West men put Coolboy out
Kilbride/Lacken progress
KILBRIDE/LACKEN COOLBOY 1-9 1-7
KILBRIDE/LACKEN progressed forward into the Boom Platform Hire Junior A Football Championship quarter-finals after a tight affair in Donard last Wednesday evening.
The lakesiders couldn’t have asked for a better start, with Owen Keogh pointing in the third minute.
Moments later, David Balfe put Owen Keogh in for an early goal for the west side.
The lakesiders were in for another major, but Damien O’Keeffe acrobatically saved and cleared the danger. Owen Keogh pointed a free after Mick Byrne was fouled in the next attack.
Coolboy suffered a double blow when first’ goalie Damien Keeffe went off injured and he was soon followed by PJ O Keeffe who picked up a black card.
Wayne Kinsella pointed a free to get Coolboy of the mark to close out the opening quarter, with the score reading 1-3 to 0-1. Keith Byrne’s side slowly settled into the game. It started with a move from Niall O’Keeffe who played the ball down the right to PJ Mulhall whose shot raised a white flag.
Johnny Willoughby added another point to get Coolboy right back in contention. Another beast of a point from the 45m line by Wayne Kinsella left the minimum between the sides.
A Michael Gregan effort dropped short and was cleared up the field where Sean Murphy landed the lakesiders third point of the game. Stephen Carter thought he was in for a point but was called back for a pick up by the match official.
PJ Mulhall tapped over a point for Coolboy going into the closing period of the first half.
Kilbride\Lacken suffered a huge blow when Sean Murphy picked up a brace of yellow cards within 30 seconds of each other just before the half-time whistle sounded with the score reading 1-3 to 0-5.
Coolboy couldn’t have asked for a better start to the third quarter, in just as enthralling a manner as the first for the west side, Wayne Kinsella dropped the size 5 into Anthony Holly, who dispatched the ball to the net to put Coolboy to the fore for the first time in the match.
The lakesiders responded with Matt Cripps pointing, followed by young Kevin McLoughlin levelling matters shortly after.
Jonathan Smyth and Bradley Walsh were influential for Coolboy, with sharpshooter Wayne Kinsella restoring the lead from another dead ball in this see-saw encounter.
Tom McKeon, who had engineered space for himself, slotted over and levelled proceedings once again.
The pendulum swung back again to Coolboy when Kevin O’Keeffe pointed after great work by Bradley Walsh for the lead, as the 14-man team came under pressure with 55 on the clock in this feisty encounter.
Again, Tom McKeon came to the rescue with a trademark point, again to level matters. Full-forward’Kevin Mcloughlin put the lakesiders in front with a sweet point.
A Niall O’Keeffe shot came back of the upright as the Coolboy supporters cursed their luck, and the west side broke up the field where Finn Craul was fouled, and Owen Keogh closed out this highly entertaining encounter with a point from the free.
Scorers - Kilbride\Lacken: Owen Keogh 1-03, Tom McKeown 0-2, Kevin McLoughlin 0-2, Sean Murphy 0-1, Matt Cripps 0-1.
Coolboy: Anthony Holly 1-0, Wayne Kinsella 0-3, PJ Mulhall 0-2, Johnny Willoughby 0-1, Kevin O’Keeffe 0-1.
Conor O’Toole; Keith Mordaunt, Diarmuid Haughian, Larry O’Connor; Naill Keogh, Mat Cripps, Martin O’Donoghoe; Finn Craul, Thomas McKeon; Owen Keogh, Timmy Broe, Mick Byrne; Sean Murphy, Kevin McLoughlin, David Balfe.
Damien O’Keeffe; Enda Gethings, Daniel Nolan, James Gregan; Garett Gregan, Aaron Kinsella, Jonathan Smyth; Wayne Kinsella, PJ O’Keeffe; Niall O’Keeffe, PJ Mulhall, Bradley Walsh; Michael Gregan, Stephen Carter, Johnny Willoughby. Subs: Anthony Holly, Adam Doyle, David Tighe, Kevin O’Keeffe.
John Whyte (Donard-The Glen)