Narrow defeat in Junior C Football Game
October 12, 2026
Killavullen suffered an agonising one-point defeat against Kildorrery in the inaugural Junior C Football championship game, played in Shanballymore in greasy, wet conditions on Sunday, 11th October. A persistent shower throughout the game, made conditions underfoot rather slippery, but the pitch in Shanballymore held up very well, in the circumstances.
Kildorrery were first to score, but we were soon back on level terms, with a booming point, from Sean Bartley only for Kildorrery to edge ahead again. We again equalised when Seamus O Mahony dusted himself down from shipping a very heavy knock, that earned his opponent a yellow card to score from a free. We took the lead, in a very evenly matched game, when Jamie Magner, one of the main stays of the Junior A team, but who missed out the championship campaign in 2026 through injury scored a point. Seamus O Mahony was our main scoring threat, and he scored a great point on the run, but unfortunately picked up an injury in the process, and he had to be carried off the field. Kildorrery took the lead when the evergreen Tom Monaghan, from a family steeped in Kildorrery history, pounced on some hesitancy in and around our goal area, to poke the ball over the line. This was a score that could have been prevented, but whilst our youthful line dallied, Tom used his guile to just get his toe to the ball, and it trickled over the line. At the other end of the field, David Walsh set up Billy Norris to fire over the bar, and we regained the lead after Colm Hannon was fouled and Billy made no mistake from the close in free. Kildorrery got a point just before the interval, to lead the two teams tied at the short whistle; 0-06 to 1-03. Sean Woulfe came on for Seamus O Mahoney when he was injured.
The soft persistent rain that was falling, made possession of the ball difficult and hard to hold onto, and Kildorrery took the lead in the second half, with a point from ball, and then, from a close in free, when Cian in our goals whilst strong in the tackle was adjudged to have fouled the incoming player. Seamus Cronin, who was very prominent in the game, thundered a rasping shot off the cross bar, and such was its force, that it ricochetted out past him, as he born down on goals. We did get the next major though, when Jamie Magner, with a quick snatch and pull of his leg, saw his shot deceive the Kildorrery netminder, and into the net. When Billy Norris tapped over a free, that was advanced by the referee for dissent, we had a 2-point lead, midway through the half. It did not last though, and Kildorrery were in the ascendancy in and around midfield and that is telling in football. They were bigger units in that department, and our chance if any was only by keeping the ball out wide, and away from the centre, but that is hard to go in greasy conditions. Kildorrery scored a point, and then, Tom Monaghan scored another from close in, with a delicate shimmy to create the space, enough space to shoot. Kildorrery gave a two-point advantage with a big two-point score, but Billy Norris equalised again, from another close in free. Kildorrery brought their tally to 1-10 with another point, but we were not done yet. Billy got another close in free for us, to leave only the minimum between the teams, but we could not get the equalising point and so exit the competition.
The team and scorers were;
- Cian Murphy
- Niall Carroll
- Barry Cotter
- Conor Barrett
- Cian O Connor
- Sean Bartley (0-01)
- Jamie Magner (1-01)
- Darragh O Grady
- David Walsh
- Seamus O Mahony (0-02, 0-01F)
- Seamus Cronin
- Colm Hannon
- Billy Norris (0-05, 0-04F)
Substitutes used
- Sean Woulfe for Seamus O Mahony (Injured)
- Sean O Shea for Colm Hannon
- Liam Martin for David Walsh
- Alex O Callaghan