Kilanerin crush Vols as Hughes and Forde shine

KILANERIN’S SECOND string were fully merited victors when claiming their first win of the campaign with a comprehensive 1-12 to 0-5 victory over a Volunteers side which never got going in Saturday’s Joyce Expert Intermediate ‘A’ football championship tussle at a showery Monamolin.

A neutral observer with no prior knowledge of the form lines would have been forgiven in assuming that Kilanerin were the Group B pace-setters here, and this was certainly no fluke.

The energy of Paudie Hughes and particularly Seán Forde added an extra dimension to the Gorey District club, and they were by far the more cohesive unit as Volunteers failed to score in the first-half.

The swirling wind and rain contributed to an uneventful opening, with the first score not arriving until the ninth minute through Lee Owley.

Peter Hughes doubled their tally with a neat point on the turn, while two identical scores from Paudie Hughes from breaks under the kick-out made it 0-4 to nil by the 18th minute.

Their seventh wide was chalked up when Forde made the incision and fed Stephen Neville to miss the target, but they fared better on 23 minutes.

Forde was once again the catalyst, carrying the ball from his own half before supplying Owley, whose cross located Peter Hughes to sidestep past the ‘keeper and roll the ball to the net for a 1-7 to nil interval advantage.

Wexford footballer David Shannon broke Volunteers’ duck with a point 50 seconds into the new half, and he carried the sole threat throughout, eventually finishing with 0-5 (one free) to his name.

Meanwhile, Kilanerin closed out the game in a professional manner, with Forde again making the hard yards before assisting Peter Hughes, and getting on the scoresheet himself when finishing a move that was started by a Patrick Fortune turnover in the build-up.

Forde (free), Owley and Ben O’Connor tagged on insurance scores to ensure Kilanerin registered their first win of the campaign.

Kilanerin: Eoin Lucey; Colm Noctor, Brian Hughes, Edward Hughes; David Byrne, Ben O’Connor (0-1), Stephen Neville; Seán Forde (0-2, 1 free), Niall Gethings; Paudie Hughes (0-2), Patrick Fortune (0-1), Gearóid O Súilleabháin (0-1); Jim Hughes, Peter Hughes (1-2), Lee Owley (0-3). Subs. - Stephen Mordaunt for J. Hughes (31), Luke Devitt for Peter Hughes (54), Seán Bardon for Paudie Hughes (56), Damien Tobin for E. Hughes (58), Danny Howard for Noctor (58).

Volunteers: John Coady; Brian Sheridan, Keith Furlong, Paudge Brennan; Stephen Burke, Jason Kearns, Cian Brennan; Danny O’Sullivan, Eoin McCarthy; Luke Dowdall, Donal O’Connor, Dylan Carty; Geoff Scally, David Shannon (0-5, 1 free), Jack O’Leary. Sub. - Neil Furlong for Carty (46).

Referee: Shane Quinn (Réalt na Mara).