Cooley strike late to pip Roche in bruising Division One minor league semi-final
Cooley Kickhams 2-4 Roche Emmets 0-6
Minor league, Division One semi-final
It was a throwback to years past as Cooley Kickhams and Roche Emmets clashed in a top grade semi-final at Fr. McEvoy Park on Thursday night.
Two of the aristocrats of football in the northern half of the county, the teams served up a drama-laced cliff-hanger of bruising proportions, which Kickhams, rather controversially, edged to move into the Division One decider.
Roche were the better team, but their missing of two penalties and general reluctance to take other opportunities saw them fall short in a game where they ought to have prevailed comfortably.
Granted Kickhams struck 13 wides, but their offensive edge was blunt and only for a very fortuitous goal by Pierce Hulme, they wouldn’t have registered in the first half at all. That, of course, came shortly after Peter Lynch saw both his penalty shot and rebound saved by Cooley’s Cian Rogan, who can count himself lucky that action was taken for his foul on Gerard Browne.
Tied at 0-3 to a goal, Roche were in control approaching the final quarter, only to miss a second spot-kick, when Rogan got down well to deny Seán Dawe’s powerful stroke.
Still, though, Emmets led 0-6 to 1-1 entering the closing stages when Calum O’Hanlon palmed home the hosts' second goal, which was almost certainly illegal with the No.13 stationed inside the square from the moment the delivery was posted.
That changed a game which Roche had controlled, late Cooley points putting a skewed look of comprehensiveness on the outcome.
Cooley Kickhams: Cian Rogan; Cathal Malone, Josh McShane, Paul Brennan (0-1); Ian Arnold, MJ Hanlon, Ronan McBride; Gerard White, Aaron Carolan; Pierce Hulme (1-0), Joe Mee (0-1), Darragh Callan; Calum O’Hanlon (1-0), Aodhan O’Hanlon, Paddy Johnston (0-1)
Subs: Conor McAviney, Cormac Malone, Enda O’Neill (0-1), Cian Murphy, Dylan Quinn
Roche Emmets: Josh Martin; Liam O’Donnell, Peter Lynch, Shane McArdle; Jack McKay (0-1), James McDonnell, Adam Fee; James McArdle, Seán Dawe (0-1); Aidan Grant, Adam McKay, Fintan Watters (0-1); Mikey McCourt (0-1), Gerard Browne (0-1), Mark Byrne (0-1)
Sub: Killian Carroll
Referee: Kevin Brady (Pearse Óg)