Cathal keeps Kiltegan up with fine goal

KILTEGAN BALTINGLASS 1-12 0-13

CATHAL FITZGERALD’S late goal against Baltinglass helped Kiltegan secure their SFL Division 1 status and condemned Bray Emmets to Division 1A football for 2019.

In stunning sunshine, Trevor Doyle’s men lined out in Baltinglass knowing that a win or a share of the spoils would send Bray down along with Dunlavin but they had it anything other than easy from Ciaran Walshe’s side who were without the injured Kevin Murphy.

Kiltegan lined out with some interesting positional decisions. Seanie Furlong was named at 11 with Cathal Fitzgerald at full-forward. Furlong fluctuated between both positions at times and put in a decent shift with a seven-point haul (six from frees). Fitzgerald bagged 1-1 having been left in acres of space for the goal which he dispatched with aplomb past Mark Jackson.

Traditionally a full-back, Blaine Harmon joined Rory Finn in the middle of the field while Stephen Farrell was given the task of handling Peadar Burke at full-forward for Baltinglass.

Jacko Dalton was named top of the right but with a roaming detail while Adam Wynne was named in the six jersey.

Baltinglass were looking for a big game from John McGrath at midfield and they got a big shift from the county man.

Ian Sheerin was stationed at full-back while Stephen Heaslip, named at 14, played a sweeping role. Big workloads were handled by Brian Nolan and Chris Heaslip in the half-forward line but the loss off John Murray to a black card and Jason Kennedy to the second yellow in the second half certainly didn’t to Baltinglass any favours in terms of the overall result of this game.

Kiltegan’s 0-8 to 0-3 advantage at half-time was a fair reflection on the landscape and standard of the game. The home side had eight wides over the course of the opening 30 minutes, some of them from woeful shot choices. The second half was much improved in this regard with only three wayward shots registered for Baltinglass.

Kiltegan registered five wides in the opening half, just two in the second, and of their eight points, three came from frees.

In terms of kick-outs, Baltinglass were pretty much in command of their own restarts, winning 16 of their total of 19 (11 in the first half, five in the second) with Kiltegan robbing three (two in the first half). The visitors won 15 of their 21 restarts with Baltinglass improving their pilfering in the second half with five turnovers from the kick-outs.

Staying with turnovers, Baltinglass have 21 to their credit (nine in the first half), Kiltegan have 18 (seven in the opening 30). The home side were awarded 18 frees to Kiltegan’s 21.

Peadar Burke, Dan Kelly and Brian Nolan registered Baltinglass’ disappointing tally of 0-3 from the first half. Kiltegan were far more effective from placed balls with Seanie Furlong grabbing four (three frees), Rory Finn, Liam Keogh, Aaron Byrne and Cathal Fitzgerald completing their eight-point haul.

Despite the black and red cards for Baltinglass in the second half, they had pulled to within a point of their neighbours by the 20th minute at 0-10 to 0-9 with fine efforts from John McGrath (2), Peadar Burke, Mark Jackson, Chris Heaslip and Dan Kelly.

Blaine Harmon and Seanie Furlong had kept Kiltegan narrowly out front with two points.

Cathal Fitzgerald’s goal after 25 minutes gave Kiltegan a fourpoint lead but Baltinglass hit the next three points through Darragh Doyle, Billy Cullen and Mark Jackson (45).

Baltinglass threw the kitchen sink at Kiltegan but the visitors held out superbly and a late Seanie Furlong free gave them the breathing space they needed to see out the game and secure their league status.

Scorers – Kiltegan: Seanie Furlong 0-7 (6f), Cathal Fitzgerald 1-1, Liam Keogh 0-1, Blaine Harmon 0-1, Rory Finn 0-1, Aaron Byrne 0-1.

Baltinglass: Peadar Burke 0-3 (1f), John Murray 0-2, Mark Jackson 0-2 (1f, 1 45), Dan Kelly 0-2, Chris Heaslip 0-1, Brian Nolan 0-1, Billy Cullen 0-1, 17 0-1.

Fergal Harmon; Bryan Kearney, Stephen Farrell, Colm Keogh; John Farrell, Adam Wynne, Liam Keogh; Blaine Harmon, Rory Finn; Aaron Byrne, Seanie Furlong, Padraig O’Toole; Mark Pierce, Cathal Fitzgerald, Jacko Dalton. Subs: Philip Penrose for M Pierce

Mark Jackson; Cian Lee, Ian Sheerin, John Murray; Patrick Burke, Billy Cullen, Aaron Barrett; Jason Kennedy, John McGrath; Brian Nolan, Brian Lord, Chris Heaslip; Dan Kelly, Stephen Heaslip, Peadar Burke. Subs: Jordan Deans for J Murray, Darragh Doyle for A Barrett, Lee Furlong for D Kelly, Sean O’Brien for B Lord.

Declan Peppard (Hol-

lywood)