Kilrush book spot in Gorey District final
KILRUSH 2-11 ST.
PATRICK’S 3-5
KILRUSH BOOKED their place in the Greenstar Gorey District Under-20 football Roinn 1 championship final with a hard-fought victory over St. Patrick’s in Ballyroebuck on Saturday.
The hosts were powerful in the middle third of the field but had a few nervy moments at the back against a tricky St. Patrick’s inside forward line.
The visitors scored three goals and had a couple more good chances, but Garrett O’Connor cleared one off the line and Conor Kehoe made a superb point-blank save to keep Kilrush in the ascendancy.
The hosts did a great job to get the game on with the pitch borderline unplayable, although they might have been wishing that it had been called off as the Camolin-based side made the brighter start.
Jack Nolan opened the scoring for Kilrush in the fourth minute, but points from Oisín Woolmington and Fergal Maguire came before Jack Quinn hit the net from Alan Murphy’s assist to make it 1-2 to 0-1 to the Pat’s.
However, the travelling side added just two Ciarán Murphy frees before the interval as Kilrush took over.
In truth, they were just ticking along with Nolan, Kevin Kenny, Tom Kinsella and Ciarán Kenny all on the scoresheet until they netted just before the interval.
The goal was the product of a superb piece of individual skill by Kevin Kenny as he stepped inside his marker soccer-style and crashed his shot from the deck past Dan Chisholm to make it 1-7 to 1-4 at the break.
It was all change within three minutes of the resumption when Fergal Maguire goaled to level the game.
Still, there was no sustained spell of pressure from St. Pat’s and Kilrush again took over, notching points through Darragh Kinsella and Seán Kirwan (three).
The home side looked in complete control when Tom Kinsella’s wickedly slicing shot found its way past Chisholm.
To their credit, St. Patrick’s battled to the end and scrambled in a late Daniel Rooney goal, but it was Kilrush who advanced to face the winners of Craanford and Réalt na Mara in the District decider.
The second semi-final is on next Saturday. Kilrush: Conor Kehoe; Pádraig O’Rourke, Garrett O’Connor, Páraic Hayden; Ciarán Kenny (0-1), Peter O’Neill, Ned O’Neill; Seán Bookey, John Kavanagh; Seán Kirwan (0-3, 1 free), James Byrne, Jack Nolan (0-4, 3 frees, 1 ’45); Tom Kinsella (1-1), Kevin Kenny (1-1), Darragh Kinsella (0-1). Subs. - Colm Hayes for Bookey (31), Ronan Dillon for P. O’Rourke (36), Martin Byrne for D. Kinsella (53).
St. Patrick’s: Dan Chisholm; Michael Doyle, Adam Goff, Adam Kavanagh; Brian Murphy, Ollie Gahan, Conor Morris; Glen Carton, Oisín Woolmington (0-1); Darragh Byrne, Ciarán Murphy (0-3 frees), Alan Murphy; Fergal Maguire (1-1), Jack Quinn (1-0), Micheál Rowsome. Subs. - Eoin Curran for Quinn (46), Daniel Rooney (1-0) for C. Murphy (52), Pádraig Doyle for Rowsome (56).
Referee: Paul Browne (Clonee).