This article is from page 70 of the 2011-06-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 70 JPG
Kilmurry Ibrickane 1-9 – Kilmihil 0-9 at Cooraclare
KILMURRY Ibrickane got up and running in the 2011 championship, but to say it was a spluttering start is generous – very generous even, as they were severely tested by a Kilmihil team that had scant regard for the former Munster champions’ lofty reputations.
This was evident throughout. Kilmihil forced the pace when playing with the first half breeze, then gritted their teeth and never-said-die in the second half, even after being hit by a 1-3 blast in a five-minute spell, losing Timmy Ryan to a red card and playing the final 20 minutes with only 14 players.
It was that kind of game, more a war of attrition than an open game of football as both slugged it out from start to finish – the difference in the end being the steady hand of experience that Kilmurry showed in the second half.
Ian McInerney slotted the frees, Enda Coughlan really came on strong with three points from play, while Peter O’Dwyer played a captain’s part in the centre of the field as Kilmurry slowly ground out their victory while playing way below themselves as a unit.
Indeed, it was Kilmihil that looked much more of a team in the first half, principally because they had a gameplan built around the industrious Mark O’Connell conducting things at the back and the ploy of playing long and direct ball into David Ryan on the edge of the square.
It worked – O’Connell was the link between defence and attack; Ryan gave Darren Hickey a very tough afternoon, especially in the first half as Kilmihil forged clear by 0-6 to 0-2 by half-time.
It was Ryan who opened the scoring with a point in the fifth minute before Enda Coughlan replied in the tenth minute, but it wasn’t until the 29th minute that Kilmurry again raised a flag when Stephen Moloney shook off his team’s lethargy with a fine point from play.
In between it was all Kilmihil, save Peter O’Dwyer fighting what at the time looked like a very lone battle in the middle of the field. Points by David Reidy and Shane Mangan by the 15th minute and then three Declan Downes points copper-fastened Kilmihil’s first half supremacy. Another Declan Downes free two minutes into the second half stretched Kilmihil’s advantage before the Kilmurry comeback was finally kickstarted by an Ian McInerney free. Then Enda Coughlan helped turned the match decisively in Kilmurry’s favour, pointing in the 37th and 38th minutes, while in between his fisted effort at a goal crashed off the crossbar and into the path of Noel Downes who coolly dispatched to the net. Declan Downes did level matters in the 40th minute with another free, but when Timmy Ryan was sent off it was destined to be Kilmurry’s day as two Ian McInerney frees and points from play by Peter O’Dwyer and Enda Coughlan edged them 1-9 to 08 clear before Paul Reidy grabbed a consolation point in the 64th minute. Kilmihil could have got more though – they screamed foot-block and penalty in the 50th minute when Noel Downes was denied a goal. However, Kilmurry were also denied a goal in the first half when the other Noel Downes’ effort was clearly over the line.