Kilcoo’s big day

Kilcoo’s big day

24 October 2012

KILCOO picked up the Down Senior Championship title for the first time since 2009 with a well-deserved three-point victory over Mayobridge at Pairc Esler on Sunday afternoon.

A goal in each half, including Conor Laverty’s opener after only two minutes of the match, proved to be enough for the Magpies as they did what they had to do in a match that was overly stop-start at times.

A number of injuries and eight yellow cards meant the match never got the chance to get going to any great degree but that will matter little to Jim McCorry’s men as they came out on top and with team captain Gary McEvoy proclaiming in his winner’s speech that “Kilcoo will go on and win Ulster.”

They will know themselves that they will probably face stiffer challenges than this one.

The game began perfectly for Kilcoo as they found the net inside the opening two minutes with a goal that owed everything to a defensive howler from Mayobridge.

Brendan Rooney tried to play the ball inside from the right to his keeper Shealan Strain, but Strain only succeeded in palming it into the path of the grateful Conor Laverty who took a touch before poking it into the empty net.

Cathal Magee registered the ‘Bridge’s first score of the match in the fourth minute with a close range free before the ever-reliable Paul Devlin (inset) did the same at the other end two minutes later to make it 1-1 to 0-1.

The first point from play arrived on 11 minutes when Keith Quinn’s high looping effort ped just over the bar from wide on the right before Devlin was accurate from his second dead ball attempt of the match 60 seconds later to restore Kilcoo’s lead to a goal.

Following a late tackle on Laverty by Adrian Barry on 18 minutes, Devlin was on hand once again to convert the resultant free from 30 metres before Conleth O’Hare produced a fine point to round off an excellent flowing move up the pitch.

Mayobridge replaced Kealon Gallagher with Kevin O’Rourke on 19 minutes as they looked to pose more of an attacking threat. While they had the bulk of the possession in the first half, that cutting edge was never truly there the way it was in the semi-final romp over Longstone.

It took O’Rourke less than a min-ute to show his worth as he hooked over after latching on to a Ronan Sexton pass to make it 1-3 to 0-4 with ten minutes of the half remaining.

Two minutes later, Magee got his first from play, driving the ball over the bar with the outside of his boot following yet another purposeful move up the pitch before Devlin then got his first from play on 26 minutes off his trusty left boot to give Kilcoo some breathing space with a two-point lead.

Kilcoo full back Niall McEvoy had the final say of the half when he rifled over an excellent score from the right after another lay off from the impressive Laverty to make it 1-5 to 0-5 at the interval.

Kilcoo got the first score of the second period two minutes in when Felim McGreevy fisted over the bar after neat build-up play involving Laverty and

Devlin as the Magpies stretched their lead to four points.

They got the second goal that would ultimately prove to be the winning score on 41 minutes and from a Mayobridge point of view, it once again could and probably should have been avoided.

Niall McEvoy played a one-two with Jerome Johnston down the left before swinging in a dangerous ball to the edge of the square that saw McGreevy climb highest to palm to the net ahead of Strain and Brendan Rooney.

At 2-6 to 0-5 it looked as if there would be no way back for Mayobridge, although they did muster some sort of revival that began with a Magee point a minute after the goal.

However, the two best points of the match came on 45 and 47 minutes to virtually seal the title for Kilcoo.

Jerome Johnston, from wide on the left, swung over a stunning point before man of the match Devlin swapped passes with Laverty and drove the ball over from all of 40 metres to make it 2-8 to 0-6 in Kilcoo’s favour.

Mayobridge hit back with another Magee free from out on the left before they got their goal to reduce the deficit to four points.

Referee Ciaran Brannigan played a good advantage with the ‘Bridge on the attack and that allowed Magee to play in Noel Sexton.

He spotted O’Rourke out to his right and the substitute managed to force the ball over the goal line to set up what could have been a tense finale.

But that comeback never materialised and all Mayobridge could muster was a single point from the boot of Ronan Sexton three minutes from the end of normal time as Kilcoo were able to secure the title for the second time in four years.

Kilcoo: S. Kane, N. Branagan, N. McEvoy (0-1), D. Branagan, S. O’Hanlon, A. Branagan, G. McEvoy, P. Greenan, F. McGreevy (1-1), J. Johnston (0-1), P. Devlin (0-5, 3f), D. O’Hanlon, C. Laverty (1-0), A. Devlin, G. McEvoy

Subs used: R. Johnston for A Devlin (48mins), A. McEvoy for McGreevy (55mins).

Mayobridge: S. Strain, K. McClorey, B. Rooney, K. Lynchehaun, R. Sexton (0-1), M. Lively, C. Garvey, S. O’Hare, B. Coulter, C. O’Hare (0-1), K. Gallagher, K. Quinn (0-1), A. Barry, C. Magee (0-4, 2f), R. Brady. Subs used: K. O’Rourke (1-1) for Gallagher (19mins), N. Sexton for Barry (30mins), E. Woods for S. O’Hare (35mins), S. McNamee for Rooney (44mins), M. Walsh for C. O’Hare (60mins).

Referee: C. Branagan (Clonduff).

Kilcoo 2-8

Mayobridge 1-8

DOWN SFC FINAL