Kilkenny IHL- Quilty leads the charge in Mooncoin success

Ciaran Quilty starred with 2-4 as Mooncoin claimed a comprehensive success over Fenians in round three of the intermediate league in Pairc Sheamuis Stiophan on Saturday afternoon.

Quilty excelled in attack for the winners but he was ably assisted by the likes of Adam Croke as the South Kilkenny outfit claimed a second win of the campaign.

The latest victory was very straightforward for last year's championship finalists in a game they controlled from almost start to finish.

Johnstown did get the scoring underway courtesy of Conor Tobin score from play but they wouldn’t score again until the 26th minute and the game was practically done as a contest by that point after Mooncoin notched 2-5 without reply.

A Liam Hogan levelled the contest initially before Ciaran Quilty then got the game’s opening goal when he deftly flicked a long delivery from Adam Croke beyond the reach of Billy Garrett and into the city end net of the Kells Road goals.

Mooncoin followed up on the goal with further points from Quilty and Stephen Crowley and almost in the blink of an eye, Brendan Cahill’s team opened up a six point advantage.

The Johnstown trauma was only beginning however as Quilty soon got his second goal when he pounced on defensive uncertainty from Fenians as he claimed a Martin O’Neill free and flicked the ball home.

Adam Croke then knocked over another Mooncoin score and by the time, Mark Webster converted his first free of the day, a mountain to climb awaited the Fenians.

Cathal Phelan, Willie Brennan and Jerry Henderson did manage to add on points before the break to reduce the deficit to 2-6 to 0-5 at the change of ends.

A succession of Liam Hogan frees increased the Mooncoin lead on the resumption and any hope of a Johnstown comeback was then extinguished when Oisin Henebery came off the bench to score a third goal for his side.

Fenians kept battling till the end but frustration was there for all to see with Mark Webster getting a straight red card for a late tackle near the end as Mooncoin ran out 3-15 to 0-13 victors.

Teams and Scorers

Mooncoin: Ciaran Quilty (2-4); Liam Hogan (0-6, 6fs); Oisin Henebery (1-1); Adam Croke (0-2); Stephen Crowley, Stephen Wall (0-1 each)

Fenians: Mark Webster (0-5, 3fs); Willie Brennan (0-2); Jerry Henderson, Rory Phelan, Darragh McCormack, Sean Tobin, Cathal Phelan, Conor Tobin (0-1 each)

Mooncoin: Donnacha Hogan; Sean Brennan, Cormac Daly, Ryan Carroll; Jim Delahunty, Paul Henebery, Martin O’Neill; Killian Hogan, Stephen Crowley; Liam Hogan, Adam Croke, Sean O’Dwyer; Ciaran Quilty, Cormac Kinsella, Stephen Wall.

Subs: Oisin Henebery for O’Dwyer, 41 mins; Kevin Crowley for Quilty, 55 mins; James O’Keeffe for Wall, 55 mins; Pauric Murphy for Brennan, 60 mins.

Fenians: Billy Garrett; Jerry Henderson, John Henderson, Eoin Phelan; Rory Phelan, Kieran Grehan, Rory Garrett; Willie Brennan, Padraig O’Grady; Mark Hughes, Adam Duggan, Sean Tobin; Cathal Phelan, Conor Tobin, Mark Webster.

Subs: Darragh McCormack for E Phelan, 15 mins; Aaron Dermody for Duggan, h/t; Regan Downey for C Phelan, 40 mins; Pa Duggan for Hughes, 46 mins; Paddy McCormack for John Henderson, 53 mins.

Referee - Sean Cleere (O’Loughlin Gaels)