BLESSINGTON
reverse hand pass over his shoulder to release Bryan Cullen, who made no mistake hitting the nets top corner from 10 yards. A dream start and you could sense the whole Kiltegan team, management and supporters were galvanised by the goal.
Blessington regrouped and didn’t panic as Mikey and substitute Bryan Carroll landed big scores but there was a feeling that Kiltegan weren’t going away and the game seemed destined to go down to the wire.
Derek Daly had a goal disallowed for Kiltegan, having been deemed to kick the ball out of Jack Gilligan’s hands, before Fergal Harmon made an outstanding save from Mikey O’Connor when the diminutive forward seemed certain to bury it.
Ronan Byrne made a lung bursting gallop up the pitch and gave off to Bryan Cullen who seemed to be running down a blind alley before somehow managing to squeeze over a point from the left.
Seanie then stepped up and ballooned a free over from forty yards before Liam Keogh gave Kiltegan the lead for the first time for the left wing.
Blessington levelled again before the first of two match defining plays.
A long ball was lofted to the Kiltegan forwards, which hopped between the two lines. Seanie swooped in for a ball he had no right to win.
An easy point was on and would have put Kiltegan ahead with just injury time to play but you could sense Furlong wanted more.
He jinked past the onrushing defender, soloed in and unleashed a rasper to the roof of Stephen Kitts net as he, his teammates and Kiltegan supporters rejoiced.
But that wasn’t the end. Mickey O’Connor landed a sweet score, to leave two in it.
Then the ball was blocked out for a Blessington 45. A point would be no use as it was now well inside the last minute.
The ball was lofted in, ricocheted around before falling to the boot of Kevin Hanlon 10 yards out. Fergal Harmon was rooted as the wing backs shot sailed by him and Kiltegan hearts were set to be broken.
Then cometh the hour cometh the man as Kiltegan’s Jeffery Bermingham hacked the ball off the line before it came back in, hit the post before finally landing in the arms of a grateful Kiltegan man.
They cleared downfield and the whistle blew to end what was undoubtedly the game of the round as Kiltegan pick up a vital two points.
If the rest of the games in championship are half as good as this one we’re in for a hell of a summer.
Scorers - Kiltegan: Seanie Furlong 1-5 (0-5 frees), Bryan Cullen 1-2, Jeffery Birmingham 0-1, Podge O Toole, 0-1, Liam Keogh 0-1, Stephen Farrell 0-1, Ronan Byrne 0-1, Adam Wynne 0-1.
Blessington: Mikey O’Connor 0-7 (0-2 frees), Curtis Gerathy 1-0, David Boothman 1-0, Bryan Carroll 0-2, Patrick O’Connor 0-1, Stephen Bohan 0-1.
Kiltegan: Fergal Harmon, John Farrell, Blaine Harmon, Adam Wynne, Ronan Byrne, Stephen Farrell, Liam Keogh, Rory Finn, Podge O’Toole, Jeffery Bermingham, Bryan Cullen, Micheal Foley, Ciarán Byrne, Seanie Furlong, Derek Daly. Subs: Cathal Fitzgerald for Ciarán Byrne.
Blessington: Stephen Kitt, Barry Murphy, Jack Gilligan, Stephen Bohan, Kevin Hanlon, Paul McLoughlin, Barry Finan, Kevin Rogers, Eoin Keogh, Anthony McLoughlin, Patrick O’Connor, David Boothman, Curtis Gerathy, Micheal Nugent, Mikey O’Connor. Subs: Bryan Carroll for Curtis Gerathy, Conor Kenny for Kenny Rogers, Gavin Murray for David Boothman, Jordan Nolan for Barry Finan. Referee: John O’Brien