Kilclief in full flow as ‘Fin are bottled up

26 September 2018

A RESILIENT Kilclief outfit produced a rousing second half display to shatter Aughlisnafin’s championship dreams at St Colman’s Park, Drumaness, on Saturday.

Despite going into the break only 0-6 to 0-4 down, Kilclief were staring down the barrel of an ignoble defeat after losing the influential Louis McMullan and James McGrath to early black cards.

To make matters even worse, they also lost the talismanic Ciaran Sloan to a hamstring injury and almost down to the bare bones, they looked vulnerable and there for the taking.

However, led brilliantly by Aiden McCann and Eoin King they took the game to Aughlisnafin with a swagger and sparkle that Willie Megoran’s side were unable to contain.

Aughlisnafin were impressively out of the traps first. Midfielder Eoin Lundy took the game’s first score before Ciaran Sloan levelled matters with a converted free. Unanswered points from the imposing Oran Flanagan, two frees and a 45’, edged the ‘Fin into a deserved 0-3 to 0-1 lead by the seventh minute.

It could have been even worse for Kilclief had Conall Magee not appeared from nowhere to block a certain Colm McVeigh goal with his foot.

Lundy then made it a three-point game with a superlative score, but Kilclief, responded with points from Ciaran Sloan and Callum Shields after registering several wides.

The ‘Fin finished the first half strongly and two more frees from Oran Flanagan gave them a 9-6 to 0-3 lead after 26 minutes. The last score of the half went to Kilclief’s Dale Curran in the 29th minute to leave two points between the sides.

Kilclief manager Dee King switched things round at the back for the start of the second half and this brought an immediate change in fortunes.

Aughlisnafin were given fair warning of the maelstrom that was building up when Caelan Savage hit the woodwork after only 10 seconds of the restart and within minutes, points from Savage and Conor Sloan had the sides level.

Aughlisnafin retaliated with a Sean Fitzsimmons goal against the run of play in the 40th minute, but two points from Caelan Savage left just a point between the sides by the 46th minute.

Lundy and Shane Mooney extended Aughlisnafin’s lead to three points again, 1-8 to 0-8, with 10 minutes remaining, but it was Kilclief who had a deadly sting in their tails.

Caelan Savage was the ‘go to’ man and he delivered in style with a goal and a point to put Kilclief into the lead for the first time in the game and they never looked back after this.

A Conor Sloan score and two points from ‘keeper Ryan Miskelly, a 45’ and a long distance free, was the icing on the cake for Kilclief as they surged into the showdown with Teconnaught at Pairc Esler on October 7.

Kilclief: R Miskelly (0-2, 1 45’, 1f), Conor Hynds, A McCann, B Fitzsimons, D Merron, E King, C Savage (1-4, 3f), L McMullan, R McErlean, Conan Hynds, C Magee, Callum Shields (0-1), S Savage, J McGrath, Ciaran Sloan 0-2f). Subs: E Breen for McMullan (black card), D Curran (0-1) for McGrath (black card), Conor Sloan (0-2) for Ciaran Sloan, S Cultra for Curran.

Aughlisnafin: F Murphy, P McClean, J Brannigan, M Murdock, R Quinn, S McCann, S Willoughby, S Fitzsimmons (1-0), E Lundy (0-3), P Flanagan, O Flanagan (0-4, 1 45’, 3f) R Murphy, J Matthews, S Mooney (0-1), C McVeigh.

Kilclief 1-12

Aughlisnafin 1-8

PARADOR JFC SEMI-FINAL

Tweets by @TheDownRecorder