Intermediate Football Championship SemiFinal:-
Kilglass Gaels ...... 0-12 St. Dominics ...... 0-8
So much for the historical precedence that favoured St. Dominics ahead of this spikily competitive scrap. The senior team of only a few years ago, their form suggested a return to the higher grade could well be imminent. However, they failed to take into account the footballing maturity now wielded by crafty Kilglass.
Tired of a lingering constituency which never threatened the bounds of the intermediate grade, Kilglass, buoyed as ever by the talismanic Tommie Washington, served up a spectacle that deservedly earned them a first ever crack in the decider.
The malaise which affected them last year when losing out to Clann na nGael in an engrossing two-and-a-half hour opening encounter which should have gone their way has been eradicated from their overall package, and the bombardment they inflicted at times upon Dominics in a tie played at a terrific tempo was gripping.
A tight game that was level at two apiece on twelve minutes was
transformed into a seven-two lead just eight minutes later through use of heartening
stealth and a swaggering verve. And although Dominics eventually sought to reverse their
darkening situation late on by clawing their way back to within two points with fourteen
minutes remaining, further telling passes by Kilglass materialised to create for them the
scores that decided the issue.
padriag nugent on the ball
And deservedly so. Their pacy play was constantly too troublesome for an unsettled Dominics defence that failed to cope with the effective counter-attacking menace from midfield posed by Padraig Nugent and Joey Casey. Casey’s unflinching spirit marked him out as the principal creator and with Tom Deehan weighing in with a hefty quota of probing balls, the platform for Kilglass to prosper was constructed.
Tom Tully and Tommie Washington were the main beneficiaries of this healthy supply of possession and Dominics’ defence, sluggish in movement, were sufficiently stretched.
It was only when Dermot Gannon was introduced at the interval that the Knockcroghery outfit’s furrowed brows began to mellow. Thomas Killian, operating in a centre forward role, became more prominent and Ultan Kelly began to find the range following his forgettable first half, a phase in which a number of kickable chances were sent whizzing astray.
Ultimately, though, they did not possess the class to carve out a victory. Having mounted their comeback which menacingly manoeuvred them towards salvation, their momentum subsided and indeed it was Kilglass who came closest to notching a goal when they rattled a post late on.
It had all started steadily enough, with Tommie Washington and Colm Finneran trading early points and Washington repeated the trick by sharing scoring duties with Killian. But from being even-steven, from nowhere Kilglass suddenly assumed ascendancy and five scores in a five minute spell was just the sort of phase that rendered them competent intermediate final combatants.
kilglass back's keeping their men at bay
Fittingly enough, it was a score from Casey that clicked them into the groove. A quick free by Tommie Washington to brother Dermot added another within a minute and although Dermot’s trajectory blipped with his next effort, the restarting kick-out by Aidan O’Beirne was returned over the bar by Tully.
From there it just got better for Kilglass. Vinny Murphy’s long ball was touched down and briskly dispatched over the bar before one of the hour’s best moves, featuring Nugent, Nigel Bushell, McHugh and Dermot Washington, resulted in a free which Tommie Washington tapped over for the seven-two advantage.
Dominics were shocked and rightly so. From looking to have the measure of their opponents, they were now left dithering in their attempts to keep the faith. It was just as well that the Kilglass bombardment stopped there, only resuming just before the interval when Washington added another free.
A post-interval Dominics riposte was inevitable, however, though it took a while to get going. Wides by Conor Fallon and Mike Tarpey added to the anxious twitches of the sideline mentors and even though Kelly managed a free, it was only after Bushell’s point on forty-three minutes that Dominics cranked up their gander to start making in-roads on the deficit.
Four scores in a punchy four minute spell, the majority emanating from long balls that caught the Kilglass defence unawares, galvanised their resolve and with plenty of time left to make up the remaining two point shortfall, the usurping of the long-time leaders appeared possible.
Over the year when in situations similar to this, Kilglass had all too often folded. But the 1999 edition have a somewhat steely backbone and this helped them to keep their nerve. Dominics had numerous chances to make the cut but rashness in shooting saw four wides registered and a number of other shots drop short into the relieved arms of Sean Davis in the Kilglass goal.
Biding their time, Kilglass waited for the opportune moment to launch a counter-attack and when Tully fastened on to fifty-fifth minute possession to score, Dominics’ effort to achieve parity lurched backwards. O’Beirne’s restart went Tully’s way and another point was potted.
The urgency for goals now swamped Dominics’ intentions but their inside line failed to get a real sight of Davis’s net. Instead, a blocked Finneran shot which was pointed on the rebound by Killian was all the could muster in reply before Washington rounded off Kilglass’s finest hour.
Just as Western Gaels enlivened last year’s championship with their freshness, Kilglass have done likewise to deservedly find themselves just a game away from reaching the higher echelon. Their brashy approach is to be welcomed and their appearance in the final should be an occasion to savour.
Kilglass Gaels: S. Davis; T. Tighe, R. Lannon, V. Murphy; M. McHugh, T. Deehan, T. Diffley; P. Nugent, J. Casey (0-1); T. McDonagh, D. Washington (0-1), T. Tully (0-3); N. Bushell (0-1), T. Washington (0-6, four frees), J. Tighe (0-1). Subs. used: A. Lannon for T. Tighe (42 mins), S. Washington for McHugh (61 mins).
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