Kilbride 2-12 St Brigid’s 1-9

Kilbride secured their passage into this year’s  Junior Championship final with a well deserved victory over an excellent St Brigid’s team in Walterstown despite having to play 2 games in 5 days when the young guns from Kilbride didn’t appear to show any ill effects as they ran out deserving winners. 

The opening belonged to Kilbride who raced into a two point lead when Adam Malone kicked 2 points with in the first 3 minutes of the game. 

St Brigid’s Dylan Briody responded with an excellent goal on 5 minuses to go one up. 

Kilbride’s response was immediate when Josh Harford netted to restore Kilbride’s lead with an excellent taken goal. 

St Brigid’s Cormac Brown fired over a point from play on 7 minutes that was soon followed when Dylan Briody pointed on 19 minutes to level the contest. 

The intervening period belonged to both teams defence, they were dealing with the tricker conditions compared to their attacking team mates as the game ebded and flowed. 

A decisive score would come on 21 minutes, when Kilbrides Josh Harford won the ball on the left after some clever Play and when he found the hard running  Cathal McKeon and his lay off to Adam Malone setup a great scoring chance and he didn’t disappoint as he buried his shot to the back of the net. 

The next 9 minutes was end to end but that failed to produce another score and when Pat Clarke blew for half time you still couldn’t call a winner. Would St Brigid’s now push on in the second half with the aid of a strong breeze or could the young Kilbride team who have showed great maturity in recent games come down the stretch  kick on and claim a place in this years decider…

Half time Kilbride 2-2  St Brigid’s 1-2

In the second half Kilbride we’re again quickest out of the blocks when Josh Harford converted a free on 31 minutes that was soon followed up with a point on 33 minutes from Kilbride captain Ronan O’ Leary to push them 5 clear. 

Cormac Browne narrowed it with a pointed free for  the Ballinacree men . St Brigid’s we’re finding it tough against a well organised Kilbride defence, Caolan Howard and Mark Dempsey were excellent as to was Andrew McWeeney and Paddy Peter’s in the heart of Kilbride’s defence. 

Timmy Farrell and Cathal McKeown were winning the mid field battle and it was Farrell who on 35 minutes drove forward to kick an excellent point from play. 

St Brigid’s Joseph Blake kicked a fine point on 44 minutes. However they were having to work harder for their scores as Kilbride kept them at arms length with posession football and it appeared that they would need a goal if they were to get back into this match. 

Kilbride always seemed to have an answer when St Brigid’s did manage a score, Josh Harford clipped over an excellent point when set up by the hard working Zack McGovern. 

Jack Blake got his first of the afternoon on 50 minutes to leave it 2-8 to 1-5 to the Kilbride men with ten minutes to play. 

Timmy Farrell (Kilbride) would get his second with a long range point on 52 minutes. This was soon followed up a minute later when Conor McWeeney slotted over for his first. Josh Harford would bring his tally to 1-4 with a free on 53 minutes to extend the lead to 9 points and surely one foot in the decider. 

As we entered into the last 2 minutes it was St Brigid’s who were finishing the strongest and would kick the next 4 points through Cormac Browne 3 and Dylan Briody 1 to reduce the arrears to 5 deep into injury time but surely to little to late. 

Conor McWeeney would have the last say in injury time (65th minute)  with a point from play to secure the win and a passage into this year’s junior decider. 

Kilbride: Craig Manning, Mark Dempsey, Caolan Howard, Paddy Peters, Andrew McWeeney, Conor O’Driscoll, Finn White, Timmy Farrell 0-2, Cathal McKeon, Conor McWeeney 0-2, Anthony Barker, Ronan O’Leary 0-1, Adam Malone 1-3, Josh Harford 1-4 David O’Leary. 

Subs Zack McGovern for D O’Leary, Cadhla McKenna for A Barker, Jamie McWeeney for Cathal McKeown, D O’Leary for R O’ Leary, Cian Harford for A McWeeney. 

 

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