Shamrocks sink Swinford to book MacHale Park return
Sean Horan kicked two points and was hugely influential in Kilmovee's semi-final victory over East Mayo rivals Swinford on Saturday.
MacHale Park beckons once more for the footballers of Kilmovee Shamrocks after a thoroughly deserved victory over Swinford in Saturday’s county junior ‘B’ football championship semi-final. Last season’s beaten finalists held the upper-hand for the majority of this all-East Mayo affair, trailing only briefly for a couple of minutes at the midpoint of the first-half.
Swinford found themselves six points behind after 40 minutes and while managing to reduce their arrears to two points with five minutes left to play, the home side called a halt and booked their ticket to Sunday week’s final.
A first-half goal by Liam Boyle, six points from corner-forward Peter Horan, and excellent defensive efforts by the Moffatts, Kevin and team captain Liam, Tom Horan, and from midfielder Oisin Duffy and Sean Horan, were major contributory factors to Kilmovee’s success, so too the hard running of livewire Darragh Towey, whose pace was a constant cause of concern for Swinford. The visitors chance of victory was badly hindered by the loss of Luke McNicholas to injury after 18 minutes.
McNicholas had kicked an equalising point in the fourth minute after Gavin Duffy had opened the scoring in the second, with Swinford having moved 0-4 to 0-3 ahead by the time of their midfielder’s departure – their other early points scored by Jason McLoughlin and Liam Moran, two, after white flags at the other end by Oisin Duffy and Sean Horan.
The key moment of this match came on 22 minutes when Peter Horan released Oisin Duffy down the right wing. The Kilmovee midfielder powered his way forward and fired a shot across the goalmouth that fell favourably for Liam Boyle whose speculative run from deep was rewarded with a goal via a deflection off the head of an unlucky Swinford defender. Peter Horan added a pair of points, including one from a free, and by half-time Shamrocks were in control of a 1-6 to 0-4 lead.
The ten minutes after the restart was the game’s most active scoring period. It took David Taylor only thirty seconds to register Swinford’s opening point of the second-half – their first since the fifteenth minute – and although that was swiftly negated by Sean Horan, after a devastating turn of pace from Darragh Towey to set up the chance, Swinford struck back-to-back points via frees by Liam Moran and Kevin McDonagh to make it a one score game, 1-7 to 0-7.
Back came Kilmovee and after 40 minutes they were 1-10 to 0-7 ahead thanks to first points by Callum Sweeney and full-back Kevin Moffatt, off his fist, and Peter Horan’s first of four second-half points, this from a free.
The same player very nearly pilfered an opportunistic goal when spotting goalkeeper Aaron Kinsella off his line after a mix-up in the Swinford defence, but Horan’s lobbed effort from the ring wing skidded off the crossbar and back into play.
Swinford tried hard to capitalise on that reprieve and did pick off the next three points, with Liam Moran hitting a brace, including his only point from play, and Kevin McDonagh, whose free punished a three-up breach by Kilmovee. The latter almost fluked a goal too when another of his frees dropped into the small square and ricocheted off Kilmovee goalkeeper Killian Golden’s right-hand post.
But it was the hosts who were always the more inventive of the two teams and Sean Horan will wonder how he didn’t manage to put the game to bed when having two cracks at goal in the 51st minute, after an excellent delivery over the top by Oisin Duffy, as Swinford’s scrambled defence somehow kept the ball from crossing the line.
Two singles by Peter Horan either side of a converted two-point free at the other end by Liam Moran meant a goal still separated the sides entering second-half stoppage time, during which time Moran had a pair of two-point efforts, including one from play, drop agonisingly short for Swinford. That left Peter Horan’s pointed free in the fourth added minute as the insurance score for a Kilmovee team who return to the junior ‘B’ final intent on atoning for last year’s six points defeat to Achill, who they will face yet again.
Scorers – Kilmovee: Peter Horan 0-0-6 (3f), Liam Boyle 1-0-0, Sean Horan 0-0-2, Gavin Duffy, Oisin Duffy, Darragh Towey, Kevin Moffatt and Callum Sweeney 0-0-1 each.
Swinford: Liam Moran 0-1-5 (1tpf, 4f), Kevin McDonagh 0-0-2f, Luke McNicholas, Jason McLoughlin and David Taylor 0-0-1 each.
Kilmovee Shamrocks: Killian Golden; Thomas Rushe, Kevin Moffatt, Liam Moffatt; Liam Boyle, Tom Horan, Sean Higgins; Eoghain Duffy, Oisin Duffy; Ronan Dunleavy, Callum Sweeney, Darragh Towey; Gavin Duffy, Sean Horan, Peter Horan. Subs: Rob Kelly (for G Duffy 46), Liam Frain (for K Moffatt 55).
Swinford: Aaron Kinsella; Alan Howie, Paul McNicholas, Alan McLoughlin; Mark McNicholas, Jack Ferguson, Sean McDonagh; Danny Molloy, Luke McNicholas; David Taylor, Colin Dempsey, Jason McLoughlin; Josh Smith, Liam Moran, Darren Campbell. Subs: Sean Brady (for L McNicholas 18, inj); Kevin McDonagh (for S McDonagh ht), Darragh Hanley (for P McNicholas 41), Mark Forkan (for J McLoughlin 54), Darren Campbell (for Howie 59).
REF: John Brennan (Claremorris)
