Kiltegan find their goal-den touch against Bray

THE ability to score goals at crucial stages of the game led to Kiltegan running out comfortable winners over Bray Emmets in their opening Renault Senior Football Championship game played at Joule Park, Aughrim on Sunday last.

Both sides took time to settle and Niall McGraynor had two points from frees on the board for Bray Emmets before Seanie Furlong got Kiltegan off the mark after eight minutes. The western side hit Bray with two hammer blows by the tenth minute.

Firstly, Seanie Furlong hammered home a penalty with a blistering ground shot. Straight from the kick out the ball was returned to Jacko Dalton, who turned sharply in front of goal and banged home goal number two.

Niall McGraynor and Ronan Byrne exchanged points before Darragh Rochford brought the Emmets right back into the game when he netted a Bray goal from close in on 18 minutes.

Up to now Kiltegan had looked very comfortable and in control but the Emmets raised their game for the final ten minutes of the half and reeled off four points in a row from Ben McCormack, Niall McGraynor, Philip Haughton and Des Kelly to lead by two points coming up to the half time break. Rory Finn pulled back one point on thirty minutes and Ronan Byrne had the sides level again with a Kiltegan point two minutes into added time. Half-time score was Kiltegan 2-4, Bray 1-7.

Kiltegan got off to a great start straight from the throw in at the beginning of the second half. Wing forward Padraig O’Toole had the ball in the Bray net before one minute had elapsed.

Niall McGraynor responded with a Bray point. Following a long solo run half the length of the field, Rory Finn had a Kiltegan point. Cathal Fitzgerald followed with another and the same player struck for a great goal in the 10th minute. The west side were now seven points up and began to move the ball around in a relaxed fashion. Rory Finn, Ronan Byrne, Padraig O’Toole Cathal Fitzgerald, Seanie Furlong and Jacko Dalton were all over the place and Bray Emmets were now finding it hard to get any fluency into their play.

Des Kelly pointed a free on twelve minutes and got his side’s next score fully fifteen minutes later and their final score came three minutes into time added. In between, Kiltegan had points from Seanie Furlong (2), Jacko Dalton, Cathal Furlong, Liam Keogh, Padraig O’Toole and Jacko Dalton crowned a great display when he scored his second and Kiltegan’s fifth goal with six minutes left to play.

Diarmuid Masterson had the final say when he scored Bray Emmett’s last point three minutes into added time. Having been level at half-time, Bray Emmets produced a most disappointing second half display scoring only four points in contrast to the 3-8 amassed by Kiltegan. Final score: Kiltegan 5-12, Bray Emmets 1-11.

Scorers - Kiltegan: Jacko Dalton 2-1, Seanie Furlong 1-3, Padraig O’Toole 1-1, Cathal Fitzgerald 1-2, Ronan Byrne 0-2, Rory Finn 0-2, Liam Keogh 0-1.

Bray Emmets: Niall McGraynor 0-5, Des Kelly 0-3, Darragh Roch- ford 1-0, Ben McCormack 0-1, Philip Haughton 0-1, Diarmuid Masterson 0-1.

Kiltegan: Fergal Harmon; Bryan Kearney, Stephan Farrell, Colm Keogh; Ronan Byrne, Adam Wynne, Liam Keogh; Blaine Harmon, Rory Finn; Padraig O’Toole, Seanie Furlong. Aaron Byrne; John Farrell, Cathal Fitzgerald, Jacko Dalton; Subs: Marc Pierce and Philip Penrose.

Bray Emmets: Paul O’Keeffe; Eoin McCormack, Conor O’Doherty, Philip Haughton; Mark Linehan, Dave Lohan, Ciaran McKay; Dylan Terry, Des Kelly; Ben McCormack, Diarmuid Masterson, Padraig Bell; Darragh Rochford, Cathal McGee, Niall McGraynor. Subs Darragh O’hUllachain, Gavin Dowling, Matt Thompson and Con Benville.

Referee: Declan Peppard