Shea 0-01, Daire McBride 0-01, Philip Gleeson 0-01, Stephen Hurley 0-01, Padraig Kelleher 0-01, Cathal Kelleher 0-01.
Fergal Harmon; Jeffrey Bermingham, Blaine Harmon, Adam Wynne; Mikey Foley, Ronan Byrne, John Farrell; Rory Finn, Stephen Farrell; Padraig O’Toole, Bryan Cullen, Aaron Byrne; Derek Daly, Seanie Furlong, Jacko Dalton. Subs: Anthony Furlong for J Farrell (37min), 22 for J Dalton (56min), Barry Dalton for M Foley (59min).
Mervyn Travers; Karl Kirwan, James Tyrrell, Jack Hamilton; Ciaran O’Shea, Chris O’Brien, Danny O’Harte; Cal Kelly, Stephen Hurley; Ivan Hurley, Darragh Fitzgerald, Cormac O’Shea; Daire McBride, Philip Gleeson, Philip Healy. Subs: Padraig Kelleher for J Hamilton, Peter Hempenstall for C O’Brien (46min), Cathal Kelleher for D McBride (48min), Tiernan McBride for D O’Harte (56min).
Noel Kinsella (Kilbride)