Kilcoole look like real deal! Goosebank men reach final
at Ballinakill corner-back Thomas Bolger and after 12 minutes the game was tied at two points apiece with Dan Lacey grabbing Kilcoole’s second and Karl Timmons and Gerard Nolan notching up Coolkenno’s scores.
The sweet left boot of Jordan Murray pushed Kilcoole back in front close to the 20-minute mark but Cormac Byrne swung over a nice effort to level matters once again in what was a decent game of football in difficult conditions.
And then came a major moment in the game. A high Coolkenno ball was secured by Kilcoole in their own full-back line and out they came with the mighty Conor O’Neill. He found a colleague and the ball was worked to Gary Coady who drove on hard up the wing before providing a nice ball in front of full-forward Robbie Whelan who had moved out the field for the ball only to see it bounce over his head. On went the ball into the heart of the Coolkenno defence and there ready to pounce were Conor Scullion and Barry ‘Boom Boom’ Doyle. Both men approached the ball and seemed to have a momentary debate as to who might take the shot and eventually Scullion swung that powerful pendulum of a left boot and the ball flew home past Stephen Donoghue in the Coolkenno goal.
That’s how the first half ended and both sides retired for the break knowing that Kilcoole would have the wind in the second half.
But it was Coolkenno who started brightly and they reduced the lead to two points in the opening minute but that was as good as it got for the Carlow border side.
The very assured Ciaran Byrne slotted the first of his four points from a free after seven minutes and this was followed up by a wicked Gary Coady score but while Kilcoole were thriving up the field they were being driven on by a commanding performance at fullback by Conor O’Neill who came out with ball after ball in this game.
An outstanding Robbie Whelan point from a free saw the ball disappear into the black sky only to reappear as it dropped through the posts with the help of the gusting wind.
Coolkenno tried changing things up and rearranging their men but it was all Kilcoole in the second half as they really got to grips with things all over the field.
Patrick Woods popped over a lovely point, Byrne added another free, and then another, and then another before Jordan Murray got in on the act to conclude the Kilcoole scoring at 1-11.
A late Gerard Nolan effort for Coolkenno was the last act of the game and made the score 1-11 to 0-05 in favour of a rampant Kilcoole side who will take some beating in the county final.
Kilcoole: Luke Doyle; Shane Evans, Conor O Neill, Chris Byrne; Jamie Murray, James Scullion, Jamie Murray; Ciaran Byrne (004), Patrick Woods (0-02); Jordan Murray (0-01), Gary Coady (0-02), Dan Lacey (0-01); Barry Doyle, Robbie Whelan (0-01), Conor Scullion (1-00).
Coolkenno: Stephen Donoghue; William Henderson, Charles Burgess, Thomas Bolger; William Lucas, Ian Roche, Patrick Byrne; Philip Timmins, Paul Keogh; Karl Timmins, Keith Farrell, Christopher Bowes; Cormac Byrne, Ger Nolan, Mark Farrell. Subs: Anthony Keogh for W Henderson; Conor Kavanagh for C Bowes, Pauric Waterton for M Farrell.
Referee: Keith Peppard