Tir Chonaill Gaels - 3-12
Kingdom Kerry Gaels - 0-09
TIR Chonaill Gaels proved too strong in front of goal as they beat Kingdom Kerry Gaels 3-12 to 0-09 in the Cara Stationary Football League Division One at The Irish TV Grounds in Ruislip on Saturday.
The pair traded wides early on before TCG opened proceedings with a close-range point from the impressive Liam Gavigan, while KKG’s Stephen Kilcoyne went into the book for verbal abuse of referee Ger O’Shea after being penalised for too many steps.
KKG hit back with a point of their own but a series of close-range efforts moved TCG into a 0-05 to 0-02 lead, with Adam Askin slotting over the pick of the punch following a nice interchange between Gavigan and Philip Butler.
Marty McCoy then shot wide for TCG but the chances kept coming as KKG struggled to contain the powerful drives forward from their opponents. However, they managed to stay within touching distance for much of the first-half, thanks to Timmy O’Sullivan’s sharp shooting from frees.
But TCG scored their first goal of the evening shortly before the break, with Adrian Hanlon practically walking the ball into the net as his side went in 1-06 to 0-04 up at half-time.
Tir Chonaill Gaels v Kingdom Kerry Gaels 25/07/2015 (Picture: Monika Kovacs)A misjudgement by KKG goalkeeper Ryan Munnelly led to the opening score of the second-half – a soft goal extending TCG’s lead to eight points.
Other than that, it was a relatively slow start to the second period, though KKG’s full-forward line kept the score respectable as they continued to show pinpoint accuracy from frees, with Shane Coyle and Kilcoyne popping over from opposite flanks.
In truth, the game lacked quality scores from play, but the same could not be said of the free-taking on either side. KKG continued to claw back at the deficit and, at one stage, goals were the only difference as TCG led 2-08 to 0-08.
Yet goal opportunities for KKG were few and far between, while their opponents continued to look dangerous when bearing down on goal. And so it proved, as a fine solo run was finished emphatically by Gavigan late on, putting the result beyond doubt.
Thereafter, TCG really started to enjoy themselves, with Gary McGee, Cathal McGee and Gavigan successfully trying their luck from range. Coyle pointed one more free for KKG in the last score of the match, leaving TCG with a winning margin of 12 points at full-time.
Teams:
Tir Chonaill Gaels – D Traynor, B McAtarney, P Butter, B Collins, M McCoy, G McGee, B Ross, R Breen, L Gavigan, J McGrath, A Astwin, C McGee, N Boghe, B Duffy, A Hanlon
Kingdom Kerry Gaels – R Munnelly, P Kelly, K O’Driscoll, C O’Neill, J Wycherley, J Og Robinson, C McIntyre, M Walsh, K O’Sullivan, A Kenny, S O’Grady, S Browne, T O’Sullivan, S Kilcoyne, S Coyle
Ref – Ger O’Shea
