We won’t be Kerless next time
Crossmaglen (Arm) 0-12 Coalisland (Tyr) 0-10
AARON KERNAN insisted Crossmaglen’s bruising Ulster club win over Coalisland is “a reality check” for the young team.
Having cruised through Armagh, they came back to earth with a bang in the Athletic Grounds on Saturday as both teams finished with 13 men.
O’neill brothers Oisin and Rian scored six points from play between them in the last quarter to get them over the line and Kernan admitted: “It was dire, the only positive is we won.
“Their (young players) ability is not in doubt but maybe the type of football we got to play in Armagh got in their heads a wee bit.
“Maybe they thought this was going to be freeflowing, that we could do as we pleased, but this was a reality check – we now know that’s not the case.
“We have loads that will ground us over the next two weeks before the next game.”
Cross led 0-6 to 0-5 at the break with Coalisland down to 13 following dismissals for Brian Toner (two yellows) and Eoghan Hampsey (straight red).
Cross lost Callum Cumiskey and Johnny Hanratty for two yellow card offences after the break of a fiery contest.
Coalisland boss Damian O’hagan said: “Cross were the better team at the finish up, I admired their football in the last 20 minutes. We’ll go home to think sorely of the scores we missed.”
SCORERS - CROSSMAGLEN: R O’neill (0-7, 2f, one ‘45’), O O’neill (0-2); J Mckeever (0-1), M Mcnamee (0-1), S Morris (0-1).
COALISLAND: P Mcniece (0-8,
8f), S Mcnally (0-1), B Leonard (0-1)