Kilcoo cruise to their sixth county title on the trot

Kilcoo left no doubt in anyone’s mind that they are the Kingpins of County Down when a methodical championship campaign ended with their sixth Frank O’Hare Cup in the bag following an emphatic victory over Burren in Pairc Esler this afternoon.

In a repeat of last year’s final, the St Mary’s side were hoping it wouldn’t be a repeat result and performance as it was in that one-sided game – but unfortunately for them it was both.

Burren only scored one point from play this time around and that was in the second half from Liam Kerr who also scored from a free, with the other two frees off the boot of their goalkeeper Donal O’Hare in the first half.

The Magpies didn’t fare much better, with only two points from play and the goal late on, but they did what they had to do to set up an Ulster Championship clash with Cavan in a few week’s time.

The tone of the match was evident from throw-in, with no love lost between the south Down rivals. After a spell of pushing and shoving, Warrenpoint referee Michael Moore dished out yellow cards to Kerr and Kilcoo's Shealan Johnston – and there were more to come for both sides.

O’Hare opened the scoring with his first free in the second minute and the half ended 0-7 to 0-2 in favour of Kilcoo with just one of those points from play scored by Jerome Johnston with 28 minutes on the clock.

Burrren’s game-plan seemed to be getting the ball to Ryan Treanor, who usually comes on as a sub but started in this final, and while they were having success with their long kick-outs to the left side of the field, they were undone by a strong Kilcoo defence in the final third and by the second quarter the Magpies were on to the tactic.

Paul Devlin got the scoreboard moving for the Magpies in the fifth minute from a free and traded frees between O'Hare and Devlin made it 0-2 apiece after nine minutes.

That was when the reigning champions pulled away however, with frees converted by Ryan McEvoy, goalkeeper Niall Kane and a mark from Miceal Rooney, while Burren struggled to hold onto the ball and string anything meaningful together.

The Kilcoo supporters found their voice with the familiar UTM chant ringing out with Johnston's point from play and the enthusiasm

grew stronger seconds before the half-time whistle when the same player played the ball into the Burren square for Darryl Branagan in front of goal, but Down defender Peter Fegan got there first and it remained 0-6 to 0-2 at the break.

Burren came out for the second half with a bit more urgency in their game and almost nabbed their first from play through another Down inter-county star Odhran Murdock but he pulled his shot wide and McEvoy increased Kilcoo's lead to six with a free.

Things might have panned out differently had Burren converted a maximum opportunity seconds later. O'Hare had roamed down from his goal and played the ball in for Treanor, but McEvoy leaped high and bravely palmed down into Kane's arms.

With hopes fading quickly for Burren nothing would stick, with wides from Kerr, Malachai McAvoy and O'Hare before Kerr converted their third score of the day from another free. After Chris Rooney increased Kilcoo’s lead again, Kerr recorded Burren's first from play on 54 minutes to make it 0-8 to 0-4 but two minutes later Devlin cancelled that out with a well-taken reply also from play.

Burren were reduced to 13 men as full-time approached with Danny Magill black carded for a foul on McEvoy and Kerr with his second yellow for a foul on Shealan Johnston. Nothing would change the result at that stage however and the Burren supporters were already heading for the exit while the Kilcoo fans readied themselves for another celebration.

There was more to come from the Magpies in stoppage time, as Anthony Morgan added another point and they further enhanced the scoreline when Miceal Rooney set up Darryl Branagan sweetly for a riffled shot to the roof of the net, ending another successful campaign for Kilcoo and another disappointing challenge from Burren.

MATCH STATS

Kilcoo: N Kane (0-1,f); N Branagan, S Og McCusker, C Rogers; M Rooney (0-1,1m), D Branagan (1-0), E Branagan; A Morgan, R McEvoy (0-2,2f); C Rooney (0-1,1f), A Morgan (0-1), S Johnston; J Johnston (0-1), P Devlin (0-3,2f), C Doherty

Subs: J Devlin for C Rooney (38), C Laverty for McCusker (55), N Rogers for Devlin (60+5)

Burren: D O'Hare (0-2,2f); P Burns, G McGovern, M McAvoy; P McCarthy, R Magill, P Fegan; A Cole, O Murdock; R Treanor, L Kerr (0-2,1f), C McGovern; D Magill, N Toner, R McGrath

Subs: R Cunningham for McGovern (34), D McEntee for Toner (34). R Kelly for Treanor (41), K McKernan for Cole (48), C Toner for McAvoy (42)

Referee: Micheal Moore (CPN)