Morgan Fuels Down SFC round two: Kilcoo 1-10 Mayobridge 0-5
THEY came for an arm wrestle. What they got barely amounted to a thumb-war.
There wasn’t much about Mayobridge’s league campaign that suggested they’d scalp Kilcoo but still, the pre-match held some hope that they’d at least draw blood before it was over.
What transpired was so passive and so like last year’s semi-final that it’s hard to see any way back into championship contention for Steven Poacher’s side.
After scoring just 0-4 eleven months ago, they needed some sort of psychological platform on which to build into the latter stages. This was not it.
A big crowd in Páirc Esler had been enthralled by a classic minor final between the same two teams, playing in glorious sunshine and won by the ‘Bridge for their first title at the grade in 15 years.
It was probably ambitious to believe the senior game would ever follow suit but nobody was prepared for just how pedestrian the game was.
The sides shared just two points in the opening 20 minutes, yet the signs were there that Karl Lacey’s men would get to grips with it quicker.
They were moving the Mayobridge sweeper out of the hole and opening gaps with their runners right down the middle. Three times the final pass was just off or they’d have been in for goal.
Ceilum Doherty might even have gone for one with their first score, surging through but opting to point on his left foot.
Mayobridge’s gameplan all night revolved around rotating their full-forward and thumping the ball into the sky.
CJ Barr often took up the station from his midfield berth. But with Aaron Morgan tailing him and Ryan McEvoy plus sweeper Daryl Branagan aware of what was happening, they dealt with it far too comfortably for the ‘Bridge to have persisted with it for as long as they did.
The other weapon the beaten side tried to break out was a 90-yard kick over the top from Charlie Smyth. And even though Kilcoo read it and did really well on it, twice the blue shirts got there and you could see the potential for a goal. They didn’t execute it, but it was there if they had.
Daryl Branagan looked really sharp, kicking a superb point going away from goal as they slipped into gear. Shealan Johnston had just pointed after a rapid counter-attack when Charlie Smyth had been bowled over by a perfect hit from McEvoy. Again the goal was maybe on but even at just 0-3 to 0-1, the point felt like plenty.
And the patience paid off. In a fairly poor quality half of endless turnovers, it was fitting the goal came when Kilcoo gave the ball away and Mayobridge gave it back to them.
Kevin McClorey’s pass was robbed by Niall Branagan. They worked it well, with Branagan feeding Jack Devlin and Devlin feeding Jerome Johnston, making sure they got the right man on the edge of a glaring chance. He didn’t miss and hit the wall.
1-5 to 0-2 at the interval was about reflective of both the gap between the teams and the quality of attacking play.
It wasn’t even that it was overly defensive – it was just poor. It lacked any real cut.
Barring Conleth O’Hare putting himself about a bit early on – which ended up in him being booked after seven minutes – there was hardly a glove laid by anyone.
The ‘Bridge made a double-change at half-time and the first ball was thrown into the sky at the imposing Jamie Barr, but McEvoy broke it from beneath the crossbar.
It felt as though Daniel Bannon’s perfect shoulder charge on a full-flight Shealan Johnston was the first thing the underdogs’ support had to rouse them in the entire first 35 minutes.
Another long diagonal for Caolan Gallagher’s brilliant one-handed take didn’t get the finish to the net it merited. Twenty seconds later, Anthony Morgan was dropping one over Smyth’s black spot. 1-6 to 0-2 and no sign of it changing.
Conleth O’Hare kicked a superb score but with Daryl Branagan and the outstanding Miceal Rooney hurting them from deep, Mayobridge needed Charlie Smyth to deny Sean Óg McCusker and Daryl Branagan with good second half saves.
With Down manager Conor Laverty getting the last 15 minutes out of it as a sub, the entire second half had the feel of procession. Mayobridge persisted with the long ball and Kilcoo persisted with breaking the ball and their spirit.
When one finally did fall for Caolan Gallagher and he was fouled, Shane Annett’s low penalty was brilliantly turned around the post by a full-stretch Niall Kane.
He proceeded to launch his next kickout 90 yards and led to a goal chance having to be cynically stopped by Shane McNamee, who was black carded for dragging down Aaron Morgan with the goal gaping.
The beaten side finished with just 0-5 on the board, beaten by the same margin of eight as last year and not really looking any further forward.
It was too easy for Kilcoo to properly judge where they are either. Maybe they’re making hard games look easy. You’d have to think there are much tougher tests ahead.
MATCH STATS
Kilcoo: N Kane (0-2, 0-1 45, 0-1 free); N Branagan, R McEvoy, M Rooney (0-1); D Branagan (0-1); C Rogers, J Devlin; Aaron Morgan, Anthony Morgan (0-2); R Johnston, S Johnston (0-1), J Johnston (1-0), M Hynes; C Rooney (0-1), C Doherty (0-2)
Subs: S Óg McCusker for J Devlin (42), N Rogers for S Johnston (45), C Laverty for J Johnston (48), T Fettes for C Rogers (59)
Mayobridge: C Smyth (0-1 45); C Fitzpatrick, S McNamee, D Bannon; Conall Gallagher, K McClorey, S Smyth; CJ Barr, S O’Hare; R Brady, A Crimmins (0-2 frees), C Poland; Caolan Gallagher (0-1), C O’Hare (0-1), S Annett
Subs: J McKay for McClorey (HT), J Barr for S Smyth (HT), A Magee for Poland (46), L Quinn for Conall Gallagher (46)
Black card: S McNamee (56)
Referee: D O’Hare (Burren)