Treacy leads the way in Loughmore Castleiney defeat of Killenaule

FBD Insurance Senior Football Championship - Group 3 - Round 1

Loughmore Castleiney 1-10

Killenaule 0-7

Loughmore Castleiney got their FBD Insurance Senior Football Championship campaign off to a winning start, with the victory paved in a fruitful first-half performance which gave them a cushion that opponents Killenaule could not reel back in Littleton last Saturday evening.

Former Tipperary footballer Liam Treacy was the driving force behind Loughmore’s dominance in the first period, and with the aid of the breeze, they made the most of the elements, taking a strong 1-8 to 0-4 lead in at half-time.

Treacy was behind everything good to come from the Mid club. Operating at midfield, his incisive running and link-up play was extremely effective and he finished the half with a personal tally of 1-2 before he had to be withdrawn at half-time through injury.

While the first-half effort was a mostly clinical one from Loughmore, they never fully capitalized on their dominance in the second half as Killenaule benefitted from the deceptive breeze in Littleton, and only for some really poor shooting, the result could have been closer by the end of the contest.

But it wasn’t to be as a fairly tame contest petered out for a finish and with the likes of Paddy Codd and Michael Doyle only coming on at half-time, you could be forgiven for thinking that they should have started the game; especially Doyle who looked sharp in his time on the pitch, lobbing over two classy scores in the second half.

Alas, the overall result will satisfy Loughmore more so than the performance as they get their campaign off to a winning start, and they started the game like a team who wanted to stamp their authority on proceedings from an early stage.

Ciaran McGrath got the scoring going after seven minutes with a close-range effort, and they nearly added a goal two minutes later when Eoin O’Connell powered down the middle of the Killenaule defence before setting up Eamon Connolly with a golden goal chance, but the fisted effort from the wing forward flew over the bar. An early let-off for Killenaule.

Indeed, that hard defence splitting running was a key feature of the opening quarter as Loughmore opened up the Killenaule defence regularly; Liam Treacy getting his account off the mark in the 10th minute when he drilled a glorious goal chance over the bar from close range.

Killenaule responded to that early Loughmore period of dominance well by scoring the next two points from Ciaran O’Dwyer and Oisin Shelly, but Loughmore eventually did find the back of the net when Liam Treacy eventually punished their lax defending, bearing in on goal and selling a dummy before blasting a left-footed effort to the top corner.

Paudie Feehan made it a two-point goal though as he had the ball over the bar at the other end a couple of minutes later but Loughmore dominated the second quarter with Mossy McGrath hitting two lovely points in that time, while Treacy, Ciaran McGrath and Noel McGrath all found the target to give them a 1-8 to 0-4 lead at the break.

The second have would have challenged the conviction of even the most ardent of football supporters as Loughmore settled into a more defensive set in the second half but Killenaule still created the chances to make hay but left their shooting boots after them on this occasion.

Michael Doyle hit two of the nicest scores of the game in the 33rd and 56th minutes respectively, but those kinds of finishes were far too few and far between and despite winning the second half 0-3 to 0-2, Loughmore held out without much fuss to secure an opening round win.

Loughmore Castleiney: Shane Hennessy; Willie Eviston, John Ryan, Ed Meagher; Tommy Maher, Tomás McGrath (0-2), Eoin O’Connell; Noel McGrath (0-1), Liam Treacy (1-2); Eamon Connolly (0-1), Aidan McGrath (0-1), John McGrath; Liam McGrath (0-1), Ciaran McGrath (0-2), Conor Ryan.

Subs used: Brian McGrath for Treacy (HT); Ciaran Connolly for Ryan (39); Lorcan Egan for O’Connell (49); Philip O’Connell for A McGrath (49).

Killenaule: Thomas Fitzgerald; Finn Nolan, Jimmy Feehan (0-1), Jack Hassett; Cian Johnson, Ciaran O’Dwyer (0-1), Podge O’Dwyer; Paudie Feehan (0-1), Tom Stakelum; Luke Ryan, Joe O’Dwyer, Oisin Shelly (0-1); Tom Keaveney, Eoin Shaw, Fionn Fitzgerald (0-1).

Subs used: Paddy Codd for Shaw (HT); Michael Doyle (0-2) for Shelly (HT); Eoin O’Connell for T Stakelum (HT); Dara Fitzgerald for F Fitzgerald (50); Mark Stakelum for Johnson (56, inj).

Referee: Tom McGlinchey (Newport)