U21 Championship: Killeavy 1-08 Carrickcruppen 2-10
Killeavy and Cruppen played out the U21 All County final on Sunday afternoon in Dromintee. The weather was fine, but very cold, and a strong breeze aided Killeavy in the opening period. After the splendid Jonesboro band led the parade, the teams got down to action. It turned out to be a splendid first half of football, with both forward lines causing problems for the opposition defences. Killeavy tagged on the first point, a great run from Byrne saw his shot come back off the upright, but he was fouled when he picked up the rebound. Paddy Hannaway hit the first of his three frees to give Killeavy the lead. Killeavy were playing long balls on the breeze into Darren O'Hanlon, who was picking up a lot of possession. Cruppen, on the other hand, attacked in waves, and their half back line supported their forwards to great effect. Soon they were causing real problems. An early save from Killeavy keeper Sean O'Hanlon was followed by another, and the rebound was miraculously cleared off the line by James Donnelly. Cruppen pressure eventually told with two points, but it looked like it might be Killeavy's day when a long free from Stephen Malone broke to Seamus Toner on the edge of the square, and he slammed the ball to the Cruppen net. Cruppen hit two more scores before another save from O'Hanlon saw the referee harshly award a penalty on the rebound effort. The resultant kick was scored and soon Cruppen had a 1-6 to 1-3 lead, and were in real control. Towards the end of the half, some great midfield play from 16 year old James Donnelly brought Killeavy back into contention with points coming from a Paddy Hannaway free and a real super effort from James Watters on the right wing. Another long range free from Gerard Byrne right on half time meant Killeavy went in one point down at the break.Half-Time:Killeavy 1-06 Carrickcruppen 1-07
Straight from the throw in, Cruppen attacked and converted a close range free. Darren O'Hanlon and Paddy Hannaway both had shots that just missed for scores for Killeavy. Killeavy were having difficulty kick starting their running game, with many moves going sideways, rather than up the pitch at pace. Also a lot of balls into the forward line went astray. Cruppen were now playing the long ball into their full forward line, but the Killeavy fullback line of Sheridan, Stokes and McConville coped admirably with the pressure. A further fine save from Sean O'Hanlon went behind for a fifty, but the resultant free deceived the Killeavy defence and flew straight into the net for the softest of goals. With twenty minutes to play Killeavy were five points down. Try as they might, they couldn't generate enough possession to get a good foothold on the game. Cruppen won most of the breaking ball in the midfield and this was key to their win. James Watters had a shot for goal cleared off the line, but gerard Byrne won the rebound and scored a point. A further Byrne free left three between the sides and a comeback looked at least possible, if not likely. Two late injury time points from Cruppen cemented their victory, as the late fireworks Killeavy produced last week did not transpire in the final. In fairness, Cruppen were the better team on the day, and their first half attacking display was one to be remembered. Killeavy tried hard, but not enough of their players produced big performances. Goalkeeper Sean O'Hanlon made four great saves, but will be disappointed with the manner of the second goal. Ryan McConville was probably the pick of the defenders, while in midfield James Donnelly, at sixteen years young, showed he's on course to become a top-class midfielder. Up front Gerard Byrne tried hard throughout, while Darren O'Hanlon had a very strong first half. The guys put in a great effort throughout the campaign and the victory against Granemore will last long in the memory. Perhaps a fit Barry Magee might have made a difference in the final, but well done to Cruppen who thoroughly deserved their win. A big thanks to the management team of Paul Watters, Michael Connolly and Chris Hickey for their efforts throughout the campaign. Thanks too, to the Ladies Committee, who put on a great meal for the squad back in the club after the match.
Full-Time:Killeavy 1-08 Carrickcruppen 2-10
Killeavy team: S O'HANLON , R MC CONVILLE, R SHERIDAN , S STOKES , P DONNELLY, B MCKEVITT, M MCKEOWN, S TONER(1-0), D O'HANLON(0-1), B MAGEE, S MALONE, P HANNAWAY(0-3, 3f), G BYRNE(0-3, 2f), J DONNELLY, J WATTERS(0-1).Subs: G. Magennis for B. Magee(30 mins), C. McNulty for M. McKeown(30 mins), C. King for J. Watters(55mins).