A week ago Kildress chipped back a big lead to edge home by a point against Owen Roes but on Sunday they ran up an early big lead against Cookstown and in the end just hung on for another one-point victory, this time by 2-10 to 0-15.
A Kildress blitz dominated the game’s opening twenty minutes, Matty McGuigan and Philip Lennon goals putting The Tones into a commanding 2-4 to 0-1 lead. Gerard Grimes’ brilliant penalty save kept the Fr Rocks on the back foot, but they finished the half strongly through Eoin Mulligan and James McGahan, reducing the Kildress lead to six, 2-5 to 0-5.
The second half’s first three points went the Fr Rocks’ way but similar scores from Philip Lennon and Conor McAleer put it back to a six-point game. Cookstown then rallied strongly and dominated the last quarter, outscoring their visitors by 0-6 to 0-1, but the goal that would have turned things never came and Kildress’ great opening to the game meant they were able to weather the Cookstown storm.
After many years of failure against the Fr Rocks, Kildress are now on a good run against their neighbours. This was again a good all round showing from what’s a new and young Kildress team where Gerard Grimes, Dean McNally, Calum Holland and Conor McAleer stood out in defence, Enda McAleer and Eoin Brannigan were strong in midfield and where Matty McGuigan, Philip Lennon and Adam Connolly showed well up front.
Maith Sibh!
Well done to our ‘Famous Five’ Kildress players on the Holy Trinity College team which won a first-ever All-Ireland Colleges title, the Paddy Drummond Cup, in Croke Park on Saturday. It’s a great achievement for our players, their colleagues and their School and they have done themselves, their families, our Club, our Parish and all of us proud. So, Paul Connolly, Pauric Lagan, Tiernan Mackle, Declan McNally and Tiernan McNamee … go n-eirigh an bothar libh! While we’re at it, well done too to Philip McKenna and all at St Ronan’s, Lurgan as they went for and got a first-ever Hogan Cup, also in Croke Park on Saturday.
