By Tomás Moore
INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
CLONASLEE/ST MANMAN’S 0-15 KILLESHIN 0-9
A POTENTIAL banana skin was avoided by Clonaslee/St Manman’s as they returned to the senior ranks at the first time of asking. Last year’s relegation to the inter-mediate championship now seems a distant nightmare as they comfortably dispatched of the Killeshin challenge.
The winners always held the upper hand and were never to relinquish the lead they had built up with a fine performance in the opening half that was to prove the stepping stone to success. Midway through the half they were ahead 0-7 to 0-1 and had completely blown their opponents away.
Some fine passing from John Rowney created space in the forwards and this was an area the winners utilised for 60 minutes.
Scores from Eoin Gorman were tapped over with ease as Killeshin were unable to deal with the honest physical element which Clonaslee brought to the final.
The midfield battle was always going to be a huge influence on the outcome and Killeshin would have to match their opponents here if they were to get anything out of the game. But they didn’t do enough to counteract Rowney and Darren Hogan in this sector and the Clonaslee duo were to have a huge influence the encounter.
However, Killeshin will look upon this as a learning experience as initially people didn’t even expect them to qualify from the group stages, let alone to be within 60 minutes of playing in the senior championship.
The Carlow border side needed a good start to have any chance of contesting this game. Instead it was their opponents who came out of the blocks quickest when Eoin Gorman sailed over two points without reply.
Finally we got a response from Killeshin through Gavin Brennan but, this was as good as it got as Rowney, James Young, Gorman, Mark Rooney and Gorman again pushed their side ahead 0-7 to 0-1 with ten minutes remaining to half time.
But Killeshin, to their credit fought back with successive scores from Barry Ryan, Mark O’Regan and Danny Bolton before the interval as the margin was reduced to four points.
The task was made ever tougher in the second half when O’Regan was harshly red carded following a tussle with Glen McEvoy.
Any chance of a comeback had now disappeared as Eoin Gorman had already added his fourth point of the afternoon. The margin was then extended to six points when Conor Gorman got in on the scoring act as time began to run out.
Two scores in quick succession from Damien Lowry did reduce the deficit but it was never going to be enough for the Carlow border side to pose a serious threat.
Clonaslee re-introduced Mark Rooney as he returned after an eye injury to boost their team. His first pass set up Thomas Tynan for an insurance score as the bubble finally burst on any hope of Killeshin winning their first IFC crown since 1993.
CLONASLEE/ST MANMAN’S: Martin Fallon; Keith Hogan, Ed Conroy, Enda Fitzgerald; Glen McEvoy, Ger Dunne, Shane Conroy; Darren Hogan, John Rowney (.-.); John Rigney, Eoin Gorman (.-., .f), Conor Gorman (.-.); Thomas Tynan (.-.), Mark Rooney (.-.), James Young ( Subs: Conor Dunne (.-.) for Rooney (..mins, inj), Seamus Rosney for Hogan (..mins), P.J. Fitzpatrick for C. Gorman (..mins), Mark Rooney for Young (..mins), Conor McEvoy for S. Conroy (..mins) KILLESHIN: Shane Whelan; Jeremy Mahon, Eddie Brennan, Pauric Bolton; Barry Ryan ( Danny Bolton (.-.), Diarmuid Whelan; Gavin Brennan (.-.), Arnie Mahon; Cathal Brennan, Mark O’Regan (.-.), Alan Brennan; Simon Attride, Damien Lowry (.-., .f), Niall Brennan.
REFEREE: Eddie Kinsella (Courtwood)