Valleymount victorious
VALLEYMOUNT came out victorious, just about, in this humdinger of a battle with a storming late finish in Roundwood on Friday evening last.
Luke Evans pointed in the first minute to open the scoring for Kilcoole. Stephen Byrne got the Reds up and running with a point and moments later Byrne pumped a high ball into the danger zone where Declan Cahill fisted it past the goalkeeper but the ball crashed back out off the crossbar where the ever-alert Jamie Miley stuck it over for a point and the lead with nine minutes played.
Kilcoole’s Vinny Quigley and Ronan Keddy started to be very influential in the midfield area and sprayed the ball well into their forward line where Eoin Keddy kicked two good points.
A number of frees were overturned into throw balls or moved forward by the referee for dissent against both teams. Dan Kavanagh planted a 45 over the black spot to double the lead for Kilcoole with 19 minutes played.
Valleymount had chances aplenty but kicked them wide as they went 12 minutes without scoring before Brian Miley pointed a free in the 22nd minute, that also was moved in for dissent.
Kilcoole had a number of wides during this half also. A Declan Roper point and a well taken free by Dan Kavanagh put Kilcoole three points up on 30 minute mark.
Valleymount kicked two more wides before Declan Cahill pointed in the second and final minute of added time to leave the half-time score Kilcoole 0-6 to Valleymount’s 0-4.
Valleymount manager Tony McGinley made a couple of positional changes for the start of the second period and it worked straight away as Jack Slattery and Stephen Byrne each pointed to level the game with five minutes gone.
Kilcoole introduced a couple of subs and were rewarded with a free from an almighty catch by Dan Kavanagh who was fouled just after. Kavanagh pointed the free to restore the lead for Kilcoole after eight minutes.
Jack Slattery kicked a great score to level matters yet again. Stephen Byrne sent a long ball into the square where the goalie spilled it and Declan Cahill raced in to finish it to the net for Valleymount.
Both defenses broke down a lot of attacks as they cancelled out each other forwards Jamie Miley was defending like a lion and had a massive shoulder hit on a Kilcoole player as he was goalbound.
In the 53rd minute Stephen Byrne kicked the point of the match from 35 metres out on the sideline. Kilcoole hadn’t scored for nearly 20 minutes before Vinny Quigley unleashed a thunderbolt from 30 metres out to rip the back of the Valleymount net and leave one point in it with 58 minutes gone. Game On, into the melting pot.
A Dan Kavanagh shot came back cruelly off the upright as it looked like a levelling score. Jamie Miley cleared the ball and Stephen Byrne added a point with 61 minutes played to put the Reds two points up. Kilcoole had one more attack but the Gods were somehow looking down on Paul Miley as he had three goal attempts cleared off his line and Valleymount broke up the field where Glen Cullen pointed to bring an end to a pulsating match.
VALLEYMOUNT: Paul Miley, Marcus DeCoogan, Steven Cahill, Eamon Mahon, Derek Reid, Brian Flynn, Jamie Miley (0-1), Jack Slattery (0-2), James Fitzpatrick , Shane Hughes, Stephen Byrne (0-4), Brian Miley (0-1), Glen Cullen (0-1), Michael Richardson, Declan Cahill (1-1). Sub: Jacob McCauley.
KILCOOLE: Phil Brien, Charlie Maguire, Barry McCaul, Conor Toole, Dara Keddy, Nan Keddy, Kevin Condon, Vincent Quigley (1-0), Thomas O’Brien, Keith Reynolds, Dan Kavanagh (0-3), Bradley Delaney, Declan Roper (0-1), Eoin Keddy (0-2), Luke Evans (0-1). Subs: Kris Farrell, Luke O’Reilly.
REFEREE: Eddie Leonard (St. Patrick’s).