Tom Cross Junior Football Championship Round 2 23-8-26
Kildangan 2-10 Castlemitchell 2-16
Kildangan seniors put in a battling performance in Round 2 of the Junior Football Championship in sunny Kilcullen on Sunday last. It was ultimately five minutes either side of half-time that proved our undoing in what was a well contested contest all through.
Kildangan signalled their intent right from the off with Mark O'Donavan hitting a sweet point from play in the opening minute after good link up play with Dan Gilbert. Exchanges were highly competitive in the open minutes with no quarter asked or given. Castlemitchell struck back on six minutes when Kildangan were penalised 50m on a Castlemitchell free and it resulted in 2 pointed free to put them ahead. Kildangan struck back on ten minutes to level things up with a Mark O'Donavan point. A Castlemitchell goal chance went a begging before they answered with a pointed free to put them ahead. Kildangan answered almost immediately when a Mark O Donavan short free caught the Castlemitchell defence napping and Dan Gilbert crashed a shot to the back of the net from the edge of the square. Kildangan were on the front foot now, thanks in no small part to a solid full-back line of Tom Browne, John Kelly and Alan Donaher, and a move started in the corner back position was put over the bar by Mark O'Donavan to stretch the Kildangan lead to three points. Castlemitchell replied with a point to cut the gap to two, however Cian Reilly restored the Kildangan three point lead with a close in free. Castlemitchell were hanging in there, thanks in no small part to some questionable refereeing decisions and they cut the lead back to two again on the 20 minute mark. The young midfield pairing of Aaron Schofield and Killian Reilly were holding their own for Kildangan and it was Schofield who stretched the Kildangan lead back to three again with a captains score from play. Castlemitchell cut the lead with a nice point before they hit the net when their centre-half forward jinked his way in from the right to finish. Castlemitchell added a further point on half-time to leave the score at the break Castlemitchell 1-7 Kildangan 1-5, and rough justice on Kildangan after dominating the first half.
The second half began with a slight breeze in the Kildangan backs and Dan Gilbert cut the lead to the minimum with an early point. Castlemitchell answered with a point before finding the net to really take the wind out of the Kildangan sails. A further point was added by Castlemitchell to stretch the lead to six points. Not to be out done, Dan Gilbert kicked a sweet point off the left after being found by Joey Walsh with a long pass into the right corner. Dan Gilbert kicked another point from play to cancel out another Castlemitchell point minutes later. Three further points on the trot saw Castlemitchell extend their lead out to eight points. Devan Abbey and Mark O'Donavan kicked points from play to cut the gap as Kildangan showed plenty of spirit. A two pointer, followed by a point had Castlemitchell out of sight as full time approached before a Kildangan move was fisted to the net by Dan Gilbert to bring a fairer reflection to the final score of Kildangan 2-10 Castlemitchell 2-16.
Kildangan will be gutted not to have capitalised on a very strong first half showing . The loss leaves Kildangan with a winner takes all encounter against Cappagh in Round 3 on Saturday week in Clane. If Kildangan can reproduce their first-half showing against Cappagh, we'll be in with a serious shout of causing the first real upset of the JFC in what should be a cracker.
