Kilcummin are back on the brink

COUNTY SFC RELEGATION PLAY-OFF

DINGLE showed ruthless efficiency in dismantling the Kilcummin challenge in the sun last Sunday.

If someone said that Dingle would score two goals and 16 points in a game, but Paul Geaney wouldn’t score a single point from play it would be hardly believable, however, that is exactly how it panned out last Sunday.

The Dingle talisman, nevertheless, did have a huge impact on the game and outcome in every other sense and linked up very well with his forwards in a play-maker type role.

Kevin McCarthy’s black card in the eighth minute of the second half was a massive blow for Kilcummin.

Already down by six points at this stage, Kilcummin appeared to lose their discipline after this and also lost Shane McSweeney and Philip Casey to red cards (two yellows) late on in the game.

It was a pity that the game did finish this way really, as both sides had played the contest in the right spirit for the most part and some of the score taking was right out of the top drawer.

In fact the aforementioned Casey kicked some excellent points with his left leg and had a very industrious outing. On the Dingle side Conor Geaney showed equal accuracy and he was a constant menace to the Kilcummin rearguard all through.

The opening 15 minutes of the game produced some excellent football, helped by two sides that were content with playing fast paced attacking football. The sides were level at 0-4 apiece after 15 minutes.

Conor Geaney with two (one free), a Paul Geaney free and Tom Sheehy from play contributed for Dingle, while a rampant Philip Casey with three points and Kevin McCarthy with a pointed free, kept Kilcummin ticking over.

The game changed after Casey’s equaliser when Matthew Flaherty pounced on poor play in the Kilcummin defence to turn over the ball tuck it snugly into the back of Brendan Kealy’s net.

The livewire Tom Sheehy pointed straight afterwards to push Dingle four ahead before Kevin McCarthy repelled the onslaught some what with a pointed 20 m free kick. Barry O’Sullivan, who was growing into the game for Dingle and Chris O’Leary for Kilcummin swapped points once more before Mikey Geaney put over a monster free kick from about 50 metres out for Dingle. A further option for Eamonn Fitzmaurice in the free taking department perhaps?

Kevin McCarthy was starting to get on some good ball for Kilcummin, but it was Dingle’s Paul Geaney who finished the first half strongly with a pointed free, after a foul on Matthew Flaherty, to leave them five points ahead, 1-8 to 0-6, at the break.

The slight breeze that Kilcummin played with in the first half now grew much stronger in the second and Dingle put over two early scores from Conor Geaney, one from a free and the other from his perceived weaker right boot.

Things then began to unravel for Kilcummin. First there was McCarthy’s black card and soon afterwards came the games major talking point. Dingle centre half back Patrick O’Connor went on a superb slicing solo run through the Kilcummin rearguard and after being hauled to the ground inside the parallelogram by a Kilcummin defender referee Sean Joy was left with no choice but to award a penalty.

Kealy saved Paul Geaney’s badly struck penalty quite easily but to the disgust of the Kilcummin players and management referee Joy ordered the kick to be retaken after he deemed a Kilcummin player to have ran in too early.

Geaney made no mistake the second time round and gave Kealy no chance hitting high and accurate to the back of the net on his left side. Dingle were full of running and now led by 2-10 to 0-7.

A Mikey Geaney ‘45 and Tom Sheehy with his third point from play further pushed them 11 points ahead. In fairness to Kilcummin they responded with points from Mikey O’Shea and Noel Duggan but Dingle put over three on the bounce from Aidan O’Connor, another Conor Geaney free and Barry O’Sullivan.

Things then went from bad to worse for Kilcummin with the two sendings off and Mikey Geaney finished off proceedings in added time with another monster ‘45.

Dingle will be delighted with their performance and can go into the first round Senior Championship game against Kenmare District next weekend safe in the knowledge that their senior status is safe.

A relegation play-off against Kerins O’Rahilly’s awaits Kilcummin, unless either side qualifies for the County Championship final later in the year.