Kennelly goal sinks hapless Saints

Friday May 25 2007

FEALE RANGERS 2-12 ST KIERANS 1-9

THE decisive moment in this second round AIB senior county championship match, played in Listowel on Saturday night, came in the 48th minute when Noel Kennelly, Feale, Rangers reacted quickest to the Enda Galvin’s breaking ball and slotted it past St Kierans keeper, Ger Reidy.

Up to that point Feale Rangers had dominated proceedings without ever threatening to open any kind of substantial lead against a very poor St Kierans side.

Feale Rangers went into this game missing seven of their recognised staring 15. Kerry senior panellists Paul Galvin and Brendan Guiney were both out injured as were the likes of Kerry under-21 star, Anthony Maher, Declan Griffin and Kerry minor, Patrick Curtin.

Accordingly, it was St Kierans who included Mossy Lyons, Padraig Reidy and Seamus Scanlon in their ranks, who started the game as clear favourites.

However, for the second week in a row, St Kierans conspired to play like a group of strangers who had met each other for the first time in Listowel and subsequently tamely exited the county championship at the earliest stage possible.

Feale Rangers made the better start to this game and looked the hungrier side right from the off. Noel Kennelly, Eamon Fitzmaurice, Kieran Quirke and Brian Scanlon were all doing well.

Kennelly opened the scoring with a point from play in the second minute and added to that score with a point from a free in the fifth minute.

St Kierans finally established a foot hold in the game and utilised the tactic of playing long probing balls into their full forward Kieran Brennan to good effect.

St Kierans looked dangerous in the opening period and were unlucky not to score at least one goal.

Brennan had a goal bound effort tipped over the bar, Maurice O’Connell also saw his goal attempt graze the cross bar for another point. Noel Kennelly added a pointed free before Seamus Scanlon was fouled while bearing down on goal in the 17th minute.

Tom O’Connor tapped over the resultant free and teams were level at 0-3 apiece after the first third of the game. St Kierans lost both their half backs, Seamus Flynn and Ian Somers, in this period with hamstring injuries. Worryingly, Somers must now be a major doubt for the upcoming Munster minor final clash with Cork.

Feale Rangers regained their composure and led at half time by 0-7 to 0-5. The first 15 minutes of the second half saw St Kierans draw level with three well taken points from their only forward threat, Tom O’Connor, in answer to a solitary point from a placed ball by Noel Kennelly.

A St Kierans comeback looked on the cards with a quarter of the game left.

It was time for cool heads and Feale Rangers captain, Eamon Fitzmaurice, emphasised this with a superbly taken 45 metre free in the 46th minute.

Two minutes later, Noel Kennelly ran on to a Enda Galvin knock down and slipped the ball past Ger Reidy for the game’s first goal. Minor star Patrick Curtin added another goal in injury time to ensure Feale Ranger’s safe passage into the third round.

Feale Rangers’ will rightly feel that they can be a real force in the future rounds of the championship. The return of the likes of Galvin, Maher and Guiney will strengthen their hands considerably.

Eamon Fitzmaurice was an inspirational captain at centre back and one gets the feeling that Rangers will take a lot of confidence from this result and may yet have some say in the destination of the Bishop Moynihan Cup for 2007.

Feale Rangers: K Fitzmaurice, G McCarthy, L Keane, P Corridan; S Quinn, E Fitzmaurice (0-2, 0-1 45, 0-1 free), K Quirke, B Whelan, M Corridan, A Fitzgerald, N Kennelly (1-7, 0-6 frees), E Galvin (0-1), B Scanlon( 0-1), J Stack, S McCarthy.

Subs used: P Curtin (1-0) for Stack, B O’Connell (0-1) for Fitzgerald, I McCarthy for S McCarthy.

St Kierans: G Reidy, S Walsh, M Lyons, J Fleming, S Flynn, P Reidy, I Somers, S Scanlon, J Brennan, P Collins, M O’Con-nell (0-2), D Walsh, J Buckley, K Brennan (0-1), Tom O’Connor (0-5, 0-4 frees). Subs used: B Lynch for Somers; J O’Connor for Flynn; J O’Connor for John O’Connor; T McGoldrick for Walsh; M Coakley for Collins.

Referee: Brendan Twiss (Milltown/Castlemaine).