AIB All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship quarter-final: St Kiernan’s (Britain) 0-5 Robert Emmet’s, Slaughtneil (Ulster) 2-11
ON A big day for London football, the gorgeous sun blazed down a less-agricultural-than-expected Greenford, where temporary fencing was installed to keep the crowd from edging on to the pitch.
Shane McGuigan kicked the Derry side into a lead that they were never to lose from a free after Patsy Bradley had been taken down by a high challenge. By that stage, Chris Byrne’s side could find no way out. The Mayo man had highlighted the strength of Slaughtneil’s middle during the week and that was visible from a kickout strategy that tried to use the wings.
Patsy Bradley read the plan and got involved in the aerial exchanges, while Pádraig Cassidy was the primary thorn in the St Kiernan’s side throughout. The London champions won just two kickouts in the first half, and just six in total.
They had a physicality throughout their side to be more unflinchingly direct than they were. They wanted to kick but it was to smaller men in the corners. Slaughtneil did deal well with a couple of early testers towards the edge of the square but it was a tactic that might have brought more joy had they persisted.
Four minutes after the first goal, the game was effectively put to bed by Meehaul McGrath. He had a good first-half and was loitering in front of Brendan Mulrooney when Karl McKaigue dropped an effort short from 25 yards. McGrath got above the ‘keeper to redirect the ball into an empty net. Shane McGuigan and Cormac O’Doherty added scores before the break to make it 2-5 to 0-1 at the interval, with Slaughtneil having played against the breeze.
In the second period, Paul Bradley nailed a couple of superb long-range frees, and Shane McGuigan did likewise with one from the right wing, while Christopher Bradley also pointed to make it 2-9 to 0-3.
Both had chances to widen the gap but the last five minutes were almost utterly free of incident. Just the way Slaughtneil would have wanted it.
MATCH STATS
Slaughtneil: A McMullan; Francis McEldowney, B Rogers, K McKaigue; P McNeill, C McKaigue, K Feeney; Patsy Bradley (0-1), P Cassidy; Shane McGuigan (0-4, 0-3f), Paul Bradley (0-3, 0-3f), M McGrath (1-0); C Bradley (1-2), Sé McGuigan, C O’Doherty (0-1); Subs: G Bradley for Paul Bradley (52), S Cassidy for Patsy Bradley (52), P Kearney for Francis McEldowney (52), R Bradley for C Bradley (55), P Kelly for McGrath (55), Fergal McEldowney for O’Doherty (55); Yellow card: B Rogers (42)
St Kiernan’s: B Mulrooney; K Curran, I McGough, D Quinn; P Begley, S Curran, M Mulholland; J Moran, C Óg Greene; T Waters, D Ryan, L O’Donoghue; A Moyles (0-3, 0-3f), P Finn, M O’Donoghue (0-1); Subs: C Carville for Finn (25), T Moriarty for Ryan (25); Black card: D Quinn (40) replaced by J Kingston; Yellow cards: D Ryan (2), K Curran (14), T Waters (22), J Moran (29, 50); Red card: J Moran (second yellow, 50)
Referee: R Hickey (Clare)
