Annascaul promotion push still on track with victory over Keel

Keel 1-11 Annascaul 2-11

KEEL’S chances of winning promotion from Division 3 were ruined on Sunday by Annascaul, and the mid-Kerry outfit will be left to ponder a lull prior to half-time that spoiled the excellent work they’d done in the opening quarter.

Both sides confronted each other at Ross Field in the knowledge that the two points tempting them would keep them near the league’s summit, and Keel made a fine start as they collected the first five points of the game, three of which were taken by Gary Sayers.

Conversely, Annascaul found it hard to hit the correct tuning. A number of frees for the Blue Army went astray early on, but an impressive blitz by the west Kerry side in advance of the break revamped the game’s appearance.

Points from James Crean and Shane Foley complemented three by Jason Hickson to leave the score line at 0-5 apiece at half-time.

Crean nudged Annascaul ahead for the first time after the interval with his second point, but a goal by Keel’s Aaron Murphy put an emphatic end to his team’s anxious wait for their long overdue sixth score.

Keel cornerback David McAssey restored their advantage to a goal’s worth with his first point of the game, but this match was destined to veer wildly for the remainder of its course.

Annascaul mopped up the damage caused by Murphy’s goal with three straight points from James Crean, Niall McKenna and Genie Farrell, but Keel regained their composure, and two further points by Thomas Ladden and Martin Burke had them in command again at 1-8 to 0-9.

A goal by substitute Alan Falvey electri- fied Annascaul once more however, and though Keel regathered their lead quickly with thanks to two more points by Barth Murphy and Aaron Murphy, an Eamonn Hickson goal at the end of a darting counter attack by the blue army finally pinned the game down. Points from Crean and Falvey secured the hugely important win for Annascaul, with a late Keel point by Ladden proving incidental.

The victory keeps a move to Division Two on the cards for Annascaul, as they now to within one point of league leaders Currow, and ahead of Saint Patrick’s Blenerville on points difference. KEEL: Stephen Cahillane, David McAssey (0-1), Emmet Ashe, James Foley, Colm O’Neill (0-1), Donal O’ Neill, Aaron Cahillane, James Nagle, Gary Nagle, Martin Burke (0-1), Gary Sayers (0-3 2f), Eoin O’Neill, Barth Murphy (0-1), Aaron Murphy (1-2, 2f), Luke Flynn Subs: Thomas Ladden (0-2) ANNASCAUL: Tommy Pierce, Ger Farelly, Eoin Curry, Gearoid O’Shea, Fintan Herlihy, Andrew Finn, David Clifford, Niall McKenna (0-1), Emmet Kennedy, Eamonn Hickson (1-0), Jason Hickson (0-3 2f), Shane Foley (0-1), Genie Farrell (0-1), James Crean (0-4 2f), Ger Lenihan Subs: Alan Falvey (1-1), John Bowler REFEREE: Paul O’Sullivan (Dromid)