Third gear enough for Kilcormac-Killoughey in comfortable win

FIRST rounds are all about winning but Kilcormac-Killoughey certainly fell well short of making any big statement of intent when they did just enough and not a whole lot more to beat Kinnitty in the Senior Hurling Championship in O'Connor Park on Thursday evening.

Molloy Environmental Systems Senior Hurling Championship Group 1 Round 2

Kilcormac-Killoughey 1-20
Kinnitty 0-15

After a satisfactory first half, K-K produced a very mixed bag in the second and against stronger opposition, they would have been in bother. As it was K-K had one hand on the two points at half time when they led by 1-9 to 0-7 after playing against the wind and they were able to coast home in the second half, despite a somewhat sloppy and disjointed display.

First rounds are all about winning and that is all that matters for K-K here. It was their first game of the championship after receiving a bye in the first round and they could have been ring rusty while the knockout stages is the place to fire on all cylinders – and while there is still plenty of hurling to do, it will be a huge shock if they don't get there.

The positives for K-K were that they gave debuts to two of their outstanding emerging stars, Brecon Kavanagh and Adam Screeney; they were solid in the first half and in the second they showed a capacity to play real good hurling with pace and intensity when they did decide to get out of their torpor.

There were negatives in the second half when they were very poor for 15 minutes or so, leaving the door open for Kinnitty, who have now lost two games after being beaten by Birr in the first round. For a good portion of the second half, they did not seem fully tuned in, hitting too many wides and not going full blooded for the ball. Yet all of that does not matter one bit in the broader scheme of things and the difference between the sides was significant enough that K-K were never in any danger of losing.

Screeney and Kavanagh made decent debuts with Screeney ending up with seven points, two from play. Oisin Mahon had a great game at full back for the winners, Colin Spain was their best player and others played well in fits and bursts.

The game went more or less as we expected. Kinnitty tried hard but didn't have the strength or forward scorers to pull off a shock. They had plenty of ball in the first half with the wind but really cooked their own goose with nine poor wides, many from positions that should have resulted in scores.

K-K led by 0-6 to 0-3 after 12 minutes and a 16th minute Charlie Mitchell goal ended it as a contest – Mitchell was let run too far by the Kinnitty defence before batting it to the net. With a 1-6 to 0-4 lead, the game was effectively over at this stage, though James Hardiman (free) and Eoghan Callaghan got the next two points for the losers.

By half time, K-K had that 1-9 to 0-7 lead but their manager Shane Hand can't have been happy with what he saw in the first ten minutes of the second half. They had five fairly shocking wides in three minutes, and dropped another couple short. Briefly, it looked like they could come under pressure but Adam Screeney got them going with a wonderful 34th minute point from the right wing.

A run of three Kinnitty points in a row from the 36th to 41st minutes made it 1-11 to 0-10 but K-K did play with more purpose after this. Still playing within themselves but with more drive, they got three in a row of their own from the 42nd to 44th minutes to break Kinnitty and were able to pick off regular scores from here to the end to keep them at arm's length.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Colin Spain (Kilcormac-Killoughey): Colin Spain was very sharp for Kilcormac-Killoughey. He showed well, his touch was good, he distributed confidently and picked off three good points in the first half. While not quite as clinical in the second half, he remained lively and dangerous, almost getting in for goals on a couple of occasions. Oisin Mahon won some great ball at full back and was also a contender.

THE SCORERS

Kilcormac-Killoughey: Adam Screeney 0-7 (5f), Colin Spain 0-4, Cathal Kiely 0-3 (1f), Charlie Mitchell 1-0, Enda Grogan and Conor Mahon 0-2 each, Damien Kilmartin and Lochlann Kavanagh 0-1 each.

Kinnitty: James Dempsey 0-7 (7f), James Hardiman 0-3 (1f), Danny Flanagan, Conor Hardiman, Shane Kinsella, Eoghan Callaghan, Conor Hardiman 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

KILCORMAC-KILLOUGHEY: Conor Slevin; Brecon Kavanagh, Oisin Mahon, Tom Spain; Jordan Quinn,, Jack Screeney, Enda Grogan; Cathal Kiely, Damien Kilmartin; Shane Guinan, Conor Mahon, James Gorman; Colin Spain, Adam Screeney, Charlie Mitchell. Subs – Ger Healion for Gorman (38m), Lochlann Kavanagh for Guinan (38m), Killian Leonard for Kiely (46m).

KINNITTY: Niall Corrigan; Willie Molloy, Christopher Leonard, Brian Coughlan; Conor Meaney, Shane Kinsella, Conor Hardiman; Danny Flanagan, Jason Armstrong; Cathal Robinson,, Aodhan Kealey, James Hardiman; Odhran Kealey, James Dempsey, Eoghan Callaghan. Subs – Patrick Dooley for Leonard (27m), Colm Coughlan for Odhran Kealey (44m), Bryan Donnelly for Callaghan (44m),

Referee – Joey Deehan (Clara).

REFEREE WATCH

Joey Deehan had a good solid game. He was observant, fair and there was little contentious. He should have given Cathal Kiely a second half yellow for a shoulder charge that put a Kinnitty player out over the sideline – instead he awarded a free and gave Kiely a stern lecture but it was worth a yellow card. Kiely did pick up a yellow card a few minutes later – that would have been a red if he had got an earlier one - and K-K read the warning signals by immediately replacing him.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Charlie Mitchell's 16th minute goal gave K-K a 1-6 to 0-4 lead and Kinnitty never recovered.

VENUE WATCH

The O'Connor Park pitch looked very good and it was easy to host the small crowd.

TALKING POINT

As expected, Kilcormac-Killoughey bit the bullet and started two of their brightest young stars, Brecon Kavanagh and Adam Screeney here. They have many waiting on the wings to come in but most of these may be held until next year. K-K have as good a chance of anyone of winning the championship this year and will be stronger when Cillian Kiely, who got a hard hit in the Joe McDonagh Cup final against Carlow, recovers from injury.

WHAT'S NEXT

Kilcormac-Killoughey play Tullamore and Kinnitty have a bye in round 3.

STATISTICS

Wides: Kilcormac-Killoughey - 12 (3 in first half); Kinnitty – 12 (9 in first half).

Yellow cards: K-K – 1 (Cathal Kiely); Kinnitty – 0.

Red cards: 0.