Tom Cross Junior Football Championship Group B Round 3 29-09-26
Cappagh 3-13 Kildangan 2-10
A strong opening 15 minutes by Kildangan laid the foundation for what could have been a historic win in the JFC in Clane on Saturday last. However, a couple of sloppy second half goals led to our undoing in ideal conditions for championship football.
Kildangan started strongly in the opening half against the wind, with the high fielding of Aaron Schofield, Joey Walsh and Killian Reilly being a highlight. Cappagh had plenty of the ball but tight marking from a disciplined Kildangan backline kept the score to 0-1 to 0-0 to Cappagh after 15 minutes. Kildangan grew further in confidence as the half progressed. Aaron Schofield drew the sides level midway through the half after good work from Killian Scully. Things got better for Kildangan minutes later when Devan Abbey put his side in front following a high catch at midfield by Daragh Murphy. Disaster struck for Kildangan shortly after when a Cappagh runner wasn't put to ground and it resulted in a goal against the run of play for our opponents. Devan Abbey replied quickly for Kildangan to draw the sides level after a good assist from Aaron Schofield. Cappagh kicked the last four points of the half as they finally managed to break free of a tight marking Kildangan defence, led by Eoghan O'Fearghaill. This left the half time score Kildangan 0-3 Cappagh 1-5.
Kildangan started the second half with the breeze at their backs and needed to make inroads into the Cappagh lead. It was Cappagh however who got off the mark first with an early score. Cian Reilly replied from a free for Kildangan after a foul on Devan Abbey. Kildangan fell further behind shortly after, when a Cappagh shot was blocked only for it to fall to a Cappagh forward who soccered it home for a goal. Kildangan answered with a Devan Abbey point after good work by Paddy Neary to leave the gap at seven points. A Mark O'Donavan free on the left was sandwiched between two Cappagh points as Kildangan tried hard to close the gap. Another ball carried out from the back led to a third Cappagh goal at the three quarter mark. Dan Gilbert answered for Kildangan with a goal after being set up by Ryan Moran, just after a Cian Reilly shot crashed off the crossbar. Cian Reilly was showing good leadership and put over two monster two pointers in succession to cut the gap to four points. The goal Kildangan needed to make things really interesting didn't come despite some near misses. Devan Abbey kicked Kildangan's final point of the game as Cappagh closed out the game with several scores to leave the final score Cappagh 3-13 Kildangan 2-10.
Despite the obvious Kildangan disappointment, the team showed they could mix it Div. 3 opposition over sixty minutes. Cappagh's strong running and support play out from the back were a thorn in Kildangan's side all game. The loss means Kildangan don't advance to the quarter final of the Junior Championship. We do however compete in the Junior A competition where two Div. 3 teams remain, which makes the competition a real target for the team. Kildangan's next game is against Ardclough, so keep an eye on clubs socials for a time and date.
