Golden Kilfeacle hit final four points to best neighbours and qualify for county final
County U17B Football Championship Semi-Final
Golden Kilfeacle 1-13
Boherlahan Dualla 2-7
Four points in a row in the final five minutes plus injury time secured Golden Kilfeacle a place in this year’s U17B Football Championship Final after a very even and exciting clash with neighbours Boherlahan Dualla in last Monday night’s semi-final under lights.
After a very evenly fought first 30 minutes, it was as close as you could get with Boherlahan shading the opening half by taking a 0-6 to 0-5 lead into the break, but after the restart, it was all Golden Kilfeacle with a goal from Jamie Moloney in the 42nd minute putting daylight between the sides at 1-8 to 0-6 as the Sash were struggling to get back into the game.
However, Charlie Ryan led the Boherlahan comeback in the next ten minutes with two goals and a point from the centre forward amazingly putting the Mid club into the lead with 51 minutes played.
Golden Kilfeacle for their part responded very well to that flurry of scores and proceeded to take control of the remaining minutes with points from Jamie Moloney, Evan Ryan, and Charlie and Sam Hall giving them enough of a lead to edge through the final minutes.
Despite the heavy pitch in Clonoulty on Monday night, the conditions were pretty much ideal in what was a calm night with no breeze or rain throughout and the players duly delivered under favourable conditions with some really good football taking place in the game, with well-taken scores to go with it.
Boherlahan settled into the game quicker going down to the scoreboard end with a free from Colm Toomey getting them underway, with a smartly struck Charlie Hall point equalising with style a minute later; that pairing of scores proving to be a sign of the early exchanges to come.
Defences were struggling to curtail the pace of the opposing forward runs in the opening quarter as Boherlahan were being fouled regularly in this period as they went in on goal, and Toomey duly punished the Golden sins with a further two frees, while Golden were proving more prolific from open play as points from Jamie Moloney and Joe Fogarty had the sides tied at 0-3 apiece after 13 minutes.
The teams both created good goal chances within the same passage of play in the 17th minute with Conor Kennedy denied by the post for Boherlahan before the ball went downfield with Joe Fogarty getting in on goal and striking a shot soccer style off the ground to be denied by a smart Ben Kirby save.
It was a tight game all told and the half-time score told as much with Conor Kennedy, Colm Toomey, and a brilliant free out of hand from Aaron Toomey putting Boherlahan in front at the break by the minimum.
Golden were faster out of the blocks in the second half and had far more purpose in their play, equalising through Sam Hall within three minutes before hitting a further 1-2 on the bounce in the next ten minutes with the first points of the day for James Finn and Kevin Hogan before Jamie Moloney finished a beauty to the back of the net from a very acute angle running in from the end-line.
Boherlahan were yet to muster a score in response in the second half as they went five points behind, but they manufactured a penalty after 48 minutes which Charlie Ryan finished expertly, and with that added confidence boost, Ryan went to town in the next three minutes as a quick point followed that penalty before he hit the back of the net again after a quick free from Patrick Gahan set him free in on goal to finish coolly and put the Sash into the lead.
However, Golden were still maintaining their grip on the play despite that sucker-punch as late scores flew over the bar from some of their top performers and, from here, they held out to book their place in next weekend’s decider.
Golden Kilfeacle: Cillian Burke; Iobhar Ryan, Cian Lonergan, Conor Marnane; Ning Li Brennan, Ciaran Byrne, Harry Joe Fogarty (0-1); Kevin Hogan (0-1), Sean White; Charlie Hall (0-2), Sam Hall (0-3, 0-1f), Jamie Moloney (1-3); James McLaughlin, James Finn (0-2), Jack Donnelly.
Subs used: Evan Ryan (0-1) for Brennan (30, ill); Daniel O’Dwyer for McLaughlin (37, temp sub); Daniel O’Dwyer for Lonergan (56); Cian Ryan for Donnelly (60).
Boherlahan Dualla: Ben Kirby; Jack Hickey, Brian Gleeson, Conor O’Donnell; Eoin Kennedy, Conor Kennedy (0-1), Conor Fogarty; Ryne Bargary, Tadhg O’Donnell; Aaron Toomey (0-1), Charlie Ryan (2-1, 1-0 pen), Rory Crosse; Cillian Nash, Patrick Gahan, Colm Toomey (0-4, 0-3f).
Subs used: Ronan Graham for Nash (HT); Michael Delahunty for Crosse (37, inj); Cian Lawrence for Hickey (45).
Referee: Daniel Long (Moyle Rovers)