Kilrush come good
Neighbours beaten after extra-time
KILRUSH CRAANFORD
FOR THE second Saturday running, Craanford fought back from a half-time deficit to force extra-time, but on this occasion they came up just short as two late goals secured Kilrush the Greenstar Gorey District Under-20 football Roinn 1 championship title in dramatic circumstances at a chilly Craanford.
The Ballyroebuck-based lads put in an effective display in the first-half on the way to building up an 0-8 to 0-3 advantage by the short whistle, but only scored twice in second-half regulation time as Craanford gradually picked away at their lead.
In fact, when a nice jink from Aidan Kavanagh teed up Aodhán Whitty to fire the locals 2-6 to 0-10 ahead with five minutes remaining, they were on the precipice of victory.
However, Kilrush defender Garrett O’Connor suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the build-up to that point, and the substantial additional time that followed turned out to work in his side’s favour.
Seán Kirwan converted a free on 67 minutes, and John Kavanagh kicked the equalising point some two minutes later (0-12 to 2-6).
Still, a penalty from captain Páraic Redmond, his second spotkick of the day, had Craanford 3-7 to 0-14 ahead at the break in extra-time, but Craanford noticeably tired as the clock ticked towards a conclusion.
And after Stuart Byrne (free) and Jack Nolan exchanged scores, a fatigued challenge led to a Kilrush penalty a minute into injury-time, with Seán Bookey making no mistake when rolling to the corner of the net to make it 1-15 to 3-8 and stun the home support.
Centre-back Peter O’Neill then rubber-stamped the victory when he lobbed to the far corner of the net two minutes later after substitute Colm Hayes robbed possession along the byline.
Redmond had opened the scoring when he was assisted by the hard-trying Whitty, but those two along with free-taker Byrne were Craanford’s only scorers in contrast to the eventual victors who had eight different players on the mark.
And they started to flex their muscles somewhat as the excellent Tom Kinsella kicked a lovely point off his right boot, with Bookey and Nolan adding quick points.
In between, Redmond dragged an unexpected goal chance wide of the post, while Kilrush supplied five of the last seven points of the half, including one each from Darragh
Kinsella and James Byrne, to create that 0-8 to 0-3 interval advantage.
Craanford had trailed by 2-8 to 1-3 at the same stage in their semi-final win over Réalt na Mara a week earlier, and lightning seemed to be striking twice when Whitty crossed for Byrne to palm to the net on 32 minutes (0-9 to 1-4).
Soon after, Joseph Conroy was impeded in the square when contesting for the loose ball and Redmond emphatically knocked home the resultant penalty to turn the tables by 2-4 to 0-10, but they couldn’t quite see it out as instead Kilrush remain on course for a county championship double in this grade.
Kilrush: Conor Kehoe; Pádraig Hayden, Garrett O’Connor, Jim Sharry; Ned O’Neill, Peter O’Neill (1-0), Ciarán
Kenny; Seán Bookey (capt., 1-2, 1-0 pen.), John Kavanagh (0-1); Seán Kirwan (0-2 frees), James Byrne (01), Jack Nolan (0-3, 1 free); Darragh Kinsella (0-1), Kevin Kenny, Tomás Kinsella (0-5). Subs. - Pádraig O’Rourke for Sharry (HT), Ronan Dillon for O’Connor, inj. (59), Martin Byrne for D. Kinsella (60+1), Colm Hayes for N. O’Neill (68).
Craanford: Paddy Doyle; Jack Keogh, Eoin Doyle, Patrick Kavanagh; Harry Molloy, Jim Kenny, Pat Doyle; Páraic Redmond (capt., 2-2, 2-0 pens.), Joseph Conroy; Stuart Byrne (1-4, 0-4 frees), Eamonn Doran, Luke Byrne; Aodhán Whitty (0-2), Aidan Kavanagh, Pádraig Tobin. Subs. - Ciarán McLaughlin for Tobin (43), Pádraig Tobin for Conroy (74), Conroy for Molloy (78).
