O’Connor goal steers Kilrush to success

A LETHALLY-finished Rory O’Connor goal, four minutes from full-time, helped Kilrush to secure a well-earned win against St Breckan’s in Quilty last Sunday evening.

Kilrush now enter Round 2, via the losers’ section, while St Breckan’s have to prepare for a relegation semi-final.

While Kilrush deserved their win, their North Clare opponents showed flashes of excellence, with young full-forward Aidan Davidson especially impressive. However, St Breckan’s trainer, Neil Hawes questioned a system that knocks a club out of the championship inside seven days. His side were beaten by a point by Ennistymon in Round 1.

“Looking at the system in general, we only had seven days to get ready and four of our players couldn’t do anything this week with injuries. It’s not the right system. I know we’re out now and we’re disappointed and we congratulate Kilrush but either the four games, in the losers’ round, should be on together or if not, there shouldn’t be just two games played,” he suggested.

“We’re very disappointed to be going out of the championship now after training the whole summer. We’re out of the championship inside a week. You’re trying to encourage young footballers and keep them interested. Our captain, Michael Keating, his cruciate was gone but he wanted to go on and it went again,” he added.

Hawes maintained that missed chances cost his team.

“We missed a lot of scoreable frees. We went in a point down at half-time and maybe we should have been leading. It was nip and tuck; there was nothing in it but we didn’t take our chances when we got them. That’s what it came down to. They got the chance at the end and they took it. There was nothing between the teams in my opinion,” he suggested.

St Breckan’s kicked eight wides, with a number of spurned frees among that tally. They were a point down, 0-6 to 0-5, at the interval with five Kilrush men contributing to their first-half tally. Rory O’Connor, the best forward on the field, kicked a nice point, as did Jack Browne, Jim Young, Stephen Sweeney, Con O’Brien and Darragh Bolton.

Pat Nagle, John Stack and Aidan Davidson put over St Breckan’s points. They only added three second-half scores, with Nagle and Stack again on target.

Kilrush manager, Aidan Moloney maintained that a double substitution, five minutes before half-time, was a huge help to Kilrush.

“I think the introduction of Donal O’Sullivan and Con O’Brien settled us down. We carried that into the second half. We were a bit shaky at the start and maybe fouled a bit too much. We were maybe lucky to be ahead at half-time. St Breckan’s could count themselves unlucky at that stage,” Moloney suggested.

He was buoyed by the performance of some of Kilrush’s younger players.

“Cian Murray is a fine player and there’s good stuff in him and Jack Browne is full of running. If we can round them off a bit, I think they’ll be fine players but I have to say that it was players like Rory O’Connor, Jim Young and Donal O’Sullivan who brought us through,” the Kilrush manager added.

St Breckan’s gave it their best shot in the second period but with Rory O’Connor providing Kilrush with a viable attacking outlet, the 2012 semi-finalists dug out the victory.

Kilrush: Tony Burke; Niall Gilbride, John Hayes, Niall Clancy; Cian Murray, Matthew Moloney, Chris Dixon; Eoghan O’Kelly, Paddy Clancy; Darragh Bolton, Stephen Sweeney, Danny Lynch; Rory O’Connor, Jim Young (captain), Jack Browne.
Subs: Con O’Brien for Danny Lynch, Donal O’Sullivan for Eoghan O’Kelly (both 25) and Padjoe McGrath for Stephen Sweeney (51).
Scorers: Rory O’Connor (1-2), Jim Young (0-3f), Jack Browne, Stephen Sweeney, Con O’Brien and Darragh Bolton (0-1 each).
Frees: 24; wides: 8; 45s: 0.
Yellow cards: Rory O’Connor and Danny Lynch.
St Breckan’s: Declan Hawes; Liam Tierney, Conor Howley, Daniel Carey (captain); Declan Stack, Denis O’Driscoll, Cathal Blood; John McDonagh, Maccon Byrne; Conor Cormican, Seán Cormican, Dale Masterson; Pat Nagle, Aidan Davidson, John Stack.
Subs: Conor Howley for Liam Tierney (half-time), Mikey Keating for Declan Stack (38) and Michael Reddan for Mikey Keating (55, injured).
Scorers: Pat Nagle (0-4, 2f), John Stack (0-2, 1f), Aidan Davidson and Cathal Blood (0-1 each).
Frees: 29; wides: 8; 45s: 2.
Yellow cards: John McDonagh and Cathal Blood.
Referee: Jim Hickey, Cratloe