Kilmore recover to win cup derby
KILMORE UNITED opened up their Carlton Millrace Wexford Cup campaign with a strong away performance as they came from behind to knock out fellow Division 1 side All Blacks in Ballycogley on Sunday morning last.
The sides are at different ends of the league table but it was far from evident which one was fighting for the title as the home team, sitting one from the bottom, got off to a flying start.
Indeed, they would have hit the front in the seventh minute had it not been for the alert reactions of goalkeeper Jimmy Benson. Shane Cousins' floated ball towards the penalty spot landed perfectly for Graham Healy but his powerfully-struck volley was clawed away by the stopper.
The reprieve was short-lived however as the home side continued to force the issue. Jamie Moore's long ball forward arrived at the feet of Robet Dempsey, via a Cousins flick, and the forward beat his man for pace before slotting to the bottom right corner of the Kilmore net.
On top, All Blacks really needed to make their good spell count with a second goal. When Dylan Sparrow headed down into the path of John Codd and he went down under the challenge of Gary Moore it looked like they might get it by way of a penalty, but referee Seamus Ryan waved away the vociferous appeals and it soon proved costly.
Playing with one man up front early meant Kilmore struggled to make an impact in the final third, so it came as no surprise that when they got two men in challenging All Blacks 'keeper Kevin Keating for a Mark Doyle centre, they garnered an equaliser. It was unfortunate for Keating who spilled the cross onto Shane Cassidy's back, with the ball trickling over the goal-line for the leveller.
Kilmore, it could be argued, just about deserved to be level at the interval but there was no argument at the final whistle as they dominated the second-half.
It took only four minutes of the period for them to hit the front for the first time as Cassidy's corner from the right - which was initially headed at goal by Gary Moore - was forced over the line at the second attempt by alert striker Mark Doyle.
Dempsey did have a good chance to equalise again, looping an effort onto the roof of the net with Benson stranded off his line, but Kilmore made the game safe eight minutes from time when Paul Murphy's bullet shot wasn't held by Keating and David Moore arrived on cue to seal
his side's place in round two.
ALL BLACKS
Kevin Keating; Jamie Moore, Alan Jones, Conor Day, Eoin O'shea; Cathal O'brien, Shane Cousins, Dylan Sparrow, John Codd; Robert Dempsey, Graham Healy. SUBS: Niall Moore for O'brien, David Moore for Codd.
KILMORE UNITED
Jimmy Benson; Seán Toddington, Gary Moore, Mark Maloney, Willie Murphy; Darragh Naughton, Aaron Goff, David Moore, Colm Benson, Shane Cassidy; Mark Doyle. SUBS: Paul Murphy for C. Benson, Anthony Cooney for Goff, Shane Goff for Toddington. VENUE: Ballycogley. REFEREE: Seamus Ryan.
