Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
THE KINGDOM RAIN SUPREME
Clifford holds his nerve as Kerry go top
KERRY went top of Allianz League Division One after a dour struggle against Mayo in awful conditions at the Austin Stack Park last night.
Incredibly Kerry had not beaten Mayo in Tralee since 2009, a year that Jack O’Connor’s team went on to complete a league and championship double.
But a 76th minute pointed free from the boot of David Clifford saw Kerry over the line with Mayo’s Lee Keegan sending a late effort at an equalizer inches wide of Shane Murphy’s left hand post.
It was a full blooded contest and Kerry’s two year unbeaten run in the league sees them top the table and probably favourites to make the final now.
It was game littered by mistakes but O’Connor will be happy with the way his defense stood firm as Mayo threw the kitchen sink at the them in the final 15 minutes while the David Clifford/Tony Brosnan axis in the inside line threatened whenever on the ball.
Ryan O’Donoghue (free) and a Fergal Boland punched point saw Mayo reduce the deficit to the minimum in the 15th minute.
Two David Clifford’s wides were followed by the crucial score of the opening half.
It came in the 21st minute when Tony Brosnan started a move and combining with David Clifford and Adrian Spillane, Brosnan shot low to the Mayo net beyond Rob Hennelly.
Clifford kicked two more points before half time but Mayo stayed in the game with three points in the final ten minutes of the half thanks to Boland, O’Donoghue and a Hennelly ‘45’ as Kerry retired 1-6 to 0-6 in front.
Brosnan increased Kerry’s advantage to four with a superb point but O’Donoghue soon restored the three point gap from a free.
It was nip and tuck as the teams swapped points but Mayo appeared to be in trouble when Kerry were awarded a 56th minute free for a foul on Brosnan but inexplicably Paudie Clifford could only kick it into to the keepers hands from 13 metres.
This seemed to revitalise Mayo as they attacked Kerry in numbers with O’Donoghue kicking two frees and Matthew Ruane leveling the contest in the 63rd minute.
David Clifford restored Kerry’s one point advantage but in the 73rd minute O’Donoghue leveled the contest again and draw looked the likeliest result.
But David Clifford had the last say Aidan O’Shea conceded a 76th minute free.
KERRY: S Murphy; D Casey, J Foley, T O’Sullivan; G O’Sullivan, T Morley, B Ó Beaglaoich; D O’Connor, J Barry (0-1); D Moynihan (0-1), J Savage (0-2, 2f), A Spillane; P Clifford, D Clifford (0-6, 2f), TBrosnan (1-2).
Subs: S O’Brien for A Spillane (45), K Spillane for J Savage (48), G Crowley for D Casey (55), G Horan for D O’Connor (Temp, 65-68),M Burns for P Clifford (65), P Warren for G O’Sullivan (70 +3) .
MAYO: R Hennelly (0-1, 1’45’); P Ó Hora, L Keegan, M Plunkett; P Durcan, S Coen, O Mullin; J Flynn, M Ruane (0-2);
D O’Connor, A O’Shea, J Carney; F Boland (0-3), A Orme (0-1), R O’Donoghue (0-7, 6f).
Subs: E Hession for S Coen (H/T), K McLoughlin for J Carney (42), F Irwin for A Orme (56), C Loftus for F Boland (66), F McDonagh for D O’Connor (70 +1).
REFEREE: BRENDAN Cawley (Kildare)