Kerry Club Championship 2020 Rd 2

There is “leaving it late” and there is “leaving it late” getting a goal in the 7th minute of additional time to win your club championship match is not for the faint hearted!!

This is exactly what happened when we took on our local rivals Templenoe in the second round of the Senior Club Championship. This mouth-watering derby lived up to expectations with two side going hell for leather from the word go.

Kenmare played with a stiff breeze in the first half, but it was the home side who got off the mark first with a point from the boot of Killian Spillane. By the end on the match this classy corner forward was to score another 7 points. On the 5th minute Michael McCarthy weaved through the Templenoe defence before hand-passing to Kevin O’Sullivan who blasted the ball passed the Templenoe keeper Mark Looney. It was the start we wanted and just 2 minutes later Fionan O’Sullivan found himself bearing down on goal and sweety striking it low into the corner of the net. When the ref blew for the first water break the scoreboard read Kenmare 2-2 Templenoe 0-02.

Templenoe were a different side when play resumed, and they went back to a full complement of 15 (black cards for John Rice and Daniel Cahalane). Points from Killian, Stephen O’Sullivan and a goal from Adrian Spillane had the bare minimum between the side with 32 minutes gone. Our midfielder Kevin O’Sullivan was then sin binned before Dara Crowley came up from the corner back position and kicked a peach of a point from all of 40 yards out. Going in at the break Kenmare had a 2-point lead and a lot of work to do in the second half.

We made one change at half time where Tom Murnane replaced Tommy Cronin. Within 10 minutes of the restart, Killian Spillane had kicked 4 points for Templenoe, and our only response was a Paul O’Connor point. This left the score at Templenoe 1-08 Kenmare 2-4 with 40 minutes gone. To make life harder, Sean O’Shea was black carded, and the home side were on the ascendancy. Paul O Connor took over kicking duties and slotted over his 3rd point on the match on the 47th minute to bring the sides level. Matt Murnane replaced Shane O’Sullivan in the wing back position.

This game was always going to go down to the wire and would twist and turn a few more times. 2 minutes after Sean came back on the field, he kicked over his first point of the match to put us back in front. Sean O Leary replaced Michael McCarthy (47 min) and Rory O’Sullivan came on for Fionan O’Sullivan on the 57-minute mark. It was Templenoe who were having their purple patch kicking the next 3 points from the boots of Killian and Colin Crowley and the fist of Cian Hallissey. Just before Hallissey’s point Dan McCarthy burst through the home defence only to see this shot skew off the outside of his boot and wide… was that out best chance gone?

By now, there was 6 minutes of additional time played, we launched one last attack up field. Some neat build up between Kieran Fitz, Matt Murnane and the two Crowley brothers had got the ball to midfield where James Mac was fouled. Kevin took the resulting free and sent it high and long into the square to the waiting Sean O’Shea. He rose highest and punched the ball goalward where it was saved by the keeper, it rebounded out, hit off a defender before hitting the post and into the path of the waiting Paul O’Connor who stuck it in the net. Now the scoreboard read Templenoe 1-11 Kenmare 3-06 and that is the way it stayed. Relief all round for the players and management who had to dig deep to grind out this result. Commiserations to Templenoe who battled hard to the end. We now come up against Dr Crokes next weekend at home with our destiny firmly in our hands.

Kenmare Shamrocks
Kieran Fitzgibbon (C) 2. Dara Crowley 0-1 3. James McCarthy 4. Tommy O’ Sullivan 5. Shane O’ Sullivan 6. Dara O’ Shea 7. Mark Crowley 8. Kevin O’ Sullivan 1-1 9. Fionan O’ Sullivan 1-0 10. Stephen O’ Brien 11. Dan McCarthy 12. Tommy Cronin 13. Michael McCarthy 14. Sean O’ Shea 0-1 15. Paul O’ Connor 1-3 (0-1M, 0-2f)

Subs: 16. Ray Shea 17. Matt Murnane for Shane O’Sullivan (44) 18. Sean O’Leary for Michael McCarthy (47) 19. Tom Murnane for Tommy Cronin (H/T) 20. Cian O’Sullivan 21. Rory O’Sullivan Fionan O’ Sullivan (57) 22. Ciaran O’Sullivan 23. Kevin Price 24. Tom O’Sullivan 25. David Cronin 26. Kane Reidy 27. Dylan O’Connor 28. Dan Lucey 29. Padraig Cronin 30. Cian Hanley
Manager: D.J Brennan
Selectors: John Sullivan, Seamus MacGearailt and Shane Dalton