Rags safe as Straffan fall through the relegation trapdoor
Jamie Buckley (Kilcullen) tries to shoot over the despairing dive of Niall Devane (Straffan) Photo: Michael Anderson
Kilcullen status as an intermediate club remains, after they sentenced Straffan to junior football on a floodlight and cold Sunday evening in Hawkfield. Andy O’Neill of Straffan and Cathal Brophy of Kilcullen shared goals in an even first-half, and the black and white hoops were in-front by one at half-time. It was anyone’s game by the end of the third quarter, but from then, Kilcullen grasped the initiative, who were helped by Donagh McKivern’s fantastic two-pointer late into added-time.
Turlough Donnelly secured the first score of the game two minutes into the match for Kilcullen, while moments later, Aaron Kiernan from a difficult angle scored a superb two-pointer to push Straffan in-front. Brian Tracey added a further score, before Aaron Kiernan kicked a breath-taking pass to Andy O’Neill in the eighth minute, who sent the ball low but across the goal and wide. Kilcullen were close to gaining a goal for themselves, when after Ciaran O’Brien twisted and turned to create space for himself, Matthew Duggan denied the corner-forward at his near post. Dan Coughlan did point though for Kilcullen to whittle the gap to the minimum.
The opening goal of the game arrived in the 11th minute, after Brian Tracey sent Andy O’Neill through on goal, and on this occasion, the Straffan man nestled his shot into the far corner of Cormac Barker’s net. John Tracey had an effort for a further goal moments later, but his shot flew across the face of goal. Ciaran O’Brien was next to be unluckily denied of a goal moments later for Kilcullen, when his shot was excellently tipped onto the post by Matthew Duggan.
Kilcullen did find the net on 21 minutes, when Sean Knight passed to Cathal Brophy, whose shot bounced all the way into the Straffan net. It will go down as one of the stranger goals. Donagh McKivern landed a superb two-pointer off his left two minutes later, and Kilcullen were 1-6 to 1-5 in-front at the interval.
Donagh McKivern and Ciaran O’Brien pushed Kilcullen four clear before Dermot Nolan’s free for Straffan in the 39th minute, and moments later, after Cormac Barker was off his line after a turnover, the Straffan wing-forward tried to find the empty net, only for the ball to bounce over the crossbar for a two-pointer. John Tracey found the range with a two-pointed free on 42 minutes, pushing Christy Dempsey’s charges in-front, and Tom Donovan repeated the feat for Straffan in the 44th minute.
Kilcullen raced to victory after that, and points from Turlough Donnelly, Donagh McKivern, Dan Coughlan and Jack Dooley came before Donagh McKiern’s monster two-pointed free deep in added-time, sealing the victory, and Niall Timmon’s men’s Intermediate status for 2027.
Cormac Barker; Daragh Burke, Jack Dooley 0-1, Jack Redmond; Tim Carey, Robbie Lee, Cathal Brophy 1-0; Sean Knight, Turlough Donnelly 0-3 (1f); Paul Bell, Donagh McKivergan 0-8 (2tp, 3f), Dan Coughlan 0-3; Ciaran O’Brien 0-1, Jamie Buckley 0-2fs, Ciaran Melinn. Subs: Paudy Clarke for Jamie Buckley (h/t), Jack Cronin for Lee (47), Darragh Kelly for Clarke (59).
Matthew Duggan; Mike Tracey, Niall Devane, Alan Byrne; Ed Mather, Liam O’Donovan, John Tracey 0-3 (1tpf, 1f); Cathal O’Molloy, Tom Donovan 0-1; Sam Friel, Brian Tracey 0-1, Dermot Nolan 0-3 (1tp, 1f); Andy O’Neill 1-0, Aaron Kiernan 0-3 (1tp), Rory Byrne. Subs: Ruairi Power for B Tracey (40), Noah Brennan for Friel (40), Nathan O’Brien for Devane (52), Patrick Dunne for Byrne (52), Cathal Gowran 0-1 for O’Neill (59).
Frank Delaney.
