Flashes of quality enough for Celbridge
Niall O'Regan scored three points from wing back in Celbridge's win over Clane Photo: Sean Brilly
It was far from perfect but a couple of scoring bursts at the end of either half were enough for Celbridge to secure a preliminary round win over Clane at Cedral St Conleths Park today.
The runners-up from the last two years were slow to start and found themselves 0-3 to 0-1 behind after the first quarter. They weren’t without their chances but finished the first half with ten wides.
An injection of quality was needed and that arrived in the 20th minute when former intercounty star Fergal Conway rampaged forward and kicked a superb two pointer.
A minute later he was in on goal but Cian Burke was quick off his line and spread himself well and blocked the shot around the post.
Aaron Browne converted the resulting 45 to make it 0-5 to 0-3.
Sean Tighe and Brian McLoughlin scored to tie the game at 0-5 each but Celbridge scored the last three points before the break, two coming from wing back Niall O’Regan before he turned provider to set up Killian Browne.
They failed to score for the first 14 minutes of the second half but Clane were scarcely better even though they had a strong wind behind them and all they had to show for their efforts through this period was a McLoughlin two pointer in the 38th minute.
O’Regan ended Celbridge’s drought with his third of the game to make it 0-9 to 0-7 before Shane O’Sullivan answered back two minutes later from a free after McLoughlin had been fouled.
That proved to their last score of the game, though, as they faded out of the game.
Browne scored two points in quick succession, off either foot, and then converted a free that was hard earned by Conway.
Wing back Dean O’Donoghue wrapped up the scoring in the 57th minute and although O’Sullivan struck a post at the far end from a two point free in injury time it was too late to matter even if it went over.
Shane McNamara; John Clarke, Mick O’Grady, Cian Powell, Dean O’Donoghue 0-1, Mick Konstantin, Niall O’Regan 0-3; Hugh McGrillen, Fergal Conway 0-2 (1tp); Kevin Flynn 0-1, Conor Plunkett, Tony Archbold 0-1, Davy Hughes, Aaron Browne 0-5 (2fs, 1’45), Killian Browne 0-1. Subs: Darragh Finnegan for Plunkett, h/t; James Dolan for Hughes, 39; Luke Murray for K Browne, 55.
Cian Burke; Harry O’Neill, Sean Callan, Hugh Prendergast, James Donlon, Tadhg Montgomery, Cian Shanahan; Sam McCormack, Shane McCormack; Shane O’Sullivan 0-1f, Brian McLoughlin 0-5 (1tp, 2fs), Adam Fanning, Sean Tighe 0-1, Adam Fitzpatrick, Oisin Tighe 0-1. Subs: Sean Dunne for S Tighe, 42; Killian O’Sullivan for Fitzpatrick, 42; Stephen Brereton, 48; James Behan for Shane McCormack, 51.
Kieran Harris
Read our score-by-score update here
