Kingscourt edge Gaels in opening-round thriller

SFC round 1

Kingscourt Stars 0-20

Cavan Gaels 0-19

Damien Donohoe at Kingspan Breffni

The Kyte Powertech Senior Football Championship roared into life on Friday evening when Kingscourt Stars and Cavan Gaels served up a gripping, high-quality contest. While Kingscourt lead for the most part, momentum swung one way and then the other, and the outcome wasn’t settled until the final whistle.

Both sides had the ball in their hands after the allotted injury-time had been played but Kingscourt failed to retain possession and Cavan Gales failed to create that final scoring chance they needed to salvage something from the game.

With a slight breeze favouring the team attacking the town end, long-range efforts and two-point scores became a feature of the night. Kingscourt struck three two-pointers in the first half, while the Gaels hit four in the second. Both teams displayed clinical finishing from distance, but in a game with a 39 point total that only had a single point between the sides, it was the Stars’ extra point with the wind that ultimately made the difference.

Cavan Gaels signalled their intent straight from the throw-in, holding possession for almost two minutes before Andy Graham drifted into space and clipped over the first score from 20 metres. Kingscourt replied instantly, a speculative attack dropped short into the Gaels’ square, but a defensive fumble gifted the home side a ’45. Full-back John McCullough stepped up and coolly dispatched it to level the game.

The Stars hit the front moments later when county man Padraig Faulkner won the restart and charged straight through the middle before slotting over. The Gaels answered through Xabi McCaffery, whose snapshot from the D clipped the left upright and dropped over to bring the sides level for the second time.

Michael Gargan then opened his account with a sweetly struck two-pointer free from his left boot on six minutes. Emmanuel Shehu responded for the Gaels, showing quick feet to wrong foot his marker and tap over, but Kingscourt then enjoyed their first dominant spell.

Sean Burke ignited an attack on the stand side, and Gargan applied the finishing touch with another accurate strike. Soon after, Ciarán Dermody was afforded too much room 40 metres out and sent over Kingscourt’s second two-pointer, stretching the lead to four.

Peter Corrigan added his first of the evening before Gaels goalkeeper Alan O’Riordan reduced the deficit with a long-range free after Emmanuel Shehu was fouled.

The younger Shehu brother, Joshua showed great pace burning past McCullough to slot over a fifth point for the Gaels leaving three between the side with 15 minutes played. Faulkner hit back with another fine point before Gargan converted a free when Cian Shekleton was brought down.

Once again, Emmanuel Shehu led the Gaels’ fightback. Bursting past two defenders, he pointed from close range and soon after converted a free won by his brother Favour who was introduced from the bench.

Declan McCoy’s side almost hit the net when O’Riordan dropped a long-range free short but dangerously towards the top corner after Favour Shehu had been fouled. Kingscourt goalkeeper Tom Martin read the danger, flinging himself across goal and colliding with the upright in a brave save that kept his side in front.

The Gaels kept pushing and Graham fired over a superb point from a tight angle to cut the gap to two, but Gargan’s two point free on the stroke of half-time restored a four-point advantage, 0-12 to 0-8.

If the Gaels hoped to eat into the deficit quickly, Kingscourt had other ideas. Gargan slotted over after being set up by Faulkner, and Shekleton finished off a sweeping move from the right wing to push the margin to six. Half-time substitute Joe Dillon then made it seven with a composed finish inside the scoring zone with six second half minutes played.

The Gaels finally broke their second-half duck when captain Padraig Sexton curled over a brilliant two-pointer off the outside of his right boot. But Shekleton was in irresistible form, twice turning sharply onto his right foot and splitting the posts in quick succession to reassert a seven-point cushion.

Joshua Shehu kept his side in touch with a fine strike from 35 metres, but another Shekleton free, after Dillon was fouled, left the Stars firmly in control entering the final quarter.

A high challenge from Faulkner on a Evan McIntyre sparked a brief flashpoint, with the ref issuing yellow cards to both Faulkner and Sexton, who came in after the challenge to push Faulkner.

When Gaels manager Declan McCoy showed his frustration on the sideline, he was shown a yellow card, the free was over-turned and Kingscourt awarded possession. Shekleton punished the error with a simple 20-metre free, pushing the lead back to eight.

At this stage, it looked like Kingscourt would cruise home. But the Gaels weren’t done yet. Substitute Paul Graham ended an 11-minute scoring drought with a well-taken point and followed up almost immediately with a long-range effort from outside the 40. Suddenly, the gap was down to five.

A quick tap-and-go free by Joshua Shehu then produced a superb two-pointer, and the deficit was down to three with just minutes remaining. Sean Burke landed a vital point for the Stars, but the player of the match, Emmanuel Shehu struck again to make it 0-20 to 0-17. The game was now on a knife edge, and when Ben Tully curled over the Gaels’ fourth two-pointer of the game from just inside the 45, there was only a single point between them.

Ten seconds after the allotted two minutes of injury time had been played, Kingscourt won a line ball. Faulkner drove it as far as he could downfield, but the Gaels regained possession and mounted one last attack. However, a misplaced pass into the full-forward line by Padraig Sexton was read perfectly by Faulkner, who intercepted. Moments later, the final whistle sounded to seal a thrilling victory for the Stars.

Kingscourt Stars: Tom Martin; Noah McCormack, John McCullough (0-1 ’45), Shane Gray; Odhran Cunningham, Aaron Shekleton, Seán Burke; Padraig Faulkner (0-2), Paddy Meade; Barry Tully (C), Peter Corrigan (0-1), Ciarán Dermody (0-2,1tp); Michael Gargan (0-6, 2tpf, 2f), Kevin Curtis (0-1), Cian Shekleton (0-5, 1f)

Subs: Joe Dillon (0-1) for K Curtis, Caoimhin Magee for P Meade.

Cavan Gaels: Alan O Riordan (0-1f); Conor Doyle, John Fortune, Niall Gurhy; Evan McIntyre, Luke Fortune, Kane Dowd; Ben Tully (0-2,tp), Luke Molloy; Emmanuel Shehu (0-4, 2f), Padraig Sexton (0-2,tp), Xabi McCaffery (0-1); Andy Graham (0-2), Keenan Donohoe, Joshua Shehu (0-4, 1tp)

Subs: Favour Shehu for K Dowd, Conor McClarey for K Donohoe, Paul Graham (0-3,1tp) for X McCaffery

Ref: Padraig Sheridan