Argideen Rangers 0-9
Kilmeen 1-4
JOHN MURPHY REPORTS
THE football fare at gloomy Castletownkenneigh in this crucial Bandon Co-op Carbery Junior A Football Championship Roinn 3 tussle between Argideen Rangers and Kilmeen on Saturday night matched the overcast weather, being dull and uncompromising for the most part.
Not that table-toppers Argideen Rangers mind, they finished top of the group with five points and qualified for the knockout stages, while it’s season over Kilmeen, on one point.
‘We played Kilmeen last year and it was a draw, they are never going to lie down against any opposition,’ manager Denis O’Leary explained.
‘It wasn’t a great night for football, the greasy ball and overcast conditions made good quality football difficult. The important thing was that we won, we got the result we wanted.’
Kilmeen started positively, a Liam Daly point orchestrated by good play by Cillian Twohig and Brian O’Donovan and finished with aplomb by the former. It got even better eight minutes later as Joseph O’Donovan, Kevin Keohane and Cillian Twohig combined delightfully, the latter bisecting the uprights. But Argideen Rangers were starting to get into the groove, the sniping runs of Finbarr Butler and Seán Walsh having the Kilmeen defence to defend their citadel, good work by Cian Murphy, Kevin Keohane and Oisín O’Sullivan to the fore.
A fantastic solo by the impressive Daragh Holland resulted in a free, expertly converted by the Rangers playmaker. Two cracking points by Jack Lawton and Seán Maxwell followed and visions of a Rangers scoring spree materialised.
However, Kilmeen put their shoulders to the wheel and Twohig again performed the oracle. Conor O’Sullivan and Finian Deasy entered the fray, both going on to make positive contributions. Bill Fleming made the long trek upfield to convert a superb free from an acute angle in the 26th minute, the bare minimum separating the sides at the break, 0-4 to 0-3.
After Argideen’s Daragh Holland raised a white flag from a free, Rangers again raised the bar, a fantastic move involving John Michael O’Callaghan, Andrew Guinevan and Bill Fleming saw Fleming send over a beauty.
But in the 48th minute they were rocked back on their heels as a speculative shot by Kevin Keohane hit the joining of the upright and crossbar, flew across the goalmouth and nestled in the right corner for a fortuitous Blues goal. The losers’ tails were up as Holland and Keohane exchanged points, 0-7 to 1-4. But astute play by substitute Dara Walsh resulted in the score of the game, embellished by a Daragh Holland free in the 55th minute saw Rangers ride out a late Kilmeen attacking storm.
Our Star: With the minimum of elaboration, Daragh Holland set up many of Rangers’ attacking forays, while contributing four fantastic points.
Scorers
Argideen Rangers: Daragh Holland 0-4 (2f); Bill Fleming 0-2 (1f); Dara Walsh, Jack Lawton, Seán Maxwell 0-1 each.
Kilmeen: Kevin Keohane 1-1; Cillian Twohig 0-2; Liam Daly 0-1.
Argideen Rangers: Luke McCarthy; Cathal O’Donovan, Bill Fleming, Joe Crowley; Finbarr Butler, Matthew Lawton, Charlie Twomey; Andrew Guinevan, Gerry Crowley; Darragh Holland, Seán Walsh, Seán Maxwell; John Michael O’Callaghan, Jack Lawton, James Crowley.
Sub: Dara Walsh for Seán Walsh (41).
Kilmeen: William Tyner; Barry Kirby, Cian Murphy, Liam O’Brien; Kevin Keohane, Shane O’Donovan, Oisín O’Sullivan; Brian Deasy, Joe Bailey; Liam Daly, Mike Keohane, Eoghan McCrohan; Cillian Twohig, Joe O’Donovan, Brian O’Donovan.
Subs: Conor O’Sullivan for Liam O’Brien (inj, 17); Finian Deasy for Mike Keohane (18), James Clancy for Eoghan McCrohan (43), Peter O’Sullivan for Cillian Twohig (54).
Referee: Mick O’Leary (Diarmuid Ó Mathúna).
