Kilcoo recapture Frank O’Hare Cup

Kilcoo recapture Frank O’Hare Cup

16 October 2019

CILL Chua regained the Frank O’Hare Cup at Pairc Esler on Sunday with a relentless and masterful display of controlled football.

The hurt of last year’s defeat to Burren was confined to history as the Kilcoo players and supporters celebrated with unbridled joy on the final whistle.

All credit to Warrenpoint for playing their part in an intriguing contest that so could easily have gone either way, but they were made to pay for registering 10 wides over the hour.

As expected, Niall McAleenan’s side took the game to Kilcoo with real authority and at times threatened to destroy their vaunted opponents.

However, you just can’t tie Kilcoo down and they steadfastly refused to be dominated for long periods.

With just two minutes on the clock Ryan Mallon gave Warrenpoint the lead with a point from play after some patient approach work. The same player then had a glorious chance for a goal when he got in behind the Kilcoo full back line, but ‘keeper Martin McCourt made a brilliant save.

The ‘Point continued to see plenty of the ball with corner forward Aron D’Arcy foraging deep, but they wasted a few kickable frees before Kilcoo’s Ryan McEvoy brought the sides level with a free in the ninth minute.

Ross McGarry then found his range and exchanged frees with Paul Devlin before the Kilcoo marksman punished Warrenpoint for another defensive indiscretion with his second point in quick succession.

Ryan Johnston started seeing a lot more of the ball for Kilcoo, but it was Warrenpoint who drew level the 18th minute with a well-taken score from Ruairi McCormack.

McGarry pointed Warrenpoint into a 0-4 to 0-3 lead after 23 minutes, but Kilcoo responded immediately with a 40m free from McCourt.

Ryan Johnston then went on a searing run down the right flank and bore down on goal, but flashed his shot wide of Gary McMahon’s far post when he really should have tested the ‘keeper.

Devlin and McGarry swapped frees as the interval approached, but their was still time for the energetic Aidan Branagan to bomb forward from his full back berth to point Kilcoo into a 0-6 to 0-5 half-time lead.

Warrenpoint were certainly not overawed by Kilcoo and started the second half the same way they attacked from the opening whistle of the game, but it was Kilcoo who edged into a 0-7 to 0-5 lead after 31 minutes with another score from the rampaging Ward.

A McGarry free quickly negated this score before Kilcoo received a bad blow when Darryl Branagan was black carded and replaced by Shealan Johnston in the 35th minute.

McGarry converted the resultant free to bring the sides level, but the game was really opening up at this stage and McMahon prevented a certain goal at the other end when he saved from Aiden Branagan.

Warrenpoint went straight back on the attack and McGarry gave them a 0-8 to 0-7 lead with 21 minutes remaining. Devlin then brought the sides level with a 45’ after a Jerome Johnston shot went perilously close.

Ryan McEvoy and Anton Magill swapped scores to keep it all square going into the last 10 minutes, but Warrenpoint kicked for home when John Boyle majestically pointed his side into a 0-10 to 0-9 lead.

Kilcoo responded with venom. Conor Laverty, who had been on the periphery of the game up until this stage, suddenly took centre stage.

Nothing looked on when he received the ball about 40m from goal. However, he checked back inside his marker and somehow spotted Ward’s run from deep.

An improvised flick-pass, albeit with the aid of a deflection, picked out the big midfielder and he made no mistake with an unerring finish past McMahon. 

That should have finished Warrenpoint off, but far from it.

They immediately attacked in numbers and worked an opening for McGarry, but he sent his effort wide with the goal at his mercy.

A McGarry free gave Warrenpoint some consolation and left a single point between the sides with 55 minutes played.

The game was still anybody’s, but consecutive scores from McEvoy and Jerome and Ryan Johnston seemed to put daylight between the entities with 58 minutes gone.

Another McGarry free cut the deficit to three points as the game went into added time. Warrenpoint continued to bombard Kilcoo and further points from Donagh McAleenan and McGarry left a point in it, but Kilcoo won dirty ball when it mattered and ran the clock down to run out worthy winners.

Kilcoo: Martin McCourt (0-1f), Niall Branagan, Aidan Branagan (0-1), Niall McEvoy, Aaron Branagan, Darryl Branagan, Miceal Rooney, Ryan McEvoy (0-3f), Dylan Ward (1-1), Anthony Morgan, Paul Devlin (0-4f), Ryan Johnston (0-1), Eugene Branagan, Jerome Johnston (0-1), Conor Laverty. Subs: Shealan Johnston for Darryl Branagan (black card), Aaron Morgan for Eugene Branagan, Tiarnan Fettes for Anthony Morgan. 

Warrenpoint: Gary McMahon, Adam Lynch, Pat Murdock, Ryan McAleenan, Ryan Boyle (0-1), John Boyle, Ciaran McCartan, Cormac McCartan, Ryan Magee, Ryan Mallon (0-1), Donagh McAleenan (0-1f), Ruairi McCormack (0-1), Aaron Magee, Ross McGarry (0-9, 7f), Aron D’Arcy. Subs: Anton Magill (0-1) for Ryan Boyle, Jamie Grant for Aaron Magee.