U16's just about get over the line
July 22, 2019
Killavullen and the Churchtown / Liscarroll Gaels combination, here after called Churchtown, served up a very entertaining, though not a classic, game of football in the U16 Division 1 Football championship, earlier tonight in Churchtown. Killavullen sportingly played with 14 players due to tight numbers with the opposition, and never quite got to grips with the open space in the midfield area.
With the aid of the wind, Churchtown opened the scoring with a free in the 2nd minute and doubled their advantage in the 5th, from play. Chris O Callaghan opened our scoring with a point in the 7th minute. Churchtown, with their direct running down the middle of our defence was causing us problems, and they went further ahead with two converted frees in the 8th and 12th minutes. The lead was stretched out to 4 points with another score for them, in the 13th minute. We were thankful for some last ditch defending at this stage from Michael Cagney and Donal Cronin, to preserve our lead. We got a point back from a free from Jamie Magner before Patrick O Grady beat their goal keeper at the 2nd attempt, after good initial work from the very hardworking Conor Griffin in the 16th minute. Daniel Ryan scored a point that just crept over the bar for the lead in the 17th minute but Churchtown retaliated with points in the 23rd and 25th minutes to regain the lead again. Shane Walsh scored a nice point in the 27th minute but Churchtown answered that back immediately and took a two point lead into half time with a converted free, their 5th of the half, just on the stroke of half time.
Killavullen, in an effort to freshen up a lack luster performance introduced some changes from our considerable bench for the second half, when Seamus O Mahony and Evan Magner came into the fray. We had a point in the 2nd minute from Michael Walsh and then a neat twist and turn for Seamus earned himself a point, to draw level in the 7th minute. Michael Walsh then finished neatly on two separate occasions for us to take a lead of 1-08 as against 0-09 for the Churchtown combination. We went 3 points up when a Daniel Ryan shot clipped the top of the bar, and he through on goals, but our lead was cancelled out with a good Churchtown goal, in a classic rapier movement at speed from their defence caused overlaps.
From here to the end on the game, some 15 minutes later, it was a tit for tat game, we took the lead again with a Jamie pointed free, in the 15th minute, but they equalised in the 16th minute. Seamus O Mahony reacted quickest when another strike from Daniel came back off the bar, and Seamus put it over the bar. Churchtown equalised in the 20th minute. Jamie scored a point from another free, from an awkward angle after Evan had been fouled, in the 28th minute, but Churchtown equalised again in the 30th minute. Kian Lane gathered the kick out, and we manufactured another free scoring opportunity in the 31st minute, right on the range of Jamie’s kicking strength, but under considerable pressure, he nailed it, and we were a point up. Churchtown got one last chance from a free, but this time, their very accurate place kicker was just wide, and we hung on, to win by a solitary point.
In a game where Killavullen were profligate in front of goals, the result was good but a good deal more will be necessary to advance in the competition.
The team was;
James O Keeffe
Conor Breenan
Michael Cagney
Donal Cronin
Conor Griffin
Ronan Barry
Sean Bartley
Chris O Callaghan(0-01)
Kian Lane
Daniel Ryan (0-02)
Patrick O Grady (1-00)
Michael Walsh (0-03)
Shane Walsh (0-01)
Jamie Magner (0-04F)
Substitutes
Seamus O Mahony (0-02) for Patrick O Grady
Evan Magner for Shane Walsh
Kieran Roche for Michael Cagney – injured
Joe Cagney for Conor Brennan