Travers grabs the vital goal
NAOMH EANNA KILMORE 1-9 0-9
NAOMH EANNA edged past Kilmore to seal their place in the final of the Joyces Expert Intermediate ‘A’ football Championship on Friday.
In a nervy encounter, where neither side played their best football, Peter ‘Pedro’ Travers’ firsthalf major proved the difference between them in Bree.
Gorey arguably had the better of it in the opening ten minutes but found themselves 2-1 down after a number of early wides.
David O’Brien had put them ahead in the first minute but two quick-fire minors from Daithí Moore and Tommy Cousins turned the advantage towards Kilmore.
It was then that Travers struck the game’s only goal.
The pacey centre-forward slid through the Kilmore back line before looping a shot over Shane Cassidy and into the top right corner.
Aaron Kielty immediately got Kilmore back on track before four unanswered Gorey points opened up a lead which their opponents would never overturn.
O’Brien got three of these with Brendan Travers on target for the other.
Cousins got his second in injury time from a tight angle to leave four points between the sides at the break (1-5 to 0-4).
Early Kevin Harrington and Denis Kenny points cancelled each other out before another O’Brien dead ball made it a fivepoint game.
Kilmore ended an eleven-minute hiatus of scoring with point three quick white flags to bring themselves within touching distance. Noel Casey, Aaron Goff and Moore were all on target to close the gap to two.
The side in black and green needed the next score to maintain their momentum, so Conor Hughes’ 50th-minute point for Gorey may then have proved the second most important score of the game, behind Travers goal.
Kenny’s second reduced the deficit before Kilmore very nearly snatched it at the death. John Mernagh found Martin Frayne whose shot beat the Gorey ‘keeper but was saved by Daniel Sunderland on the line.
O’Brien knocked over another free shortly after as Naomh Eanna booked their place against Crossabeg-Ballymurn in the Intermediate ‘A’ football championship final.
Naomh Eanna: Kenneth Byrne; Joseph O’Connor, Daniel Sunderland, Seamus O’Donnell; Aodhán Doyle, Pádraig Doyle, Conor Hughes (0-1); Brendan Travers (0-1), John O’Brien; Jack Cushe, Peter Travers (capt., 1-0), Kevin Harrington (0-1); Gearóid Cullen, David O’Brien (0-6, 5 frees), Seán Doyle. Subs. - William Cullen for O’Connor (35), Darragh Hughes for Cushe (56).
Kilmore: Shane Cassidy; Alan Jones, Stevie Cousins, Martin Frayne (capt.); Aaron Kielty (0-1), Shane Cousins, Tommy Cousins (0-2); Noel Casey (0-1), Tom Byrne; Eoin Cooney, Daithí Moore (0-2 frees), Denis Kenny (0-2); Aaron Goff (0-1), John Mernagh, Paddy Byrne. Subs. - Willie Carley for Cooney (55), Shane Goff for A. Goff (58).
Referee: Pat Kehoe (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown).