The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Castle get the job done against Scart
COUNTY JFC GROUP 1 ROUND 1 Castlegregory 2-11 Scartaglin 1-12
CASTLEGREGORY secured their second victory of the Junior Championship when they had two points to spare over a spirited Scartaglin outfit in Lewis Road Killarney last Saturday evening.
The West Kerry side were the better team for a large portion of the match and never looked in danger of losing, but team manager Eoin Kelliher will be concerned with his sides failure to score between the 42nd and 60th minute of the game as Scartaglin dominated and put away a goal and five points in the process.
The heavy pre match rain made for a slippery ball, but with little or no wind the spectators were treated to some good bouts of fast open football.
Castlegregory started the game with all guns blazing and had the ball in the Scartaglin net after a mere 40 seconds when Jimmy O’Grady passed in to full-forward Colin O’Mahony who finished expertly to the net.
The deep lying Brandon Hoare was picking up a lot of loose ball around the middle of the field, and Castlegregory added three more points on the bounce from the rampant O’Mahony , a long range effort from Alan Fitzgerald and a pointed free from Anton Kelliher to take a 1-3 to no score lead with just five minutes gone.
Scartaglin needed a reply and with Daniel Murphy and Eddie Horan coming more into the game they slotted over three points of their own from a Shay Walsh free kick, an excellent Pa Rahilly effort and Eddie Horan with a free of his own. The sides then traded a brace of points each as the game ebbed and flowed, with Alan Fitzgerald’s effort from 40 metres on the run being the pick of the bunch.
Colm O’Mahony was continuing to cause consternation in the Scartaglin defence and Castlegregory centre half back Timmy Moriarty put over a superb solo effort after a strong run through the middle to push them 1-6 to 0 ahead with 24 minutes gone on the clock.
The sides traded points once more before the stylish Jimmy O’Grady scored a sublime effort from 50 metres out which Scartaglin net-minder David Kerins did well to tip over the bar. The half time whistle sounded soon after and Castlegregory took a healthy 1-8 to 0-6 lead in at the half-time break.
Both sides rang the changes at the start of the second half but Castlegregory were once again the first off the mark with an Anton Kelliher point after a good lead up involving Joe O’Connor and Jack Nix
. Scartaglin needed a reply, and it came from a decent effort from the increasingly prominent Eddie Horan. Castlegregory, however, appeared to hold all the aces, especially in attack which was operating with much more fluidity that their opponents.
In the 36th minute a lightening attack saw Colm O’Mahony transfer the ball to Brandon Hoare and as his shot for goal was leg blocked by a Scartaglin defender for a penalty. Alan Fitzgerald stepped up and crashed the penalty off the back stanchion of David Kerins goal for an unstoppable finish.
From the kick-out Jimmy O’Grady slotted over another point and two minutes later it was Fitzgerald’s turn to point as Castlegregory began to twist the knife.
Scartaglin now trailed by nine points (2-11 to 0-7) with 42 minutes gone and looke d dead and buried. Castlegregory, content that their job was done, seemed to take their foot off the pedal and Shay Walsh stroked over two free kicks for Scartaglin, after fouls on Brian Hanrahan and Daniel Murphy.
Suddenly, Scartaglin began to get a sense of belief in themselves
and after Eddie Horan slotted over a free kick, Kevin O’Dowd had to make a good save in the Castlegregory goal from Mike Coakley.
It was all Scartaglin now, but even when Mike Horan and Sean Horan scored two points on the bounce in the 28th and 29th minutes, to make it a five point game, there appeared to be very little chance of Castlegregory losing the contest.
There was one final act in Scartaglin and substitute Flor McCarthy hit the back of the net after being put through by Eddie Horan to bring it back to a two point game with time running out.
It was too little too late though, and as the final whistle sounded straight afterwards, Castlegregory emerged victorious, if only by the skin of their teeth.
CASTLEGREGORY: Kevin O’Dowd, Gavin O’Connor, Gearoid Fitzgerald, Colm Sills,Tomas O’Connor, Joe O’Connor, Timmy Moriarty (0-1),, Alan Fitzgerald(1-3, 1 goal pen),Adam O’Donnell, Sean O’Connor, Jimmy O’Grady (0-3, 1f), Brandon Hoare, Anton Kelliher (0-3, 2f), Colm O’Mahony (1-2), Keelan Dowling Subs: David Sheehan for G Fitzgerald, 34,William Goodwin for C Sills, 31, Michael Scanlon for K Dowling, 31, Jordan Quirke for A O’Donnell, 45, Tadhg Kerin for B Hoare, 54, Jack Nix for A Kelliher, 60
SCARTAGLIN: David Kerins, Padraig O’Connor, Brendan Rahilly, Aron Gallagher, Denis O’Mahony Jnr, Josh Kerin, Hugh O’Connor, Mike Coakley, Tom Forde, Shay Walsh (0-5f), Eddie Horan (0-3,2f), Daniel Murphy, Brian Hanrahan (0-1), Sean Horan (0-1), Pa Rahilly (0-1 Subs: Flor McCarthy (1-0) for A Gallagher, half-time, Alan Horan for H O’Connor, 31, Denis O’Mahony Snr for T Forde, 50, Ger O’Connor for J Kerin, 53 Black Card: Mike Horan (0-1) for P Rahilly, 48
REFEREE Mike Hennessy (Ballyduff)