Down Senior Club Football Championship: Kilcoo 1-13 Mayobridge 0-8
Jerome Johnston’s last-gasp goal sent Kilcoo into the next round of the Down Senior Club Championship, with victory over rivals Mayobridge in Pairc Esler, Newry last night.
If the score at the first water-break was anything to go by then this was going to be more of a slow-burning tease rather than the explosive blockbuster many expected between two Down heavyweights. The teams were locked on 0-02 each.
Aaron Magee gave the Sky Blues the lead in the opening minute, despite Kilcoo having 14 players camped in their own half, then two converted frees from Paul Devlin in the ninth and tenth minutes put the Magpies in front.
It was absorbing stuff though with some fantastic battles. Paul Greenan played in midfield for Kilcoo for his first championship start in over four years and he and young Cormac Smyth had a great contest.
Likewise Kealan Lynchahaun and Kilcoo’s Conor Laverty danced with each other throughout the evening while Kevin McClorey stuck to his task of trying to curb the influence of Jerome Johnston and for much of the first half the Sky Blues defended brilliantly against Kilcoo’s sweeping attacks.
The sides were level on three more occasions before the break with no team pulling any further than a point in front. Caolan Gallagher squared the tie on 15 minutes before Kilcoo’s Shealan Johnston and Smyth (free) traded points and then Smyth sent over his second, a stunning 47-metre converted free.
It was tense football, with several superb blocks and the art of defending was on show last night.
And the Bridge were content playing keep-ball as they led 0-05 to 0-4 as half-time approached, but Caolan Gallagher screwed his tight angled effort wide and in flash Kilcoo broke forward and Shealan Johnston weighted a lovely pass into Greenan, who fire between the posts from close-range.
Former Down Under 20 captain Shane Annett popped up for with a point for Mayobridge a minute after the restart but the Sky Blues suffered a blow when Ryan Brady was forced off with an injury, with Reece Martin taking his place.
Jerome Johnston fired over a fine point to level the score and on 38 minutes Aidan Branagan was on target to give the Magpies the lead but it took 41 minutes before there was two points between the sides and it was Conor Laverty’s fisted point that did the trick.
Seconds later Mayobridge were reduced to 14 men, for 10 minutes, when Kealan Lynchahaun picked up a black card.
Paul Devlin’s third converted free extended Kilcoo’s lead to three points as they started to get a grip of the game.
Corey Quinn hit back with a lovely score and at the second water-break Mayobridge trailed 0-07 to 0-09 but Aidan Branagan and Shealan Johnston tagged on points to give Kilcoo a four point lead with less than ten minutes remaining.
Mayobridge wished for a goal and Kevin O’Rourke almost granted it but he crashed his shot off the crossbar although Smyth’s converted 45’ did close the gap, if only briefly.
Paul Devlin’s last contribution was converting his fourth free, before being replaced by Darragh O’Hanlon and Jerome Johnston’s goal was the last kick of the game.
Kilcoo: Niall Kane; Niall Branagan, Ryan McEvoy, Niall McEvoy; Miceal Rooney, Daryl Branagan, Aaron Branagan; Paul Greenan (0-1), Aidan Branagan (0-2), Eugene Branagan, Jerome Johnston (1-2, 1f), Shealan Johnston (0-2); Paul Devlin (0-5, all frees), Ryan Johnston, Conor Laverty (0-1)
Subs: Ceilum Doherty for R Johnston (52mins), Darragh O’Hanlon for Devlin (60mins)
Mayobridge: Shealan Strain; Conor Fitzpatrick, Shane McNamee, Kealan Lynchehaun; Shane Annett (0-1), Kevin McClorey, Ryan Brady; Shane O’Hare, Charlie Smyth (0-3, 2f, 1’45); Lee Quinn, Aaron Magee (0-1), Paul Lively; Cory Quinn (0-2), Adam Crimmins, Caolan Gallagher (0-1)
Subs: Reece Martin for Brady (34mins), Conleth O’Hare for Lively (37mins), Kevin O’Rourke for Magee (44mins), CJ Barr for Crimmins (55mins)
Referee: Ronan Barry (Tullylish)
LCC Group Tyrone Senior Football Championship first round: Killyclogher 2-13 Carrickmore 2-10 Mark Bradley’s classy finishing made all the difference as Killyclogher held off a stubborn Carrickmore challenge at Healy Park to clear a difficult LCC Group Tyrone SFC first round hurdle.
