Scare for Sean Connolly’s in hard earned win over gallant Killashee
Mulleady Group Intermediate Football Championship Group Stage - Round 1
Sean Connolly’s . . . 0-9 St Brigid’s Killashee . . . 0-5
The Ballinalee side had to work very hard to come out on top and almost surrendered their slender lead when St Brigid’s substitute Mel Shanley had a close range goal attempt blocked on the line by opposing defender John Rawle in the 58th minute.
It was a serious scare for Connolly’s who were leading by 0-7 to 0-5 at that late stage of the game but eventually made the victory secure when Dessie Reynolds converted a couple of frees deep into stoppage time.
Killashee were missing many of the players who featured in the historic back-to-back Intermediate title triumphs in the same year (2021), most notably Longford attacker Dylan Farrell who is in the United States for the summer, but they produced a gallant display in a determined bid to spring a surprise.
SEAN CONNOLLY’S: John McKenna; John Rawle, Ciaran MacEoin, Seamus Donnelly; Sean Kenny, Sean O’Sullivan, Darragh Earlie; John Doris, Evan Tully; Paddy O’Neill, Dessie Reynolds (0-5, 4 frees), Ronan McGreal (0-1); Mick Devaney, Daire Duggan (0-1), Dylan Lynch (0-1).
Subs:- Daniel Reynolds (0-1) for M Devaney (29 mins); Joe Heaney for P O’Neill (48 mins); P O’Neill for J Doris (60 mins); Adrian Dalton for J Doris (60 mins).
ST BRIGID’S KILLASHEE: Barry Geraghty; Briann Farrell, George McDermott, Keelan Cox; Darren Cosgrove, Johnny Casey, David Buckley; Conor Clancy, James Willis; Pat Farrell, Michael Farrell, Jack Magan; Iarlaith Dolan, Francis Dolan (0-4, 2 frees), Mark Rossiter (0-1).
Subs:- Mick Magan for D Cosgrove (injured, 32 mins); Gerard Evans for P Farrell (48 mins); Mel Shanley for B Farrell (48 mins).
Referee: Kevin Smyth (Abbeylara).