Kill Shamrocks power past Redhills to reach last four

JFC quarter-final

Kill Shamrocks 1-19

Redhills 0-13

Damien Donohoe at Kingspan Breffni

Kill Shamrocks produced a commanding performance to book their place in the semi-finals of the Rudden’s Service Station Junior Championship, overcoming Redhills by nine points in Kingspan Breffni last evening. A blistering first-half showing, highlighted by a Seamus O’Reilly goal and the influence of the McIntyre brothers, laid the foundation for victory. Despite a spirited Redhills revival after the break, Kill’s greater spread of scorers and dominance on restarts proved decisive.

Played in wet, slippery conditions, the match began at a frantic pace with Kill firmly on the front foot. Their early accuracy contrasted with Redhills’ wastefulness and by the time the half-time whistle sounded, Kill had carved out a eight-point lead that kept Redhills at arm’s length throughout.

Kill hit the ground running with barely 20 seconds on the clock. Winning the throw-in, they surged into attack and Ben McIntyre clipped over an opener from the right-hand side with the instep of his right boot. Moments later, Redhills threatened an immediate response when a high delivery dropped dangerously short, but goalkeeper Lorcan Hammond recovered well after fumbling at the first attempt.

The Shamrocks pressed forward again, though early wides from Hammond, attempting a long free, and corner forward Kevin O’Reilly meant they were still just a point to the good approaching the five-minute mark. On seven minutes, Aaron McIntyre doubled the advantage with a right-footed strike, showing quick feet after a lengthy solo run that might easily have been penalised for overcarrying.

Kill were now well on top. Ben McIntyre doubled his tally on 10 minutes, finishing coolly with his left from close range after Gary Tiernan dropped a clever pass over the top. Redhills, scoreless until then, finally opened their account on eleven minutes with a long-range effort from wing back Fergail Quinn, cutting the deficit to two.

Aaron McIntyre responded in style three minutes later. Gaining possession just inside the 45, he struck sweetly for the game’s first two-pointer to make it 0-5 to 0-1. Ben McIntyre then added a free from 35 metres on 17 minutes before the game’s first major moment arrived.

Corner back Seamus O’Reilly made the surge forward on 18 minutes. Liam McCauley fisted a ball across the square and O’Reilly palmed it to the net for a well-taken goal. Suddenly Kill led 1-6 to 0-1 and were in complete control.

Redhills, to their credit, hit back. Pearse West lofted over a booming two-point score from distance to spark hope, before corner forward Turloc Mooney added a classy right-footed point after selling a dummy solo. The revival was brief, however, as Kill again stamped their authority.

On 23 minutes, Hammond drilled over a free from the ground for two, after Kevin O’Reilly was fouled. Two minutes later, Darragh Boyle surged forward from wing back to stroke over a superb score. By the 28th minute, Hammond had added another free from distance and Kill’s tally had moved to 1-10, with Redhills stranded on five points after Padhraig Smith’s late effort. At the break, the scoreboard read 1-10 to 0-5 in Kill’s favour.

If Redhills were to mount a comeback, they needed a bright restart. They managed just that when Smith again pointed after a sweeping counter-attack barely a minute into the second period. Kevin O’Reilly responded quickly for Kill, but the dynamic of the game shifted on six minutes when Redhills full forward Cormac Brides was dismissed for a second yellow card.

Despite being reduced to 14 men, Redhills enjoyed their best spell of the game. Paul Martin, out from goals for the second half, raised an orange flag from a long free on eight minutes and followed up almost immediately with a fine score from play. Moments later, Shane Jenkins cut through to clip over another and suddenly the margin was down to four, 1-11 to 0-10.

It could have been a turning point. Ben McIntyre missed a free that might have steadied Kill, but the Shamrocks regained their composure. On 12 minutes, Ben split the posts with a powerful run and finish before Kevin O’Reilly converted another free. Colin McCauley then bundled over a scrappy point from close range and Kill had reasserted their grip, 1-14 to 0-10, by the 15th minute of the half.

From there, they never looked back. O’Reilly added a superb effort from play, Liam McCauley fisted over after being played in on goal, and then Colin McCauley and O’Reilly again stretched the advantage to 11 points. With 18 minutes gone in the half, Kill had reeled off seven scores in succession and led 1-18 to 0-10.

Redhills, to their credit, refused to wilt. Martin knocked over a 30-metre free on 20 minutes and in the closing stages, Smith scrambled home a point after a goalmouth scramble before sub Sean Martin blasted over when a goal looked on. That left the score at 1-18 to 0-13 entering injury time.

Kill rounded off the scoring through substitute Killian Brady, who had been played through by Conor Bannon and blasted over while going for goal. Shortly afterwards the final whistle blew, confirming Kill’s passage to the last four on a final scoreline of 1-19 to 0-13.

This was a statement win for Kill Shamrocks. They displayed attacking flair, defensive solidity, and crucially a ruthless streak whenever Redhills threatened to claw back the deficit. The McIntyre brothers were superb, Aaron’s two-pointer and Ben’s array of scores catching the eye, while Kevin O’Reilly grew into the game with a series of excellent second-half efforts. Seamus O’Reilly’s goal at a critical stage of the first half gave them the cushion they needed.

For Redhills, the dismissal of Brides hurt their cause, though Paul Martin’s frees and West’s long-range strike were highlights. Ultimately, though, they were second best on the night against a Kill side who look serious contenders for the championship.

Kill Shamrocks: Lorcan Hammond (0-3,1tpf,1f); Shane Tiernan, Brendan Brady, Seamus O’Reilly (1-0); Barry McMenamin, Darragh Boyle (0-1), Luke O’Brien; Aaron McIntyre (0-3,1tp), Liam Gaffney; Gary Tiernan, Ben McIntyre (0-4,1f), Kevin O’Reilly(0-4,1f); Conor Bannon, Colin McCauley (0-2), Liam McCauley (0-1)

Subs used: Killian Brady (0-1) for K O’Reilly, Ciaran O’Reilly for B McMenamin, Darragh McMenamin for A McIntyre, Ronan Brady for S O’Reilly, Sean Gaffney for C McCauley.

Redhills: Paul Martin (0-4,1tpf,1f); Eoin McDonald, Conor McMahon (C), Matthew Mohan; Shane Jenkins (0-1), Alan Brady, Fergail Quinn (0-1); Derek Fay, Pearse West (0-2,1tp); Thomas Reilly, Padhraig Smith (0-3), Joe Callan; Andrew Dunne, Cormac Brides, Turloc Mooney (0-1)

Subs used: Niall Martin for A Brady, Gary Kelly for G Kelly, Dessie Gumley for S Jenkins, Jack Dunne for P West, Sean Martin (0-1) for J Callan, Daragh Duggan for A Dunne.