His 1-9 haul set up a quarter-final with either champions Trillick or Galbally, but the St Mary’s side had to battle right to the end to get the better of a famous Carmen instinct for survival.
On a balmy evening in Omagh, a near-empty stadium was sadly lacking in Championship atmosphere, but the intensity of an uncompromising contest raised the passions of the small cohort of supporters permitted to attend.
Killyclogher raced into a three points lead, with Bradley landing a couple of delightful efforts, but they were stunned by a Carrickmore goal after seven minutes.
It was Mickey Donaghy who latched on to a loose ball 12 metres out and sent a low shot flashing past Oran Grimes to the bottom corner of the net.
The St Mary’s were sharper, and were soon back on the attack with Bradley and Tiernan Cox hitting the target.
And while Cormac Munroe and Rory Grimes stepped up the Carmen tempo, they faced a defiant defence in which Gabhann Sludden, Jordan Barton and Tiernan McCann stood firm.
Nevertheless, Carmen drew level again just after the water break with a Martin Penrose free, and the former Tyrone star edged them ahead, fetching confidently from Sean Donnelly’s delivery to split the posts in the 20th minute.
Bradley saw a deflected shot at goal come back off the butt of a post, while at the other end, two Rory Donnelly scores kept the Colmcilles in front.
And Donnelly had a golden goal chance, getting in behind the last defender to collect Sean Donnelly’s long delivery, but goalkeeper Grimes was quickly off his line to keep out the shot.
Tiernan McCann pushed forward for a couple of scores to send his side in with a 0-9 to 1-5 advantage, after the scores had been level on five occasions in the first half.
Killyclogher were awarded a penalty five minutes into second half for goalkeeper Jack McCallan’s challenge on Jordan Barton, with Bradley slotting home the kick.
The introduction of Ruairi Grimes, Daniel Fullerton and Barry Daly added a spark to the Carmen attack, and all three hit the target to narrow the deficit to a single point.
But a second Killyclogher goal, skilfully executed by youngster Mark Hayes from Nathan Donnelly’s long ball, saw the momentum swing back in favour of the men in blue.
Barry Daly won a penalty that Martin Penrose converted to make it a two points game, but once again, Bradley, and Conall McCann found the finishing touch.
Conor Gormley pressed high in a bid to get his side back into contention, and Fullerton and Sean Loughran fired over points deep into stoppage time.
Killyclogher: O Grimes; J Rafferty, D Gorman, G Sludden; T McCann (0-2), M Swift, J Barton; E McFadden, C McCann (0-1, f); N Donnelly, O McCann (0-1), T Cox (0-1); S O’Neill, M Bradley (1-8, 1-0 pen, 0-3f), M Hayes (1-0).
Subs: A Kelly for O’Neill, M Murnaghan for Cox
Carrickmore: J McCallan; O McKee, L McBride, S Loughran (0-1); S Donnelly, C Gormley, C Munroe; B McLaughlin, R Grimes; N Allison, C Daly (0-1, f), M Donaghy (1-0); M Donnelly, M Penrose (1-2, 1-0 pen, 0-1f), R Donnelly (0-2).
Subs: R Loughran (0-1) for Donaghy, D Fullerton (0-2) for Daly, B Daly (0-1, m) for Grimes, T Murray for McKee, R Slane for M Donnelly
Referee: S Campbell (Stewartstown).
