Kilmacud saved by Nestor heroics
PENALTY HEARTACHE FOR PORTLAOISE
KILMACUD C 1-17 PORTLAOISE 3-8
BEFORE yesterday’s AIB Leinster Club SFC semi-final, Kilmacud Crokes hadn’t conceded a goal in Championship football since April.
It amounted to six games and 360 minutes of action, though in the space of an hour at Parnell Park they conceded three.
A fourth looked highly likely too when Portlaoise, trailing by three points, were awarded a penalty in stoppage time but Craig Rogers’ shot was saved by David Nestor.
It was the clear turning point of a highly-entertaining game and Kilmacud hung on to return to the final after eight years away.
In truth, the four-time champions will be mightily relieved to be advancing to play first-time finalists Mullinalaghta on December 9 because they lived on their wits throughout.
Portlaoise troubled them every time they attacked and can’t say they didn’t have the chances to pull off an upset but 12 wides, allied to that penalty miss, cost the midlanders.
‘It wasn’t the way we wanted to get there but we got there,’ Johnny Magee, the joint Crokes manager, said.
‘We’re a very young side, this is the first run in Leinster for a lot of these guys and we were playing a very good Portlaoise, a very good footballing team, very experienced, and you could see that in how they played.
‘We were a bit naive, bringing the ball into contact and inviting trouble onto ourselves but when we did move the ball quickly and effectively we caused them problems.
‘We didn’t do that enough and coughed up a lot of easy possessions, unforced errors. It’s out of character from our performances all year but that’s what Leinster club football is about, being tested and learning.
‘There’s only so much you can do as a coach or manager to prepare lads for the last five minutes of a game like that and our lads stood up.’
Back-to-back All-Star Paul Mannion came into the game in top form after returning 2-6 and 1-6 tallies in his last two games.
He was carefully monitored by Portlaoise’s David Seale who was relatively successful and held the livewire forward to five points and just three from play.
Dara Mullin was Crokes’ standout forward initially and his early goal put them into a lead they would hold for most of the game.
They had seven different scorers in the half and took a 1-11 to 2-5 lead at the interval as both sets of forwards dominated.
The problem for Portlaoise was their poor execution and while Gareth Dillon and Paul Cahillane sniped first-half goals, their colleagues simply wasted too many opportunities.
Crokes never actually trailed in the game but were pegged back to level terms after a 46th minute Rogers goal.
He was only on the pitch a matter of minutes when he executed a neat one-two and shot to the net to tie it up at 1-14 to 3-8.
But it was agony from there on for Portlaoise who didn’t score again despite that golden opportunity which was put in front of them from the penalty spot.