New low as Kingscourt is beaten by 19 points

Kingscourt Stars 0-5
Kilcoo 3-15

The silence in the big house was eerie in the final 15 minutes. Supporters were stunned at what they were seeing. This was a bad day for Cavan football.

The county's long wait for a win - just one - in the first round of the Ulster Club SFC will continue for another 12 months at least after Kingscourt Stars were hammered by an impressive Kilcoo side at Kingspan Breffni Park.

This was an embarrassing defeat for the famous Stars, who were second best all over the field. The manner of the defeat - the seventh year in a row the Cavan champions have been beaten in the first round - should also prompt some debate about where football is going in the county, too.

Three years ago, Mullahoran were beaten on a similar scoreline against Errigal Chiarain before Ballinagh lost by four points to Roslea and Cavan Gaels by one to Slaughtneil. This, though, was a major setback.

The Breffni side actually opened the scoring through a Barry Reilly free but the Down champions, sporting an all-black strip, quickly took charge.

Daragh O'Hanlon levelled matters before two wonderful points from Jerome Johnston – the second from all of 50 metres on the wing – made it 0-3 to 0-1 14 minutes in.

Kingscourt hit back with a Cian McArdle free and a good point from play by Reilly but they were soon sending out distress signals as they began to spring leaks at the back.

A great point from Conor Laverty from a tight angle nudged the Mourne men back in front again and their lead was doubled when O'Hanlon tacked on a free.

And then the goal that Kilcoo were threatening arrived. The Stars, caught on the counter, were unable to stop the Magpies from raiding at the other end and when Laverty laid off for Paul Devlin, the latter made no mistake from close range.

The Down men, four-in-a-row champions of their own county, were at full tilt by now and added two further points before the break from Laverty and Devlin as they went in holding a comfortable 1-7 to 0-4 lead at the interval.

The bombardment continued in the second half as Kilcoo backed Kingscourt on to the ropes and dazzled them with flurries from all angles. What was essentially the knock-out blow was landed six minutes in when Jerome Johnston pulled on a loose ball 21 metres out and drilled it past stand-in Kingscourt goalkeeper Gavin Sheenan.

That three-pointer made it 2-7 to 0-4 and better was to follow for Paul McIver's side when Laverty jinked his way through for two more points from play to make it 2-9 to 0-4 with 20 long minutes remaining for the hosts.

More misery was heaped on Kingscourt when key defender Padraic Faulkner was dismissed on a straight red card after a heavy challenge and, moments later, Kilcoo broke through for their third goal, Paul Devlin blasting to the net from 15 yards.

Devlin followed up with another point and further scores from O'Hanlon (free), Laverty and Donal Kane saw Kilcoo win pulling up, even though they also lost a man, corner-back Daryl Branagan, for a second yellow card.

The best score of the game arrived in the dying seconds, Darragh O'Hanlon firing over a beauty from 50 metres, but it was all cosmetic by that stage.

The Cavan senior champions have now been beaten in their first Ulster outing for seven successive years and the final quarter of this match was played out in an eerie silence.

 

Kingscourt: Gavin Sheenan, Rory Sheridan, Padraic Faulkner, Shane Gray, Barry Tully, Alan Clarke, Noel McIntyre, Barry Reilly (0-3, 1f), Ciaran Gorman, Philip Tinnelly, Peter Corrigan, Keith McCabe, Cian McArdle (0-2f), Christy McGowan, Ryan Carey

Subs: Philip Smith for McGowan, Kieran Smith for Gorman,Terry Reilly for Tinnelly, Dara Gunne for Carey, JP Reilly for Gray

 

Kilcoo: Stephen Kane, Niall Branagan, Aidan Branagan, Daryl Branagan, Aaron Branagan, Darragh O'Hanlon (0-5, 2f), JJ McLoughlan, Dominic McEvoy, Aaron Morgan, Ryan Johnston, Paul Devlin (2-2) Martin Devlin, Jerome Johnston (1-2), Paul Greenan, Conor Laverty (0-5)