Oylegate-Glenbrien in confident mood!
Floodgates open after tight first half
OYLEGATE/G’BRIEN KILRUSH 6-14 2-2
A POWERFUL second half display saw Oylegate-Glenbrien power away from Kilrush and into the New Ross Standard Under-14 Division 3 Football championship final at St Patrick’s Park on Thursday evening last.
There was nothing to choose between the sides at the interval. Oylegate, with their big midfield duo of Dara Casey and Ryan Cullen driving from deep, kicked some lovely points but Kilrush looked a goal danger every time they attacked.
The Ballyroebuck boys were underdogs coming into the tie against a pacy, strong opponent but they didn’t let them have it all their own way.
The inside forward line was dynamic and tricky when they got good possession but the two Sean’s, Kehoe and Kenny, as well as Pa Mahon, just didn’t see enough of the ball.
That was down to an Oylegate defence with serious quality. A lot of the probing came from the centre-back Adam Roche while Cameron Clarke was able to get forward too when Kilrush went more conservative.
Five different scorers were on the board for Oylegate as they moved 0-5 to 0-2 ahead. Casey, Sean Rowley, Andrew Fitzhenry, Conor Murphy and Conall Byrne were all on target to better overs from Mahon and Jake Moorhead at the other end.
However, Kilrush had a purple patch early in the second quarter. Sean Kenny fired home a rebound after Moorhead’s initial shot was superbly saved by Paul Burns, then, moments later Stephen Kenny made the break from deep for the second that was finished to the net by Sean Kehoe
A couple of Clarke minors helped the game back to level at the interval (2-2 to 0-8) but there was no such parity after the change of ends. Maybe if Kilrush had of got off to a better start it could have been different but a Mikie Doyle point was quickly followed by a Aaron Quigley goal and the floodgates soon opened.
After a string of points, Casey netted goal number two with a calm low finish before Conall Byrne hit home four minutes later. After a string of Kilrush subs, Murphy, Clarke and Ryan Cullen raised green flags in a three minute spell towards the end as Oylegate went into the final full of confidence.
OYLEGATE-GLENBRIEN: Paul Burns; Ned Maher, Cameron Clarke (1-3), Jack Hennessy; Richard Fortune, Adam Roche, Adam Nolan; Dara Casey (1-2), Ryan Cullen (1-1); Andrew Fitzhenry (0-2), Conor Murphy (1-1), Mikie Doyle (0-1); Conall Byrne (1-2), Aaron Quigley (1-0), Sean Rowley (02). Subs. - Jack Fortune for R. Fortune (25+1), Graham Curran for Nolan (39), Darragh Harris for Byrne (46), Cian Cullen for Maher (49), T.J. Frost for Rowley (50), also, Conor Somers.
KILRUSH: Danny Ascott; Ben O’Donoghue, Eamonn Corrigan, Dan O’Neill; David Kirwan, Tomás Kirwan, Charlie O’Sullivan; Brendan Clarke, Stephen Kenny; Colm Fortune, Jake Moorhead (0-1), Mike O’Sullivan; Sean Kenny (1-0), Sean Kehoe (1-0), Pa Mahon (0-1). Subs. - William Kenny for O’Neill (19), Conor O’Brien for Clarke (33), Brian Kirwan for C. O’Sullivan (41), John Joe Murphy for Stephen Kenny (43), Piaras Murphy for Sean Kenny (44), also, Adam O’Donoghue.
REFEREE: Aidan Foley (Shelmaliers).