Kilcoole get a reprieve after Eire Og win derby

EIRE OG G’STONES KILCOOLE 2-12 1-12

THIS was a local derby where it was presumed the winner would advance to the knockout stages of the Arklow Bay Hotel Junior C Championship and the loser would be eliminated.

However, thanks to Barndarrig’s shock victory over Blessington, Kilcoole gained an unlikely reprieve after a narrow defeat to their bitter rivals.

Both teams started tentatively with free-flowing football in short supply.

Kilcoole’s Jay Walsh pointed an early free, however Luke Bradley replied with his own dead ball before immediately capitalising on a poor kickout to give his team an early ad- vantage.

It was cancelled out shortly after by Jordan Murray showing his prowess from frees with an excellent strike from 35 yards out on the right wing with his left boot.

Ten scoreless minutes followed as both teams tried to assert themselves physically on proceedings before Walsh landed a beauty from 40 yards for the Goosebankers first from play.

Murray added another free from all of 55 yards to stretch their advantage.

However, the Greystones men hit a purple patch as they hit five unanswered points in the next seven minutes.

Bradley struck his third of the game, full-forward Kenny Naughton got on the end of a flowing move, Willie O’Hagan struck a trademark 13-yard free, Kurt Stark clipped another and when Bradley drilled his fourth of the evening it looked like the Éire Óg men could pull away.

However, as the heavens opened, Kilcoole responded. The old warhorse Gary Coady stemmed the blue tide with a morale boosting score and that man Murray struck another from an acute angle to leave the minimum between the sides.

Centre back O’Hagan, showing tremendous leadership, helped Éire Óg close the half stronger. He pointed a free from distance and supplied the final passes to John Coveney and Eoin O’Neill to close the first half scoring.

With a half-time rollicking from managers Bernard Collier and Trevor Tighe ringing in their ears, Kilcoole came out all guns blazing and took the game to Éire Óg.

With Murray giving an exhibition of place kicking into the elements they scored four of the first six points of the half before the match turned one way and violently the other in the space of 90 seconds midway through the half.

Jay Walsh was pulled from his full-forward position further out the field to accommodate Paddy Woods on the edge of the square.

The tactic paid dividends with Walsh gliding a ball into the Greystones danger zone where Woods beat all to get the faintest of touches to flick to the net to give the Goosebankers a narrow lead.

However, Éire Óg’s response was emphatic, they went straight up the field and as the ball was worked to Gary Elliott the centre forward with a simple point at hand decided to unleash a rasping shot that Luke Doyle in the Kilcoole goal could only get a hand to but not keep out.

From Greystones’ next attack John Coveney looked to clip a point but his weak effort was dropping under the bar, Doyle did magnificently to claw it out, however Elliott, with a look of guilt, was on hand to finish to the gaping goal.

It was the killer blow that Kilcoole could not recover from. Philip Brien and another Walsh free narrowed the gap but the goal they needed never came. Murray had a last ditch free repelled by what looked like half the population of Greystones on the goal line.

The final whistle sounded and Kilcoole thought their season was over until they heard the surprise news from Barndarrig.

A full-blooded affair, Kilcoole had good performers in Murray, whose free taking skills were a joy to watch, and Jay Walsh, who was his influential self.

For the victors, Luke Bradley and Gary Elliott caught the eye, with Elliott in particular being a constant thorn in the Kilcoole defence.

Éire Óg advance to face Annacurra in the quarter-finals, a match they will fancy their chances in, while Kilcoole, after their reprieve, will face Valleymount.

Scorers - Éire Óg: Gary Elliott 2-1, Luke Bradley 0-4, Willie O’Hagan 0-2, Eoin O’Neill 0-1, Kurt Stark 0-1, John Coveney 0-1, Kenny Naughton 0-1, Brian O’Sullivan 0-1.

Kilcoole: Jordan Murray 0-6, Jay Walsh 0-4, Paddy Woods 1-0, Philip Brien 0-1, Gary Coady 0-1.