Kilanerin win fourth senior football title.
1997 Wexford Senior Football Final
Kilanerin 2-12 (18) Adamstown 0-07 (07)
Kilanerin eclipsed championship hopefuls Adamstown when turning in a polished performance to clinch their fourth county senior football title in a moderate Wexford Creamery sponsored final at Bellefield on Sunday 21st September 1997.
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The north county men laid the foundations for their first outright success in the competition since 1995 through a performance of simple perfection, with goals in the 17th and 21st minutes lofting themselves to the heights which Adamstown were themselves unable to reach.
Nothing seperated the sides in terms of class until Kilanerin's first goal arrived via the penalty spot, after which they finally sprung to a 2-6 to two point advantage at the halfway stage.
The spirited final debutantes from the New Ross district gave their opponents a run for their moneyfor long periods of the second half, but the winners still had the measure of them.
Kilanerin again outscored their opponents after the resumption by 0-6 to 0-5 to clinch an expected win and seal their passage into the AIB Leinster Club Championship where they will take on Rathnew, the champions of Wicklow.
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Adamstown were hoping to make history after they had won the Junior A and Interemediate championships in 1995 and 1996. A Senior championship would have completed a unique hat-trick, while KIlanerin were trying to make up for their defeat in the 1996 final against Glynn-Barntown.
Usual wing-back Michael Hughes (right) was switched to wing-forward to fill in the spot vacated by Michael D'Arcy who had broken his arm in the semi-final win over Sarsfields. PJ Gethings was given the call up to strengthen the defence.
Adamstown opened the game promisingly with a Richie Purcell point, but it was the only time they led in the match. Points from John Hegarty and Matty Forde were responded to with a Pat barden point. In the sixteenth minute the turning point came when some desperate defending conceeded a penalty to the Kilanerin men which John Hegarty dispatched past his inter-county colleague John Cooper via both uprights!.
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A Matty Forde pointed free followed in the 18th minute. Brimming with confidence at this stage Kilanerin produced a second goal in the 21st minute following a move involving Donal Noonan and Nicky DArcy. D'Arcy's shot came back from the upright, Matty Forde's rebound struck a defender, but Nicky D'Arcy (right) followed up to crash the ball to the net.
As Adamstown's confidence waned after that goal, Kilanerin's brilliant midfielder Jim D'Arcy registered a brace of points from play to put his side 2-6 to 0-2 in front at the interval
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The Adamstown men rose their challenge on the resumption, with fouls on Padraig and Jason Lawlor earning them frees which Barden pointed in the 31st and 34th minutes respectively to inspire some belief into his side. But the winners struck back in a determined effort to calm the black and amber's revival as John Hegarty pointed twice from play, with Jim D'Arcy once again doing most of the donkey work.
The south county contigent produced another scoring burst with a point apiece for the Lawlor brothers Padraig and Jason, reducing Kilanerin's advantage to eight points (2-9 to 0-7) with eleven minutes left. However, they failed to score for the rest of the match. The winners finished off the match in style with points from Matty Forde, Hegarty and Paul Hughes who made his first appearance for a year since he suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury.
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While the outcome may have been an expected one, the Kilanerin supporters voiced their delight afterwards and particularly so when Chris Murray accepted the Wexford Creamery Cup from County Chairman Paddy Wickham, who had words of praise for both teams.
Kilanerin's super full-forward John Hegarty (right), meanwhile, was the recipient of an attractive statuette when named the Wexford Creamery 'Man of the Match'.
For the champions, goalie Barry Hughes exuded confidence, while the full-back line of Pat and Chris Murray and Stephen Kavanagh were rock solid.
The half-back line were also to the fore, while Jim D'Arcy and Seamus Hughes dominated the centre field exchanges, Nicky D'Arcy was one of the shinning stars upfront where Donal Noonan, John Hegarty and Mattie Forde also shone through.
Kilanerin Team: Barry Hughes, Pat Murray, Chris Murray (capt.), Stephen Kavanagh, Micheal Hughes (Castlelands), Michael Higgins, PJ Gethings; Jim D'Arcy (0-2), Seamus Hughes; Nicky D'Arcy (1-0), Pat Forde, Michael Hughes (Annagh); Donal Noonan, John Hegarty (1-5), Matty Forde (0-4).
Subs: Paul Hughes (0-1) for P. Forde; Michael Murphy for Noonan; Gordon Hughes for Micheal Hughes (Castlelands).