Football

Kilcoo bask in glory of Paul McGirr title win

Kilcoo's U16 team won the club's first ever Ulster title
Kilcoo's U16 team won the club's first ever Ulster title Kilcoo's U16 team won the club's first ever Ulster title

The halycon days of Kilcoo reached a new destination on Sunday afternoon. The club’s U16 team, managed by Conor Laverty, Barney McEvoy, Anthony Devlin and Paddy Gribben, won the club’s first ever Ulster title, annexing the coveted Paul McGirr U16 club champions trophy with an impressive display to overcome a physical Crossmaglen side in front of a huge crowd in Gardrum Park, Dromore.

Once again it was talisman and captain Shealan Johnston, younger brother of Down seniors Ryan and Jerome, who led from the front with a dazzling display of mesmerising ball-carrying and passing, but overall Kilcoo’s teamwork was too much for Cross.

Johnston opened up with a converted free, but it was the Armagh men who were on top in the early stages. Cross took the lead for the only time in the game with points from James Teelan and a great effort from Liam Og Finnegan, who was their outstanding performer.

The game turned after this and it was Johnston who was the catalyst when he scored an outrageous individual goal.

Picking the ball up on the halfway line close to the sideline, he launched off on a blistering solo run, leaving four defenders in his wake before sliding the ball into the corner of Stephen Morgan’s net.

A Shane Morgan point reduced the deficit. Cross were to be hit with another hammer blow when Sean Og McCusker cut in before laying the ball off to tournament top scorer Justin Clarke who rocked the back of the net once again.

The Armagh champions were playing a very direct style of football, but the high balls into the imposing Shane Morgan were not paying dividends. Anthony Morgan was doing a great job of nullifying the aerial bombardment.

Two points from Eoghan Kerley and corner-back Ruairi Kieran sandwiched another Johnston free before Clarke struck once again for his seventh goal in three games, finishing in convincing style when most players would have settled for a point to leave the Magpies with a convincing 3-3 to 0-5 half-time lead.

The Cross management of Tim Gregory and Gene O’Callaghan would have been hoping for a strong start to the second half to revive their hopes.

Kilcoo had other ideas and it was full-forward McCusker to the fore with two early second half points.

McCusker was proving a real handful and he, along with half-back Tiernan Fettis, pushed Johnston to the wire for man-of-the-match award.

Cross did step up their performance in the second half, with Eoghan McMahon switching onto Clarke to curb his influence and the industrious Finnegan twins battling hard for possession in the middle sector.

Liam Og Finnegan got his second point of the game before McCusker and Johnston put Kilcoo further ahead. However, it was the way in which the Kilcoo rearguard controlled proceedings in the final half-hour which was most impressive – they did not concede one scoreable free in the entire game.

Fettes and Macdarragh Hynes were most prominent in breaking up attacks and with Jamie McKee’s short kick-outs continually finding a Kilcoo jersey they were never in any danger of conceding the goals that Cross so badly needed.

Cross did finish strongly with points from Morgan, Dara O’Callaghan and Patsy Finnegan, but Laverty’s men were not going to be denied their little piece of history as Francis McGirr (Paul’s father) presented Johnston with the prestigious Paul McGirr bronze Cuchullain trophy.

“This is a very special day for our club, I’m delighted for them young fellas,” said manager Laverty.

“Their attitude has been outstanding over the past two years. We have some very special players but their workrate is the reason why we are Ulster champions.

“I have no doubt many of these boys will go on to represent our senior team and that is all this is about, to keep providing good quality players with the right attitude for our senior team to allow us to stay successful, we will certainly enjoy this victory but the boys are well aware it’s a stepping stone for they ultimately want to be.”