Avondale have goalden touch

Handsome win over Kilmac

AVONDALE KILMACANOGUE 4-15 2-08

A lethal finishing touch facilitated this handsome victory for Avondale over Kilmacanogue on Sunday morning.

The sun may have shone down on Fitzsimons’ Park but it was a gloomy day for the hosts as they conceded four goals for the second fixture on the trot. Also, having gone unbeaten on home turf for a number of years, the Sugarloaf men have now lost three on the trot at home.

Avondale’s size, speed and cohesion proved too much for Kilmac and Oisin McGraynor in particular was a thorn in their side.

Despite the heavy defeat, Kilmac could and probably should have raised more than just the two green flags. 28 seconds in, Conor Finn lost possession but Niall Meldon regained it and found the unmarked Aaron Creavin. He only had Brian Burke to beat but he fired wide.

Ryan Cahill did not make the same mistake in the second minute. Eamonn Kearns played an excellent one-two with Eugene Dunne and his run created space for Cahill who finished neatly when found by Kearns.

Kilmac’s second goal chance came on six minutes. Creavin’s pass was knocked into Ray Nally’s path and he offloaded to the in-rushing Robert Conan. At full tilt, Avondale couldn’t stop him but his drilled effort flew wide of Burke’s right-hand post.

The home side weren’t the only ones to rue miss chances. A powerful run from Sean McGraynor opened things up for him but he fired his shot at Niall King who stuck up two hands to make the save.

Oisin McGraynor was next to be guilty of generous finishing. Sloppy play at the back from Kilmac was punished by Patrick Kinsella as he set up a goal chance for the right-corner forward but his finish left a lot to be desired.

A free, earned by Ross Ward and dispatched by Oisin McGraynor, was only the game’s second score despite the plethora of chance at both ends.

By that stage, the home side had dropped two short and hit four wide, while both sides missed two gilt-edged goal chances.

Eugene Dunne offered a moment of comic relief when he tried to make the most of a late him on himself. The fact that he went down a few seconds late and in about 10 stages meant his dramatics were ignored by the man in the middle.

Avondale enjoyed a lucky break in the 18th minute when Paul Gahan was tackled well by Andrew Molloy but the ball fell to Oisin McGraynor. His sharp turn took him free of his man but he couldn’t capitalise on the lucky break as he fired wide.

On 19 minutes, Kilmac made a dent on the scoreboard. Cian Rafferty turfed man and ball over the sideline and took the resulting deadball quickly to find Meldon. He roared forward and rose a cheer from the sideline as he sunk his side’s first point.

That opened the floodgates briefly and within two minutes, Robert Conan and Conor Finn had also landed efforts.

Oisin McGraynor pulled his next point right out of the top drawer and then he created his side’s second goal which will have left the Kilmac management pulling their hair out. He looked to be stuck in the corner but - somehow - he travelled from right out on the touchline to the edge of the square before popping it off to Cahill. His jab saw the ball come off the crossbar and Patrick Kinsella hovered in at the far post to bundle it home.

A pivotal moment arrived on 27 minutes. With two goals between the sides, Meldon ploughed into goal territory on a solo run and knocked it across the area at the last second to a waiting teammate. Sam O’Callghan did all he could as he met it with a solid punch but Brian Burke hurled himself across his goal and somehow tipped it away.

Kilmac did beat Burke two minutes before the interval. Creavin was found with his back to goal, he left his man chasing shadows and fired past the shot-stopper but Shane Beevor had somehow gotten back onto the line and punched it away.

With two goals separating the sides at half-time, the first few scores would be crucial and it was the visitors that secured them courtesy of Sean McGraynor.

Sandwiched between those efforts was a goal-line clearance from Gavan Burke to deny Sean McGraynor a goal.

Cian Rafferty pulled a score back for Kilmac but Avondale had the bull by the horns by now and they wouldn’t loosen their grip.

Barry Sheehan and Oisin McGraynor (twice) stretched the lead, with Donal Tuohy also managing a last-ditch clearance to deny Shane Beevor a goal after a devastatingly incisive move from the away side.

Avondale’s third goal was a throwback to the olden days. Jack Manley sent the ball sailing in on top of the square and Oisin McGraynor rose above a goalkeeper and defender to nudge it home.

Kilmac knew that goals were the only thing that could save them now and Conor Finn blasted the outside of the post before Luke O’Callaghan tapped to the net following a spill from Brian Burke.

Time for a comeback? Not on Avondale’s watch. They went straight up the other end and killed off Kilmac with a Ross Ward goal.

Avondale would go on to add five more points and be denied a fifth goal by the crossbar on a very encouraging day for the Rathdrum man.

Kilmac did manage one more goal and it was a beauty; Creavin’s hit a hopeful pass deep into Avondale territory. It looked to be beyond Sam O’Callaghan but he claimed it cleanly and had turned on his heels and buried the chance before his man had even realised the ball was there.

Kilmacanogue scorers: Sam O’Callaghan 1-1 (1F), Luke O’Callaghan 1-0, Niall Meldon 0-3 (1 45), Conor Finn 0-2, Robert Conan 0-1, Cian Rafferty 0-1.

Avondale scorers: Oisin McGraynor 1-6 (4F’s), Ross Ward 1-1, Ryan Cahill 1-2, Patrick Kinsella 1-0, Sean McGraynor 0-3, Barry Sheehan 0-1, Jack Manley 0-1, Padraig Geoghegan 0-1.