Kilanerin gain immediate revenge
KILANERIN MUNNA ABBAIN 4-13 1-8
KILANERIN ADVANCED to the semi-final of the Greenstar Under-20 football Division 2 championship with a 4-13 to 1-8 victory over Munna Abbáin in Kilanerin on Saturday.
Revenge was a dish best served cold for the locals as they made amends for their twopoint loss against the same opposition in the Division 3 hurling final replay one week earlier.
They were slow to get going though, as a cagey opening saw nothing separate the sides, but as soon as Conor Hughes planted home Kilanerin’s first goal on 25 minutes, they never looked back thereafter to advance to the penultimate round with a bit to spare.
Stephen Mordaunt chipped over an opener from Ben O’Connor’s assist on three minutes, although Luke Sinnott converted a free he won himself by the tenth minute.
And the sides shared the next four points evenly, with O’Connor and Seán Forde (free) pointing for the victors and Sinnott (free) and Seánie O’Neill replying for the Taghmon-Camross/Adamstown combination.
In between, Kilanerin’s goalkeeper Kyle Ryan got his fingertips to a top corner-bound drive from Shane Lacey, and they soon pounced at the other end for the decisive goal.
Stephen Mordaunt hoovered up a kick-out and quickly fed Forde, who supplied Conor Hughes to drill low to the net (1-4 to 0-3).
Stephen Neville, Forde (free), Mordaunt and the excellent Paudie Hughes tagged on further points as the gap stretched to 1-8 to 0-3 at the interval.
Ben O’Connor then squeezed in at the near post 42 seconds into the new half to consolidate Kilanerin’s position.
Mordaunt was released in front of goal five minutes later to poke home with his right boot to make it 3-8 to 0-3.
Munna Abbáin’s troubleshooting job began when Shane Lacey drilled low to the net on 37 minutes, and they added two more points without reply through Adam Sinnott ans Pete Murphy to cut the gap to 3-8 to 1-5.
But they didn’t score again from play as instead Kilanerin finished in some style, with wing-back Robert Murphy finding the range from three placed balls, and Mordaunt and Conor Hughes tagging on points from play.
And they rounded off a straightforward victory when Mordaunt plastered home the insurance score with the last kick of the game.
Kilanerin: Kyle Ryan; Donnacadh McDonald, Cathal O’Reilly, Tom Mordaunt; Colm Noctor (capt.), Eoin Doyle, Robert Murphy (0-3 frees); Paudie Hughes (0-1), Seán Bardon; Andrew Murphy, Seán Forde (0-3 frees), Ben O’Connor (1-1); Stephen Mordaunt (2-3), Stephen Neville (0-1), Conor Hughes (1-1). Subs. - Patrick O’Connor for Noctor, inj. (32), Liam McCarthy for McDonald (49).
Munna Abbáin: Dylan Colfer; Darragh Winters, Tom Banville, Páraic Wickham; Pete Murphy (0-1), Shane Doyle, James O’Shea; Liam Stafford, Seánie O’Neill (0-1); Darren Hayden (capt.), Luke Sinnott (0-5 frees), Shane Lacey (1-0); Cathal Doyle, Adrian Doyle, Adam Sinnott (0-1). Subs. - Anthony Roche for O’Neill, inj. (35), John Banville for A. Doyle (41), Cormac McGrath for Lacey (51), Adrian Doyle for Murphy, black card (54).
Referee: Shane Quinn (Réalt na Mara).