KILSHEELAN ADVANCE TO QUARTER-FINALS AS BRACKENS ALSO PROGRESS EVEN IN DEFEAT
FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Football Championship Group 1 Round 3
KILSHEELAN/KILCASH 2-12 JK BRACKENS 0-12
Kilsheelan/Kilcash guaranteed themselves a place in the quarter-finals of this year’s FBD Insurance County Senior Football Championship when accounting for previously unbeaten JK Brackens by six points on a glorious Saturday afternoon at Leahy Park, Cashel.
Having lost their opening game of the campaign to Ardfinnan, Liam Stokes’ side knew nothing less than a victory would suffice for a place in the last eight, and helped by two first half goals from Mark Kehoe and Liam Freaney, they were full value for their 2-12 to 0-12 win in the end.
Brackens survived by the skin of their teeth to hold on to the second quarter-final spot but it was way too close for comfort for the Templemore side. Had they exited the championship they would only have had themselves to blame when finishing with just 12 players on the field. As things worked out in the end Ardfinnan failed to get the win they needed against Grangemockler/Ballyneale, and the Shane Keegan managed Brackens were mightily relieved to advance to another day.
The Templemore side bolted from traps and were two points up within 90 seconds via Paddy Cadell and a Jack Kennedy free after Cadell had been illegally stopped.
Admirably the South Tipperary side responded well with a two-minute scoring spurt of their own which took them three points clear.
Firstly Billy O’Connor pointed after being played through by Mark Kehoe, quickly followed by Jamie Roche’s first free after Micheál Freaney was impeded.
The game’s opening goal arrived from the ensuing kick-out when county senior hurler Mark Kehoe forced a JKB turnover and powered through himself to drive low to the keeper’s right for a 1-2 to 0-2 lead for Kilsheelan.
After such a blistering start the scoring rate slowed and around the quarter hour mark Jamie Roche and Jack Kennedy traded frees, the latter score being the Mid side’s first in 15 minutes of play.
Forced to start without the injured Mark Stokes, it was another county man Daire Brennan who was popping up everywhere in a sweeping role. A well-worked point followed in the 18th minute for Billy O’Connor after Kilsheelan intelligently changed movement from one side of the field to the other. But Brackens had it back to three points in the 20th minute with a superb point from Jack Kennedy after his side had won their opponents’ kick-out.
A big moment in the game then arrived with the sending off of Dean McEnroe, the Brackens man catching Barry Kehoe to the torso right in front of the referee’s eyes. However, two minutes later, Kilsheelan were also temporarily reduced to 14 men when Conor Davin-Murphy was black carded for a foul on Brackens’ Jordan Moloney.
Paddy Cadell, with a very hard-earned point, closed the gap to two in the 24th minute, but that margin was brief for the numerically disadvantaged Templemore side.
Within a minute Kilsheelan’s second goal arrived when an effort at a point from 50 metres by roaming goalkeeper Evan Comerford fell just short and the towering Liam Freaney got on the end of it to skilfully touch the ball home. Five minutes from half-time it was double scores, Kilsheelan/Kilcash leading 2-4 to 0-5.
Jack Kennedy with another free pulled a point back for Brackens just before the lightning-fast Mark Kehoe broke through and might have goaled again but his effort rose just over the crossbar on this occasion.
Brackens had the last two points of the first half, a mark from Jack Kennedy and one from play from Lyndon Fairbrother after Paddy Cadell had done all the spade work.
At the interval the scoreline read 2-5 to 0-8, and with their black card numerical advantage to return a minute into the second half it was looking good for qualification for Kilsheelan. And it soon got better with two early second half points for the South Tipp side.
The first of these came from the impressive Conor Neville when finishing a move which had linked the Freaney brothers in its making. The second, a 45 converted by Evan Comerford when Conor Davin-Murphy had forced an excellent diving save from Cian Sheedy.
Livewire Jamie Ormond had Brackens’ first score of the second half nine minutes in following good work by Jordan Moloney. But Kilsheelan would have been happy enough with the way things were progressing and staying four points clear when Jamie Roche and Jack Kennedy swapped further frees.
The industry of Mark Kehoe was evident in the next point, the centre-forward linking up three times in a move which brother Barry finished with a point. But that score was matched by another quality point off the left leg of James Corcoran in the 45th minute, which proved to be the last from play for either side.
At the three-quarters mark Kilsheelan were still four points to the good, 2-9 to 0-11 ahead.
They enjoyed the better of possession down the home straight with Jamie Roche tagging on two further frees, won by Mark Kehoe and Liam Freaney, with Conor Neville outstanding in the move which culminated in Freaney being impeded for the free.
Five down and with only five minutes remaining, Brackens suffered another setback when the too-hot-to-handle Mark Kehoe was hauled down and Paddy Cadell was black carded for the indiscretion. Jamie Roche again obliged with the close-in free for a worryingly increasing seven points deficit for Brackens.
Two minutes from the end of normal time Jack Kennedy put over his sixth free after Lyndon Fairbrother was fouled, but when Jordan Moloney was dismissed for a second yellow at the same time, attention quickly turned to the Ardfinnan v Grangemockler/Ballyneale game running simultaneously. Fortunately for the Brackens, Kilsheelan seemed content with what they had and as it transpired a late goal for Grangemockler at the other venue meant that that game would end in a worthless draw for Ardfinnan. Brackens had survived, but only just.
Kilsheelan/Kilcash: Evan Comerford (0-1×45), Conor Neville (0-1), Jason Madigan (capt), Tadhg McGuire, Emmet Butler, Daire Brennan, Billy O’Connor (0-2), Micheál Freaney, Billy Murphy, Tommy O’Connor, Mark Kehoe (1-1), Barry Kehoe (0-1), Jamie Roche (0-6F), Conor Davin-Murphy, Liam Freaney (1-0).
Subs: Senan Butler for Davin-Murphy (53 mins).
JK Brackens: Cian Sheedy, Jamie Bergin, Tom Murphy, Martin Delaney, Stevie Cahill, Eanna McBride, Jordan Moloney, Adrian Burke, Shane Doyle, Paddy Cadell (0-2), Conor Cadell, Lyndon Fairbrother (0-1), Dean McEnroe, Jack Kennedy (0-7, 0-5F, 0-1M), Jamie Ormond (0-1).
Subs: Michael Cahill for S Cahill (40 mins); James Corcoran (0-1 for Doyle (43 mins).
Referee: Sean Lonergan (Moyle Rovers).