‘When Paul scores a point, you know you’re in business’
STEVEN CUSHE praised the character that his Coolkenno team showed by overcoming the staunch test of Kilcoole to advance to the final of the intermediate football championship.
Much like they had done against Laragh in the previous round, Coolkenno were made to go the distance to dispatch of Kilcoole, who pulled the game back on two separate occasions through goals from Declan Roper and Danny Kavanagh.
It was Coolkenno’s day, however, as a last-gasp score from Paul Kehoe four minutes before the end of extra-time sealed their passage to the final, in which they will meet Donard/The Glen.
‘When Paul Kehoe scores a point, you know you are in business,’ Cushe laughed following the game. ‘There is a good chance you are going to win the game if Paul Kehoe comes up and scores a point but, yeah, Paul’s general play was very good, as well. He was fresh and that is what it was all about.’
Reflecting on the game, Cushe admired the fortitude his men showed in responded to the two Kilcoole goals and coming out the winning end.
‘For the heart and effort of it, we were fantastic. We made it hard on ourselves.
‘We had a lot of chances that we kicked into the goalie’s hands, and a lot of silly wides that maybe we need to improve on.
‘They showed the character they have to come back from [the goals]. That is what these boys are all about. They have character and they showed that again today. Two big setbacks that could have set back another team, but these guys have a lot of character. That’s one thing about them. They won’t stay down.’
As previously mentioned, this was the second time this season that Coolkenno won a game that went the full distance of regulation and extra-time. Against Laragh, despite being second-best for much of the contest, they were able to force the additional 20 minutes, before eventually coming out on top on penalties.
According to Cushe, his team’s habit of winning games over such a period of time is a testament to the work that they have done on the training ground, as well as their strength in depth which was on show through Kehoe’s winning score, since Kehoe himself was brought on during extra-time.
‘The fitness is good. Some guys can’t turn back the clock in the sense that they are in the latter end of their 30s. That is going to happen naturally but, erm, the fitness levels are good with the boys and, touch wood, we have been lucky enough with injuries this year, too. That is a big plus because it is getting us through these games in extra-time.’