Cullen dent Knocknagree’s title hopes

by Knocknagree in both halves.

Without four of a starting side that bettered Lyre in a replay to land the 2015 honours for the first time in 24 years, a gutsy Knocknagree comeback proved in vain. Crucially, Knocknagree’s inability to rise to the impressive tempo set by Cullen left the champions facing a battle they could never quite overcome yet expect Knocknagree to regroup in the backdoor.

Cullen had started encouragingly by way of points to Gerry O’Connor, Pat O’Sullivan and Tomás O’Keeffe. Indeed Cullen showed the superior hunger, handling and workrate.

Defensively, Pat O’Sullivan and Mike Fleming could scarcely put a foot wrong, midfielders Seán Fleming and Pat O’Sullivan adapted well with the outstanding Alan Regan bringing menace to the opposing rearguard. The one way traffic continued, Regan and O’Keeffe adding points, Cullen ahead 0-6 to 0-0 at the close of the opening quarter.

Asked serious questions of their calibre, Knocknagree waited to the 16th minute to open their account, goalkeeper Pa Doyle converting a ‘45’. Still Cullen held their own, Regan and O’Keeffe again obliging only for Knocknagree to reply with a late spurt, Eoghan McSweeney and John Fintan Daly points narrowing the arrears 0-8 to 0-4 at the interval.

Another McSweeney flag offered Knocknagree encouragement on the restart. Cullen holding a facility to respond and with the Knocknagree defence prone to fouling, O’Keeffe and O’Connor split the uprights for Cullen hold a double score margin.

However Knocknagree reacted and raised their level of performance in all sectors through the input of Jerry Carroll, Donough Moynihan, Danny Cooper and Daly. Well struck points to McSweeney and Moynihan ate into the deficit.

Cullen were on the back-foot, a pointed free to O’Keeffe, their lone addition to the scoreboard during the closing quarter. Pouring forward in numbers to rescue the situation, Knocknagree halved the deficit from points to McSweeney and Daly.

However time wasn’t on Knocknagree’s side and Cullen held out to land a deserved victory.