Hotel Kilmore Cavan Senior Football Championship final: Kingscourt Stars 1-9 Castlerahan 0-11
KINGSCOURT conjured up the perfect cure for their 2014 heartache by capturing their 11th Cavan SFC title at a sun-kissed Kingspan Breffni Park.
The Stars turned the agony of losing out by a single point in last year’s final to Cavan Gaels to sheer ecstasy with Philip Tinnelly’s timely second half goal the conduit. Kingscourt played second fiddle for large periods of the match but Tinnelly’s palmed effort – after good work by Philip Smith – gave his side a lead (1-8 to 0-8) they stubbornly refused to surrender.
“They say goals win matches and fortunately we got the only one,” said man-of-the-match Tinnelly.
“Castlerahan played very deep in the first half and it was very difficult to find a way through but we kept at it and I suppose it wasn’t a bad time to get the goal.”
Castlerahan – bidding for their first ever SFC title – had looked well placed at the interval when leading by 0-5 to 0-2 after a disappointing, non-descript opening half. In perfect playing conditions, the Stars lorded possession but it was their opponents who had the better joy in front of goal with an extremely effective counter-attacking system.
Kingscourt’s slow-burner of a display saw Peter Corrigan make it 0-2 apiece in the 18th minute but Castlerahan’s much vaunted attack reeled off three unanswered points – including a gem from Cormac Daly – to propel them into a three-point interval lead.
Kingscourt were much improved up front on the restart with playmaker Smith making a nuisance of himself on the edge of the square after coming on in the 33rd minute.
“Philly’s introduction was a big help,” said Tinnelly.
“You just knew he was going to win it in the air once it was driven in to us. It wasn’t just about the two of us though. There were 21 lads used in the game and another 10 in the squad that have worked so hard to put last year’s disappointment behind us.”
Smith’s physical presence did indeed add a whole new dimension to the Kingscourt attack and points from Peter Corrigan (41), Cian McArdle, Barry Reilly and Tinnelly (48) saw the would-be winners leap into a 0-8 to 0-7 lead.
With Noel McIntyre doing a great marshalling job on county star Cian Mackey, Castlerahan laboured to punch any holes in Kingscourt’s defence but Enda Flanagan did break through to level it (0-8 to 0-8) entering the final 10 minutes.
However, the game was turned on its head two minutes later after substitute Smith ghosted in behind the ball-watching Castlerahan defence before fisting the ball invitingly across the face of the Castlerahan square for Tinnelly to leave the net billowing.
A Mackey free and a gem of a point from county colleague Ronan Flanagan (59) made for a gripping climax.
Castlerahan had one last chance to get a second bite of the cherry but corner-back Paul Smith could only hold his head in his hands as his shot in added-time rebounded off the upright and wide to leave his side still hunting for their first ever SFC title.
