SENIOR FOOTBALL: Austin Stacks 1-13; Rathmore 3-5.
For the neutral in Connolly Park (and you probably count those quite easily) this was a humdinger of a game in round 2 of the Co. League played in ideal conditions this Saturday evening (9th April).
Two minutes before the break this game looked done and dusted as we lead by three clear goals (1-7 to 0-1).
Then in those closing minutes Rathmore got through for a goal and pointed a free to leave us ahead at the break by five points (1-7 to 1-2).
In that first half we raced into a four points lead with scores from play by Barry Shanahan, Graham O’Connell, Darragh Long and an exquisite one from Wayne Gutherie.
Rathmore’s first score (a point) came in the 11th minute. Then we put over three more – a Graham O’Connell free and two from play by Mikey Collins (making his first welcome start of the season) and Darragh again.
Our only goal came in the 23rd minute. Wing back Fearghal MacNamara (who was absolutely brilliant all through) launched a perfect ball to Graham O’Connell who found Fiachna Mangan (he, equally, had a brilliant game) and Fiachna’s speculative lob deceived the Rathmore keeper and ended in the net.
A quick free by Darragh Long, two minutes after the break, found Mikey Collins who put over his second of the game.
A minute later corner back Pa McCarthy made a brilliant intervention to save a certain goal.
A Graham O’Connell pointed free was followed by Mikey Collins’s third one from play.
In the 38th minute Rathmore got through for their second goal.
By the end of the third quarter we added two more points from play (Shane Carroll and Paul Barrett) to one for the East Kerry side to leave us six points in the clear (1-12 to 2-3).
But with the visitors now attacking in droves we conceded 1-2 in the space of four minutes to cut our lead to the bare minimum.
It is hard to believe that those closing ten breathtaking minutes yielded only one more score and that was that insurance point scored by David Clifford after he was put through in the 60th minute by Fiachna Mangan to guarantee us a well deserved two Co. League points.
Team: Martin Moriarty, Pa McCarthy, Sean Purcell, Denis O’Neill, Paul Barrett (0-1), Alain Creagh, Fearghal MacNamara, Wayne Gutherie (0-1), Barry Shanahan (0-1), Michael Collins (0-3), Shane Carroll (0-1), Padraig McCannon, Graham O’Connell (Capt) (0-3 – 2 frees), Darragh Long (0-2), Fiachna Mangan (1-0).
Subs: David Clifford (39m) (0-1), Shane O’Callaghan (51m).
In round 3 of the Co. League we make an historic trip to Foilmore on this Saturday evening (16th April) to play against the local side for the first time ever. Throw in 7pm.
For the second year in a row we have drawn Ardfert in the opening round of this season’s Co. Championship.
These first round games are scheduled to go ahead on 10th/11th/12th June, subject to favourable runs by Kerry in the Munster SF Championship.