Clongeen in control

Sparks fly as Kilmore make their exit

CLONGEEN KILMORE 1-12 0-10

WHEN THE merits of a good start are dissected, Clongeen will look back to an opening period when they laid the foundations for an eventual five-point victory over Kilmore in this Joyces Expoert Intermediate ‘A’ football championship quarter-final in Taghmon on Sunday.

It was through the opening 30 minutes that Clongeen showed their experience, with veteran Collie Byrne orchestrating the game from midfield, while Paul Curtis was proving a constant threat up front.

Such was their control of this opening period that they could have added at least two more goals, when only the excellent netminding of Shane Cassidy denied them.

Kilmore will look back differently on that first-half, a period when they struggled to bring any pattern to their game, as they struggled in most sectors.

While they showed huge improvement on the resumption, they had left themselves too much to do and really never looked like fashioning a victory.

The game turned ugly on a couple of occasions through the second period, particularly close to the finish, when a free for all involving more than 20 players broke out in two separate groups, leaving referee Brendan Holohan with an almost impossible task without neutral linesmen.

Apparently, the G.A.A. do not appoint neutral linesmen for Junior and Intermediate ‘A’ games, a decision that will eventually come back to haunt them.

The referee did issue a straight red card to Paddy Byrne of Kilmore, and a black card to Clon- geen’s Enda Murphy, with a number of other players lucky to escape punishment.

Clongeen always controlled the opening period, leading by 1-2 to 0-1 after twelve minutes, with Robert Farrell getting the goal after an inter-change of passes with Paul Curtis.

Kilmore were struggling for possession and scores, with Tom Byrne, Paddy Byrne and Daithí Moore points keeping them in the game, but Clongeen led by 1-7 to 0-5 at the interval, with Paudie Cahill, Robert Farrell and Paul Curtis all kicking over points.

Kilmore opened the second-half with a Moore pointed free, but Paul Curtis responded with two excellent points, while Leon Stafford added one in between, to move Clongeen into a 1-10 to 0-6 lead.

Three unanswered points from Tommy Cousins and Daithí Moore (two frees) brought Kilmore back into contention, trailing by 1-10 to 0-9 with 15 minutes remaining, but they could only manage a further point through Conor Moore, while Curtis kicked over two huge longrange points to secure his side’s semi-final passage.

Clongeen: Stephen Bennett; Stephen Curtis, Shane Kilkenny, James Keating; Paudie Cahill (0-1), Páraic Curtis, Richard Rochford; Collie Byrne, Robert Farrell (1-1); Leon Stafford (01), Shane Cahill, Ger Foxe; Jim Bennett (0-3 frees). Paul Curtis (0-5), Adam O’Sullivan (0-1). Subs. - Jamesie Rochford for O’Sullivan, Paul Casey for Páraic Curtis, Enda Murphy for Bynre, Byrne for Murphy (black card).

Kilmore: Shane Cassidy; Páraic Reville, Stevie Cousins, Tommy Cousins (0-1); Conor Moore (0-1), Denis Kenny, Aaron Kielthy; Paddy Byrne (0-1), Tom White; Daithí Moore (0-5, 4 frees), Tom Byrne (0-1), Shane Goff (0-1); Aaron Goff, Noel Casey, Criostóir Reville. Subs. - Robert Cousins for S. Cousins; Kevin Keating for A. Goff (black card), Philip Sutton for Casey.

Referee: Brendan Holohan (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown).