Kildress Claim Junior Final Spot

Sunday 27.09.2020

Club

LCC Group Tyrone JFC Semi Final
Kildress 1-12 Cookstown 2-7

A third quarter blitz from the Wolfe Tones set the basis for a two point win over close rivals Cookstown in Edcndork this afternoon.  They outscored Cookstown 0-4 to a single point during that time and despite a late Cookstown fightback Kildress were full value for their victory.  Kildress had a slender one point lead at the break following an evenly contested opening 30 minutes.  Both sides went old school leaving an absorbing and hard fought one on one battle between Cookstown corner back Tiernan Toner and Kildress man Mattie McGuigan.  Toner shaded the opening half exchange but McGuigan found the space to do damage in the second period.

Cookstown opened the scoring in the 5th minute with a Matthew Carberry free followed shortly afterwards by a cracking long range free off the deck from Dean Teague.  Kildress responded in the best possible way.  First Stephen Loughran clipped over a point before Eoin Brannigan burst through the centre to send an unstoppable shot off goalkeeper Martin Rea into the Cookstown net.  The Fr Rock’s cut the deficit to a single point in the 10th minute following Carberry’s second free.  Two frees from Mattie McGuigan and Philip Lennon either side of a Martin Murray point had Kildress two ahead with five minutes of the half to go.

Step forward John Gilmore.  Matthew Carberry played a long ball in from the left wing, Gilmore rose high collected the ball and as he fell to the ground he squeezed the ball past Gerard Grimes in the Kildress goals.  It was the last time Cookstown led in the contest not helped by some nine wides in the opening half.  The Kildress men went into the break one ahead following points Shea Murphy and a Philip Lennon free.  Half Time – Kildress 1-6 Cookstown 1-5.

Cookstown had the contest back on level terms inside the 32nd minute following a 45 from Dean Teague before the Wolfe Tones stamped their authority on the game.  A brace of Mattie McGuigan points either side of score from Des Tracey and substitute Corey Holland moved Kildress four up.  Barry Potter then received his marching orders after he piked up a black card following an earlier yellow.  Cookstown did manage another Carberry free in the 52nd minute but it was scores from play that they found hard to come by.  Corey Holland clipped over his second point in the 53rd minute and the Kildress lead was five three minutes later as Shea Murphy found the range.

The contest looked over at that stage but there was to be one late piece of drama.  A long range point from Dean Teague was cancelled out by another Mattie McGuigan point from play before Cookstown won a penalty in the 63rd minute following a foot block.  James McGahan slotted the penalty home to focus Kildress attention but the Wolfe Tones eased the ship home to book their place in the county final next Sunday.  Final Score – Kildress 1-12 Cookstown 2-7.

Kildress Team – Gerard Grimes, Aaron Loughran, Callum Holland, Martin Loughran, Shea Murphy (0-2), Dean McNally, Stephen McGurk, Eoin Brannigan (1-0), Enda McAleer, Stephen Loughran (0-1), Des Tracey (0-1), Conor Quinn, Mattie McGuigan (0-4), Caolan McNamee, Philip Lennon (0-2)

Kildress Subs – Corey Holland (0-2) for Eoin Brannigan, Frank McGurk for Philip Lennon, Pauric Lagan for Stephen McGurk, Niall Connolly for Des Tracey.

Cookstown Team – Martin Rea, Tiarnan Toner, Conor O’Hare, Martin Murray (0-1), Oisin McNia, Ronan Donnelly, Ryan Pickering, Ruairi Mullan, Dean Teague (0-2), Conor Bayne, Matthew Carberry (0-2), John Gilmore (1-0), Barry Potter, James McGahan (1-2), Nathan Connolly

Cookstown Subs – Martin Hughes for Oisin McNia, Owen Mulligan for John Gilmore, Niall McMurry for Nathan Connolly.

Referee – Sean Hurson (Galbally)