CROKES CHOKE LIFE OUT OF PP
Kilmacud Crokes 1-11 Padraig Pearses
0-8 KEVIN EGAN
AFTER 50 minutes of tense action, there was nothing between two sides desperate for a place in the All-ireland club final.
But it was soon to become apparent that the Roscommon champions Padraig Pearses, making their first appearance at this stage of the competition, had emptied their tank keeping pace with their South Dublin powerhouse rivals.
Craig Dias’ goal after eight minutes of play gave Kilmacud a narrow lead that they preserved throughout the contest but a point from Hubert Darcy had reduced that gap to a single point, 1-6 to 0-8, while the Pearses-heavy crowd at Kingspan Breffni Park seemed to sense that a momentous upset was in the offing.
Instead, the Kilmacud bench was to be the winning of the game as Conor Casey, Cian O’connor and Andrew Quinn kicked 0-4 between them out of the last five points, with O’connor’s pace and Casey’s fielding turning out to be decisive factors in the one-sided conclusion to this contest.
Pearses had started in the best possible way, midfielder and talisman Niall Daly driving through the heart of the Crokes defence to split the posts in the opening minute.
But quick hands from Hugh Kenny and Shane Horan set up Dias (inset) and the big midfielder’s footwork was no less slick as he slipped the ball under Paul Whelan for the game’s first and only goal.
Shane Horan was a particular thorn in the side of Pat Flanagan’s men, the former Offaly player hitting the target with two well-taken scores.
Even so, the contest was there for the taking until that final 10 minutes when Kilmacud found another gear. Kilmacud scorers: C Dias (1-1), S Horan (0-2), D Mullen (0-2), D Mullen (0-2), C O’connor (0-2), T Fox (0-1f), C Casey (0-1), A Quinn (0-1). Padraig Pearses: N Daly (0-2), H Darcy (0-2, 1f), P Carey (0-3, 2f), T Butler (0-1).