Kilrush in major bother
REALT NA Mara condemned their Gorey District adversaries, Kilrush, to the dreaded relegation final when a last-gasp point from impact sub Tom Sinnott secured a hard-earned 1-8 to 1-7 win in Saturday’s do-or-die Joyces Expert Intermediate ‘A’ football championship Group A tie at a sunny Monamolin.
The seasiders entered the fray point-less from their four previous outings, and with an inferior score difference to Kilrush, so a serious question mark hung over their chances of retaining their third-tier status.
And those doubts remained at half-time when Kilrush, wearing their changed predominantly white strip, forged a 1-3 to 0-3 lead at the interval.
Réalt na Mara (resplendent in sky blue) tore out of the blocks on the re-start, as the experienced Pat Naughter converted a free on 31 minutes, and when Jimmy Murphy played a one-two with Eddie Redmond in the next attack, Murphy’s shot flew in off the back stanchion to give them a precious 1-4 to 1-3 lead.
Conor Levingstone (free) restored parity for Kilrush after 39 minutes before Naughter planted a ‘45 to nudge Réalt na Mara back in front.
Scores had pteviously been a rare commodity in a keenly-fought game, but it did open up in the final quarter as substitute Brian Hayden shaped over a brilliant equalisier for Kilrush, and another replacement, James Byrne, pointed them ahead.
And it remained tense as Naughter (two, one free) swapped scores with Tommy Devereux, who had earlier been re-located out the field in a switch with Billy Nolan, before Sinnott proved the match-winner as he chipped over just as the game entered injury-time.
There was still time for Nolan to depart with a head wound in a fiesty finish, while Naughter was off-cue from a free from the last attack of the game as Réalt na Mara clung on as if their life depended on it.
Earlier, Levingstone and Edmund Kenny were the chief tormentors for Kilrush, with the former goaling through a sea of bodies and the latter scoring a brace to build that interval cushion referred to previously.
Réalt na Mara: Kiran Gigi; Eddie Redmond, Stephen Redmond, Aidan Murphy; David Doran, Colm Kennelly, John Doyle; Brian O’Connor, Seamus Doyle; Johnny Sinnott, James Kavanagh, Jimmy Murphy (1-0); Colm Cosgrave, Shane Quinn (0-1), Pat Naughter (0-6, 3 frees, 1 ‘45). Subs. - Adam Fleming for Cosgrave (HT), Brendan Corcoran for Sinnott (43), Tom Sinnott (0-1) for Quinn (56).
Kilrush: Tommy Devereux (0-1); Tom Byrne, Frank Lancaster, John Kavanagh; Peter O’Neill, James Lancaster (capt.), Seán Bookey (0-1); Shane Tomkins, Colm Buttle; Garry Doran, Michael Murphy, Podge Byrne; Conor Levingstone (1-1, 0-1 free), Edmond Kenny (0-2), Billy Nolan. Subs. - Brian Hayden (0-1) for Murphy (39), James Byrne (0-1) for Levingstone, inj. (45), Fionn Fortune for Nolan, inj. (60+5).
Referee: Joe Kelly (Naomh Eanna).