Referee: Eddie O’Sullivan (Kilanerin).
KILROSS GAELS ST. JOSEPH’S
A SCORING burst of 1-3 without reply in the third quarter tilted the scales in favour of Kilross Gaels in Taghmon on Friday when they surmounted a half-time deficit of 3-3 to 1-6 to advance to the Greenstar Wexford District Under-20 football Roinn 1 championship final.
St. Joseph’s remained in contention to the end of an evenly-contested game, but their failure to score from play throughout the second period undid their prospects.
The influential Charlie Heffernan pointed in the 34th minute to narrow the deficit to 3-3 to 1-7, and a sublime pass from county player Liam O’Connor unlocked the Bishopswater side’s defence shortly afterwards.
His crossfield drive from the left found county Minor hurling goalkeeper Cian Byrne in space, and the corner-forward produced a composed finish to give the Kilmore and St. Mary’s (Rosslare) combination a lead they maintained to the last whistle.
Further points from Byrne (free) and Chris O’Connor made it 2-9 to 3-3 by the 43rd minute, but it wasn’t a straightforward march to a final clash with Crossabeg-Ballymurn by any means.
Free-taker Cian Carty kicked the fourth of his five points for St. Joseph’s before a positional switch paid off for Kilross when Jack Meyler – moved from defence to attack – picked off his first point after an effort from Charlie Heffernan came back off the post in the 50th minute (2-10 to 3-4).
Carty raised another white flag before late arrival Gloudie Makiese, a member of the county Minor panel in 2018, was introduced to bolster their victory bid.
And Kilross had a scare in added time when his delivery into the goalmouth was almost gathered by Josh Guerrine, but they cleared their lines before Jack Meyler kicked their final point seconds before the finish.
The sides had swapped early points from Carty (free) and Rían Stafford before Cian Byrne gave Kilross the lead, but they were rocked by a piece of opportunism in the seventh minute when a quickly-taken Eoin Kinsella free rattled the net (1-1 to 0-2).
St. Joseph’s only held that lead for 90 seconds though, as Charlie Heffernan punished a defensive error to grab a goal that was quickly followed by a pointed Byrne free (1-3 to 1-1), shortly before a Chris O’Connor shot struck the crossbar.
In an entering half of swaying fortunes, the advantage changed hands again when Cian Carty placed Kyle Turner for the second Joseph’s goal in the twelfth minute.
Then it was the turn of Kilross for another spell of supremacy, with points from Charlie Heffernan, Cian Byrne (free) and Rían Stafford leaving them with a 1-6 to 2-1 lead after 21 minutes.
Given the pattern of the play, it was no surprise that the town team turned that deficit around by half-time, as a burst of 1-2 from Cian Carty – with the goal coming in the fourth added minute after a low drive across the square by Ciarán Paige – left them with a 3-3 to 1-6 interval advantage.
Their goalscoring knack deserted them, though, on the re-start, with the combined side always looking the more likely to succeed after that green flag from Cian Byrne.
Kilross Gaels: Danny Holden; Brad Koolhoff, Jack Doyle, Jack Meyler (0-2); Kevin Power, Liam O’Connor, Seán Carley; Páraic Reville (capt.), Reece de la Cour; Rees Broaders, Charlie Heffernan (1-2), Chris O’Connor (0-1); Cian Byrne (1-4, 0-3 frees), Rían Stafford (0-2), Conor Roche. Sub. - Rían Doyle for Roche (48).
St. Joseph’s: Jordan Howell; Mark Shortall, Chris Curran, Warren O’Connor; Josh Kavanagh, Gary Hall-Roche, Dale O’Reilly; Tommy Sheridan, Ciarán Paige (capt.); Darragh Howell, Cian Carty (1-5, 0-5 frees), Kallum Broaders; Eoin Kinsella (1-0 free), Kyle Turner (10), Josh Guerrine. Subs. - Liam Godkin for Hall-Roche, inj. (HT), Gloudie Makiese for O’Reilly (53).
Referee: Pádraig McMahon (Shelmaliers).