Tonic victory for Ardfinnan in first round of county senior football championship in Tipperary

Ardfinnan 1-8 Kilsheelan Kilcash 0-10

Old rivals Ardfinnan and Kilsheelan Kilcash met in the first round of the County Senior Football Championship in Cahir on Saturday last, and while the football may not have been of the highest standard it was fiercely competitive and fought out to the final whistle.

There was nothing between the sides for most of the hour, with only the minimum separating them at the final whistle.
The lead changed hands several times in the first half but a goal for Ardfinnan by Darragh O’ Leary at the end of the half put them in the driving seat and probably made the difference in the end.

Ardfinnan started off at a fast pace and opened the scoring with a pointed free by Michael Barlow. They were winning a lot of possession around the centerfield and half forward area in the early minutes of the game and after a good movement Darragh O’Leary pointed.

It took Kilsheelan Kilcash a while to adjust to the pace of the game but when they did, they were a match for their opponents. Jamie Roche scored a fine point from play to open his side’s account and goalie Evan Comerford levelled the game with a pointed free from outside the 45 area.

The lead was short-lived and a long range free from Ardfinnan’s Gerry Cronin put his side ahead again. Barry Kehoe scored a great point from play for Kilsheelan Kilcash and following a good passing movement Conor Davin Murphy offloaded to Sean Freaney, who fisted the ball over the bar.

Oisin Ryan had a point for Ardfinnan to leave the game level at 0-4 each with fifteen minutes of the half played.
Both sides had a number of wides before Oisin Ryan had his second point to restore the lead for his side.

Points from Micheal Freaney and Barry Kehoe put Kilsheelan Kilcash in the lead.

However, Ardfinnan fought back and in a fast attack Darragh O’Leary got the decisive score when he managed to slip the ball to the net past Evan Comerford.

The teams exchanged points as the half came to a close, Sean Freaney for Kilsheelan and Billy Hewitt for Ardfinnan to leave the half time score Ardfinnan 1-6 Kilsheelan Kilcash 0-7.

The second half was a low-scoring affair but fiercely competitive, especially in the closing stages. Kilsheelan Kilcash had to bridge a two-point gap and they found it hard to penetrate the Ardfinnan defence.

Wides from both sides were a feature of the half, with Kilsheelan Kilcash the biggest offenders while also kicking a number of scorable chances into the Ardfinnan goalie’s hands.

Jamie Roche narrowed the gap for Kilsheelan Kilcash with a fine point.

A good passage of play followed from each side and Kilsheelan Kilcash had a lucky escape when a ball was swept off the goal line by goalie Evan Comerford and defender Billy O’Connor.

Jamie Roche pointed excellently from a free from a difficult angle to level the game and Billy Murphy put Kilsheelan ahead with 22 minutes of the half gone. Ardfinnan had failed to score during this period, with the score standing at Kilsheelan 0-10 Ardfinnan 1-6.

The last ten minutes were fiercely contested and very entertaining for the attendance.

With seven minutes left Billy Hewitt levelled for Ardfinnan and they went all out for the winning score.

The Kilsheelan Kilcash defence was under pressure for periods but conceded a 45 just on the final whistle and Gerry Cronin held his nerve to convert the winning score for an important victory for his side.

It was a great start for Ardfinnan to their county championship campaign and Kilsheelan Kilcash will have to regroup for what will be a vital next championship game.

Ardfinnan: Cian O’Mahony, Shane Keating, Jonathan Ryan, Michael O’ Sullivan, Aaron Lonergan, Colm O’Shaughnessy, Luke O’Brien, Sean Nagle , Gerry Cronin 0-2 , Billy Hewitt 0-2, Darragh O’Leary 1-1 , Oisin Ryan 0-2, Michael Barlow 0-1 , Shane Ryan , Jason Coffey.

Kilsheelan/Kilcash: Evan Comerford 0-1, Conor Neville, Jason Madigan, Emmet Butler, Mark Stokes, Billy O’Connor, Micheal Freaney 0-1, Billy Murphy 0-1, Sean Freaney 0-2, Jamie Roche 0-3, Barry Kehoe 0-2, Conor Davin Murphy, Tadhg McGuire, Tommy O’Connor, Liam Freaney.