Burns' late point snatches draw in JFC semi-final

JFC semi-final

Knockbride 0-11

Denn 0-11

Paul Fitzpatrick at Kingspan Breffni

Denn and Knockbride must meet again to decide which side advances for a tilt at the Sean Leddy Cup after they played out a draw in this dogfight at HQ.

A late effort from Seanie Burns secured another crack at it for Knockbride after a match which was close throughout, with neither playing the free-flowing football of which they are capable.

This was billed as a 50-50 match between last year’s finalists, Denn, and a Knockbride side who have been knocking on the door for a few years now and it went according to that script.

Denn eased into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead but Knockbride overhauled them with four points in a row and by half-time, Larry Reilly’s side were ahead by 0-6 to 0-5.

The first half was nervy and littered with mistakes, resulting in a high number of turnovers, and poor shooting, with the swirling wind making things difficult for forwards.

Neither side could be faulted for effort, however, and it was typical championship fare, hard-hitting and every ball bitterly contested.

Thomas Edward Donohoe opened the scoring with a free in the third minute and then found Cavell Keogan – a late call-up, along with fit-again Mossy Corr – who pointed on the turn to double Stephen Baxter’s side advantage.

Knockbride got off the mark when Philip Nulty made a great catch and Niall McCabe found teenager Liam Fay for a well-struck 40-metre point.

The second goal chance of the contest – Kevin Traynor had cut out the first – fell to Brendan Carolan, who was played in by Ciaran Smith, in the seventh minute but Mark Fegan advanced quickly off his line and Carolan’s shot was off target.

Conor O’Reilly kicked the next to nudge Denn two ahead but subsequently went off injured and his loss unsettled Denn, who conceded four points in succession. Ciaran Smith landed the first, a lovely effort off the left, before Liam Fay split the posts after Denn were turned over.

A mark from Brendan Carolan put Knockbride ahead and they made it 0-5 to 0-3 when Carolan laid off for Ciaran Smith to hook over on the 16-minute mark.

Eight scoreless minutes followed either side of the water break, broken by a fine individual effort from Thomas Edward Donohoe, who beat two defenders and fisted over. The second quarter was full of mistakes; after one, Roy Donohoe capitalised for the Canningstown men but Denn hit back when Ben Conaty’s high pass was broken down by ‘Ted’ and Oisin Kiernan slotted over.

The second half was similarly helter skelter, with an improvement in quality at times. Philip Rogers, who had come on late in the first half, grabbed the opening point but it was cancelled out by Conaty after a Kiernan pass.

An excellent strike from Ciaran Smith (mark) made it 0-8 to 0-6 and Knockbride had a chance to put real daylight between them moments later. Mark Fegan’s kick-out was intercepted by Rogers, who fed Seanie Burns but the goalkeeper made amends with a point blank save.

Knockbride, though, did register the next score, Fay raising another white flag after Denn coughed up possession but a 47-metre free off the ground from Fegan got the Crosskeys-based side going again.

Thomas Edward Donohoe converted two difficult frees and when the county panellist took the ball at full pace and blasted over, Denn had scored four times in a row, were a point up and looked the likelier winners.

Conaty won a free but Fegan was off target this time; at the other end, Burns converted a tricky one from the left side of goal to make it 0-10 apiece.

By now, the tension was cranked up even further. Denn pushed up and went for it, Corr breaking a tackle and Mark McSherry finding Conaty, who thumped over a brilliant point from 40 metres in a crowd of bodies.

That looked as if it would be the winner but Knockbride came again. Full-back Declan Nulty, on one of his trademark stirring runs out of defence, found Burns who kept his composure to squeeze over the equaliser from a tight angle.

Deep in injury time, Denn had one final chance when Thomas Edward Donohoe was awarded what looked a softish free; Fegan stepped up but his effort fell short and within seconds, the final whistle sounded.

The sides must do it all again over the next week; without doubt, after such a closely-contested battle, a draw was a fair result here.

Denn: Mark Fegan (0-1f), Tomás Corr, Bernard Gaffney, Michael Gaffney, Stephen McPartland, James Brady, Mark McSherry, Conor O’Reilly (0-1), Oisin Kiernan (0-1), Cavell Keogan (0-1), Thomas Edward Donohoe (0-5, 3f), Eoin Reilly, Sean Donohoe, Ben Conaty (0-2), Brandon Keogan

Subs: Cian McCann for C O’Reilly (temp, 12 mins), Jamie Reilly for B Keogan (50), Cormac Cusack-Smith for McCann (52), Conor Smyth for E Reilly (60)

Knockbride: Patrick Smith, Shane Carolan, Declan Nulty, Daniel McGuinness, DJ Cassidy, Kevin Traynor, Micheál Clarke, Philip Nulty, Ben Mulvey, Roy Donohoe (0-1), Liam Fay (0-3), Niall McCabe, Sean Burns (0-2, 1f), Brendan Carolan (0-1m), Ciaran Smith (0-3, 1m)

Subs: Philip Rogers (0-1) for B Carolan (25 mins), Sean Rogers for K Traynor (42), Larry Maguire for McCabe (51), Fergal Smith for R Donohoe (60)

Ref: Noel Mooney