Winning start for Two Mile House
Gavin Burke in possession for Two Mile House.
We’ll be kind here and suggest both Two Mile House and Castledermot were rusty from the lay-off after the league.
The low scoreline, particularly given perfect summer conditions and the general increase in scoring under the ‘new’ rules, tells its own story of a game that was as poor as you are (hopefully) going to see in the National Electrical Wholesalers Intermediate Football Championship this season.
Two Mile House deserved the win, no question, with Castledermot’s hangover from Division 2 relegation carrying over into the championship. They were strangely out-of-sorts despite the best efforts of half-time substitute Fionn O’Gorman to rally them after the interval.
The winners, semi-finalists last year and therefore seeded in a group that also includes Ellistown and Rathangan, can give former Irish athlete Tony O’Connor plenty of credit for their success. Lining out at number ten, the workaholic O’Connor covered every blade of grass, scored the game’s only goal and spent much of the latter stages effectively as a sweeper cleaning up loose balls out of the Castledermot defence.
The first 25 minutes trundled along, in stark contrast to the two earlier games at the venue, the lack of momentum not helped by an injury delay when the unfortunate Castledermot midfielder Donnchadh Kinch, back after missing the Kildare under-20 campaign, went down in a heap on thirteen minutes.
Castledermot landed the first two points with David Keating getting them off the mark inside forty seconds and after surviving a scare when Declan Kirwan blasted a shot off the angle of post and crossbar Gavin Farrell added a second point after five minutes.
Classy efforts from Conor Keogh and powerful wingback Andrew Cregg brought Two Mile House level by the ninth minute.
18 minutes passed with barely a shot witnessed, let alone a score, notwithstanding the three-minute delay for Kinch’s injury.
Gavin Keating blew away some cobwebs on 23 minutes with an exquisite two-point free from around 48 metres to put Castledermot 4-2 ahead but that merely poked the bear.
Didier Cordonnier’s free narrowed the gap to the minimum and Seán Woods had a fisted effort cleared on the line by James Reilly before Kirwan drove over the equalising point.
Two Mile House made their move in injury time. A piercing move from a stray Castledermot kickout saw Adam Conneely and Liam Cummins, the latter an impressive dynamo at full-forward, set up O’Connor to finish to the net and Fionn Coyle Connolly and Kirwan added points before Dan Gray replied to leave House ahead 1-6 to 0-5 at the break.
Another fallow period followed with the third quarter only producing a point apiece. O’Gorman marked his arrival with a left-footed score coming off the right wing and Cordonnier converted another free at the other end.
Kirwan and Gavin Keating, from a free won by brother David, shared points as the game ambled into the final ten minutes but O’Gorman raised an orange flag to make it a two-point game with eight minutes remaining.
Castledermot wouldn’t score again although they threatened with a fine move that ended with corner-back James Slattery in nose-bleed territory and unable to convert, shooting wide.
Two Mile House, with O’Connor imperious in a sweeping role, added points from Keogh and substitute Jamie Gaire before Kirwan blasted over with the goal at his mercy deep into injury time. Room for improvement all round.
Didier Cordonnier 0-2 (2f); PJ Cashman, Peter Kelly, Charlie O’Boyle; Gavin Burke, William Burke, Andrew Cregg 0-1; Marcus Kiely, Seán Woods; Tony O’Connor 1-0, Adam Conneely, Conor Keogh 0-2; Fionn Coyle Connolly 0-1, Liam Cummins, Declan Kirwan 0-4.
Brian Collins for Conneely 41, Andrew May for G Burke 45, Jamie Gaire 0-1 for Coyle Connolly 50, Paddy Kennedy for Kiely 54, John Shanahan for Kelly 58.
Shane Nolan; Tadhg Jackman, Barry Nolan, James Slattery; Oisín Nolan, Bryan Nolan, James Reilly; David Keating 0-1, Donnchadh Kinch; Gavin Farrell 0-1, Daniel Gray 0-1, Conor Nolan; Gavin Keating 0-3 (1tpf,1f), Paddy Whelan, Cian Murphy.
Nick Jackman for Kinch 16, Fionn O’Gorman 0-3 (1tp) for Whelan HT, Anthony Lawler for Farrell 45, Billy O’Gorman for C Nolan 55, Dillon Kirwan for O Nolan 63.
Lee Moore.
