Kingscourt 2-13 Drumgoon 2-4
THE STARS RETURN TO DIVISION 1 IN STYLE!!!!!
COUNTY minor captain Barry Reilly ruled the roost for Kingscourt as they easily overcame the overtures of Drumgoon to lift the Cathal Brady Audi ACFL Division 2 title. The underage star was superb for the Stars, along with Ryan McCormack, against a Drumgoon side that imploded when faced with heavy pressure in the second-half.
Credit must go to the Drumlane club for the fantastic pitch on which this final was played, despite torrential downpours over the course of the weekend. The weather had a huge influence on the first-half, as the Goonies playing with a strong breeze behind them. Seconds into the game this worked to their advantage with an outrageous goal from captain Jim McNally. The midfielder blasted into the net from 40 yards, with the gusty wind and low sun making the trajectory of the ball impossible for keeper Cathal McCabe to read – and it bounced in with the aid of the crossbar.
A point from wing-back Paul McEnroe followed just after, and it seemed a question of how many Drumgoon would rack up in the first half hour.
Advantage
However, they failed to take advantage of the favourable conditions – registering just two more points in the remainder of the half. The Stars kicked back into action with Mark McKeown going close with a powerful shot, and McCormack opening their account just after. In the 13th minute they had a goal ruled out when McKeown was adjudged to have been in the square after netting past Gerry Hughes by referee Martin Sexton.
Undeterred, they made the most of their possession advantage with Daryl Martin splitting the posts after a good move. Temporarily, a nasty undercurrent developed and Drumgoon’s Paul Crosson saw red for an off-the-ball incident on 16 minutes. Just after, quick points from Reilly levelled the game on 1-1 to 0-4. Fannin restored his side’s lead with a long-range effort with six minutes left in the half.
Reilly turned provider for McCormack to restore parity once more on the stroke of half-time. Traded efforts from Pauric McGorry and Phil Smith saw the sides enter the break all-square, 1-3 to 0-6.
Attacking
The wind died down substantially for the start of the second-half, but Kingscourt’s flowing attacking strategy focussed more on a short hand passing game – and it bore fruit immediately. The roving Barry Tully hit a superb point after a marauding solo run in the 35th minute, with McCormack smashing over a cracker two later. He showed poise, power and precision to cut in off the right wing before blasting over the black spot with his left boot.
The Stars continued their scoring exploits with McCormack adding another from distance and Reilly putting his side four ahead, with his third point of the day.Sub Anthony Corcoran got in on the act with another point, and it seemed just a matter of time before the border side would plunder a major. Drumgoon simply couldn’t cope with their opponents in the second-half, and were being outplayed in all departments of the field.
Victory
And it was no surprise when the umpires raised the green flag shortly after. Joe McMahon sealed victory with a goal in the 51st minute to put the Stars 1-11 to 1-3 ahead. However, there was time for more scores from this red-hot Kingscourt side with sub Neil McCabe ghosting in to hit their 12th point.Drumgoon’s efforts were rewarded with their first, and only, point of the second-half through McNally after Fannin’s goal-bound free was charged down.
With time ticking down, Reilly demonstrated his class with a stupendous score. He picked up the ball 40 metres from goal, and after feinting a shot with his natural left, he cut inside to curl over on his right boot. Once again he turned provider for another Kingscourt attack, setting up McKeown for a goal.His stabbed ball evaded the Drumgoon backline and the McKeown cooly finished soccer-style past Hughes.
Drumgoon never stopped trying and went close late on through Conor Bates and Michael Hannon. Their efforts were rewarded when Mick McDonald shot through a crowd of bodies deep into stoppage time, but it would prove too little, too late for the Boyle Park dwellers.
Post star man: Barry Reilly (Kingscourt).
Kingscourt: Cathal McCabe; Patrick Farrelly, Alan Clarke, Shane Gray; Barry Tully (0-1), Keith McCabe, Philly Tinnelly; Colm Smith, Tomas Malone; Joe McMahon (1-0), Philip Smith (0-1), Barry Reilly (0-4); Daryl Martin (0-1), Ryan McCormack (0-4), Mark McKeown (1-0).
Subs used: Anthony Corcoran (0-1), Neil McCabe (0-1), Brendan Corcoran
Drumgoon: Gerry Hughes; Edward Gaffney, Edward Jackson, Paul Crosson; Adrian Crosson, Michael Hannon, Paul McEnroe (0-1); Jim McNally (1-1), Michael McDonald (1-0); Shane McGorry, Pauric McGorry (0-1), Aogan Farrell; Cathal Smith, Keith Fannin (0-1), Bryan Bates.
Subs used: Shane Smith, Killian Moynagh, Ciaran Lennon, Conor Bates.
Referee: Martin Sexton.
Match Report Courtesy of Niall Boyle (Cavan Post)
