Junior A Football Kilcoole vs Shillelagh/Coolboy

 

Kilcoole 1-16

 

Shilllelagh/ Coolboy 2-13

 

Arklow

 

Eoin Horkan

 

A late free from Eddie Cullen ensured the spoils would be shared in Arklow on Friday evening.

 

This junior A tie started with a bang when a long ball from the throw-in landed into the breadbasket of Brendan Behan who rattled the back of the net for the south Wicklow side. After a Lee Dutton effort Conor Clinton had a goal in between the sides inside five minutes. The opposition started to battle back into the tie with three unanswered scored the first a two point free from Dutton before Jack Bellamy added another place ball, a final score of the which gave Kilcoole the lead of the boot of Blake Ryan. Just  before the quarter hour mark the tie was levelled with a forty-five from Eddie Cullen.

In the final fifteen minutes of the half, it was the defenses that were on top as Bellamy doubled his tally from place ball to give his side the lead. The final two scores of the half came from Aaron Kinsella before his Shillelagh Coolboy took the lead in at the break when Conor Byrne found his shooting bots raising a white flag.

 

The opening score of the second half came from Brandon Rossiter to double his side's advantage. Within three minutes two frees from the aforementioned Dutton had the tie level. The opposition then hit a purple patch with sub-PJ Mulhall and Jonathan Smyth raising white flags in between a two point free from Byrne. An Eoin Keddy effort down the other end reduced the gap. Then the tie's second goal came, when Eddie Cullen put his side 6 up from the penalty spot. Just as it looked like the Goosebank men were out of this tie Sean Byrne narrowed the gap from the middle of the park before Dutton and Charlie Frawley put a goal between the sides with a quarter of the tie left.  Another Cullen had the gap out to two scores before a goal from Shane Collins had the tie back in the melting pot with ten to go. Both sides started to empty the bench as the floodgates were opening. A Byrne free extended the gap for his side. The opposition then put their foot to the throttle with Ryan, Bellamy and substitute Finian Hughes giving his side the lead late on. The game was levelled with a well worked score finished by Ciaran Lambert. With the clock in the red Bellamy slotted a free but with the final act of the game Cullen raised a white flag to ensure a point for his side.

 

 Kilcoole: Jaden Murdiff; Conor Murphy Toole, Luke Evans, Keith Reynolds, James Scullion, Conor O’ Mahony,Ben Campbell; Shane Collins(1-0),Sean Byrne(0-1);Brian Devereux, Eoin Keddy(0-1),Blake Ryan(0-2);Lee Dutton (0-7 2pf, 2fs), Jack Bellamy(0-3fs), Charlie Frawley(0-1).

Subs Used: Finian Hughes (0-1) for Ben Campbell, Cormac Byrne for Brian Devereux, Roy Byrne for Charlie Frawley, Darragh Shannon for James Scullion.

 

Shillelagh/ Coolboy: Cathal Fitzsimmons; Killian O’ Keefe, Ruairí O’Brien, Lee Dagge; Luke Dolan, Aaron Kinsella(0-1),Jonathan Smyth(0-1); Dan Nolan, Ciaran Lambert(0-1);Brandan Rossiter(0-1), Cathal Murphy, Eddie Cullen(1-3 1f 1pen);Conor Byrne (0-4 12pf),Conor Clinton (0-1),Brendan Behan(1-0).

Subs Used: PJ Mulhall (0-1) for Cathal Murphy, Finlay Nolan for Luke Dolan.

 

Referee Darragh Byrne