Kildress claimed a first-ever Intermediate Reserve Championship for the Club with this 0-10 to 1-6 win over Aghyaran earlier tonight in the splendid setting of Newtownstewart, a place that will always have very poignant memories for a generation of Kildress Gaels.
For those watching, Kildress seemed to make heavy weather of the second half but it was only when the game was over that it became clear just how strong a breeze was in play, and how it obviously influenced the flow of the game over both halves for both teams.
Kildress started very well and by the first water-break deservedly led by 0-6 to 0-1, winning a lot of ball round the middle, cutting and incisive in attack and with a defence that was able to boss Aghyaran round a bit. By half-time the lead had stretched to six points, 0-9 to 0-3, Pearse Goan frees accounting for all the Aghyaran scores, whilst Niall Connolly’s huge long-ranger was probably the pick of many fine Kildress scores.
Things were looking comfortable for The Tones but Aghyaran planned differently and set to their task, growing more and more into things as the game went on. Shea Quinn’s early point cancelled out Aghyaran’s second-half opener but, weird as it might have seemed at the time, it was to be Kildress’ last score of the game. It wasn’t that they started to play badly but rather that they just found it impossible to score into that deceiving breeze, from play and from frees, and from close in as well as far out.
Aghyaran meanwhile were starting to make themselves look likely winners and a well-taken goal left them just two points behind. They continued to press but good Kildress defending, including some vital turnovers, limited them to just a further point whilst at the other end of the field, scoreless or not, the Kildress forwards kept playing strongly enough to keep relieving the pressure on their defence. For all that, it was only Nathan McKernan’s outstanding save at the very end that stopped the title heading to the far west and brought it, via Captain Chrissy McKenna, to Kildress for the very first time.
As was the case throughout this campaign, the Kildress team performance was outstanding but those catching the eye included Nathan McKernan, Jack Loughran, Tiarnan McNamee, Niall Connolly, Shea Loughran (a Man of the match contender with his three points from play) Conor McAleer, Shea Quinn and Caolan Mullin.
Sean Darcy was, as always, a masterly referee, letting the game flow to the benefit of everyone.
