Skellig shock favourites Listowel

PREMIER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP Skellig Rangers 0-12 Listowel Emmets 0-9

A LONG and unsuccessful trip down south for Listowel Emmets as they fell victim to a spirited Skellig Rangers performance on home turf as the Portmagee side followed up on their win over St Pats, Blennerville the previous week by dumping another competition fancy out of the championship.

The South Kerry side raced into an early three point lead through Diarmuid Keating, Michael O’Sullivan and Ronan O’Shea before David Sheehy got Listowel on the scoreboard after 10 minutes.

The hosts’ advantage was as much as four at one stage during the first period with the threat of Noel Kennelly averted from a high ball and a score coming down the other end but the visitors would be the side who led at the interval.

Cormac Mulvihill and Conor Cox made it a two point game with five minutes of the first period left before Skellig goalkeeper Padraig O’Sullivan had to make a big save from Sheehy approaching half-time as two further Listowel points gave them a 0-6 to 0-5 lead at half-time.

Diarmuid Keating drew the sides level again after the restart but the big turning point of the game came on the three-quarter mark with the dismissal of Brendan Guiney for a second yellow card as the hosts led by 0-9 to 0-7.

Another fine save from Padraig O’Sullivan after Mulvihill bore down on goal in the final 10 minutes was another big morale booster for Skellig as the rebound made its way down to Ronan O’Shea through a combination of both Stephen and Martin O’Sullivan for a long range score.

Mikey Keating then made it a four-point game in favour of the hosts once more although two frees from Cox kept the game on a knife edge until Gerard O’Sul- livan fed Brendan O’Sullivan with the ball for the insurance point in a three-point success for the hosts.

Skellig made a mockery of the two division difference between the two sides in the County League as they reach their first Club Championship semi-final since 2013 when they were at the penultimate stage of the Intermediate championship.

The defeat marks another big setback for Listowel after losing at the semi-final stage last year.

Photo by Stephen Kelleghan David Sheehy of Listowel Emmets with the ball while under pressure from Bernard Walsh of Skellig Rangers in the Junior Premier Club Championship game in Portmagee