KINGSCOURT 1-11  CUCHULLAINS 2-9

Kingscourt’s Championship campaign got off to a bitterly disappointing start when an injury-time free saw Cuchullains gain a thoroughly deserved 2-9 to 1-11 victory in Virginia last Saturday evening.  Strongly fancied to win, the Stars started reasonably well with points from Ryan McCormack and Mark McKeown to lead 0-2 to 0-0 after 10 minutes. However a 1-5 salvo from Cuchullains saw them five points clear after the first quarter.

Kingscourt recovered well though and point by point narrowed the gap before a superbly worked move saw Keith McCabe finish coolly to the net to level matters at 1-5 each.  Both teams registered a further point before the break but Cuchullains also lost a man to a second yellow card.  With an extra man, the scores level and wind assistance, Kingscourt looked to have weathered the storm.

However, the Mullagh side showed great determination to open the 2nd half with two points and while Kingscourt leveled by the end of the third quarter, the extra man was not proving an advantage and if anything Cuchullains were looking the more dangerous.

The game changed again when a long ball into the Kingscourt box proved troublesome and was eventually finished to the net to leave the Stars trailing 2-8 to 1-8.  The Stars man “advantage” was cancelled out shortly after when JP Reilly was given a second yellow.  However Kingscourt rallied strongly and eventually leveled matters with some great scores from McKeown, McCormack & captain, Alan Clarke before the injury-time free sealed our fate.

After the euphoria of the league run, the realism of the championship bites hard and the next two weeks will see what the side is made off. Next up is Blackwater Gaels in Stradone on Sun 1st @ 6pm and finally Redhills on Sun 8th @ 7.30pm.  With the margin of error gone, nothing less than victories will do.  It’s at moments like this the team needs support, so please do what you can to get to Stradone next Sunday evening and shout on the Stars.

TEAM:

B McCormack, P Farrelly, A Clarke, S Gray, B Tully, JP Reilly, M McGovern, M Malone, C Smith, P Tinnelly, D Martin, K McCabe, B Reilly, R McCormack, M McGovern. 

Subs Used: N McCabe J McMahon