Kildress maintained their recent good run over neighbours Cookstown with this 2-12 to 0-13 win at Gortacladdy earlier tonight. ‘Fourteen-scores-to-thirteen’ suggests a close, tight game and this was one where for more than 50 minutes the Fr Rocks gave as good as, if not better than, they got, only to be undone by a Tones two-goal blitz inside a minute.
This was an exciting, entertaining game played in ideal conditions, on a fine summer evening in front of a bumper crowd. Club football as it should be.
The visitors led for most of the first half, a four-points-in-a-row run in the second quarter meaning they were good value for their 0-10 to 0-7 half-time lead. The second half continued in the same pattern and the Fr Rocks edged four points ahead but when Corey Holland’s second point of the night made it a two-point game, Kildress started to take the initiative. Then, in the space of a minute, things changed totally. First, Shea Murphy fired to the net and on the re-start good work by Conor McAleer put Matty McGuigan in for a repeat fine finish.
Suddenly Kildress had found themselves four points to the good and with Cookstown tiring, the Tones were in no mood to let their eight-point turnaround slip, seeing their way home to a five-point win.
For the second week running Kildress impressed in all sectors of the field, but had particularly good showings from Nathan McKernan, new centre-back Cormac Loughran, Pauric Lagan, Conor McAleer, Shea Quinn and their full-forward line of Shea Murphy, Matty McGuigan and Corey Holland who rattled up 2-7 between them.
Fabian McGlone was an excellent referee, letting play flow to the benefit of both teams.
Kildress: Nathan McKernan | Chrissy McKenna, Dean McNally, Niall Connolly (0-1) | Johnny Connolly, Cormac Loughran, Shea Loughran | Enda McAleer, Pauric Lagan | Philip Lennon (0-1), Shea Quinn (0-3), Conor McAleer | Shea Murphy (1-3), Mattie McGuigan (1-2), Corey Holland (0-2) | Eoin Brannigan
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In another highly-entertaining game that see-sawed back and forward, Kildress and Cookstown Reserves played out a memorable 2-8 to 1-11 draw. For the second week running the Kildress goals came from Ben Donnelly and Shea Tracey.
