Kilcoo over come Lorcha na Farriage - 09/02/03

East Down Minor League, Section A
Sunday 9th Feburary Kilcoo 2-08 Lorcha na Farriage 1-07

By Marc MacSiomoin, Dundrum

Gutsy and passionate were the two most suited words for the two teams playing at Kilcoo this afternoon. A footballing treat was served up at Owen Roe Park with sublime defending and fast effective forward play from both sides. One thing that was clearly evident today was the committment and heart of both teams and the will to win.

This was a game of two halves. Lorcha dominated the first half whilst the "Magpies" stepped into cruise control in the second. The first ten minutes failed to set hearts racing until Mark O'Hare nonchantly skipped through the Kilcoo backline to fire over a delightful point after eleven minutes of play. Then from the resulting Kilcoo kickout Arran Doyle rose the highest to collect the ball for Lorcha before sending O'Hare through for another blistering point. Kilcoo needed a response to this quickfire Lorcha play and they deservedly got their reward one minute later when Conor Laverty found a way past his marker to tap over.

Lorcha's response was a Paul McComiskey free but this was countered four minutes later with a lucky Kilcoo point. Then came the turning point of the first half when O'Hare scored what has to have been the score of the match. A quick turn was followed by a very accurate left foot poke to send the away crowd into rapturous applause. Four minutes later O'Hare produced a near carbon copy of his last score and sent Lorcha three points ahead. Lorcha were now digging deep and started to assume complete control of the game. This dominance was helped even further by a precise spotkick by Paul McComiskey after he himself had been hauled down in the box by Roger Morgan. Then in the twenty seventh minute, McComiskey tore through the Kilcoo defence to register Lorcha's last score of the first half. On the stroke of half time Kilcoo got the score they desperately needed. This set the scene for an exciting second half.

Half Time Score. Kilcoo 0-03 Lorcha na Farriage 1-06

By the time the second half came about a slight breeze had picked up which would ultimately favour Kilcoo. The second half saw a thoroughly rejuvenated Kilcoo side take to the field. This was proven in the first ten minutes of the second half when Kilcoo hit three unanswered points and a penalty to level affairs. Conor Laverty and Grant were chief tormentors as the Lorcha defence struggled to adapt to the new pace.O'Hare scored Lorcha's last and only point of the second half on forty four minutes and from there on Kilcoo made the best of their chances to break away and steal the lead. Five minutes after O'Hare's point, Alphonsus McEvoy sauntered through to set up another Kilcoo score. Lorcha weren't without their chances as the usually reliable McComiskey missed three frees and the lively Conor Kearney hit the side netting twice.

The heart and passion yielded by Lorcha at this stage was unquestionable but circumstances played their part as Kilcoo got another point on fifty minutes. The unfortunate loss of Lorcha goalkeeper Michael Robb meant that Lorcha had to reshuffle. This didn't go to plan and again Lorcha couldn't get the vital score which was needed. The last minutes saw Kilcoo soak up a lot of Lorcha pressure. Tempers frayed as Niall McEvoy received his marching orders for Kilcoo. However, Kilcoo seemed to regroup well and put the game firmly out of Lorcha's reach two minutes into injury time. The whistle was blown two minutes later and a dejected Lorcha left the field, thinking of what might have been whereas Kilcoo were sound in the knowledge that they had just come through the "Great Escape".

Overall, this was a fine game of football. Standards were exceedingly high and matched that expected of Section A football. Kilcoo had expierience on their side and they used it at times in the second half to immense effect. Their interlink play and running were right up their with the best of teams but in midfield and defence they lacked the knowledge and understanding of the quick and agile Lorcha attack. On the whole Lorcha will be pleased to have come away with a narrow defeat as they know that there were ample chances to secure the lead in the second half. Lorcha edged it in midfield partly because of the aerial prowess of Doyle. However, at times Kilcoo took advantage of lax handling on the part of Lorcha in and around the middle of the field. Roger Morgan, Grant, Conor Laverty and Alphonsus McEvoy stood out for Kilcoo whilst John McKibben, Neil McComiskey, Arran Doyle, Paul McComiskey and McShane were the best for Lorcha. One player that caught the eye was O'Hare. His score getting and interlink play were exceptional. I would doubt that there would be a player or spectator at the ground who would have denied O'Hare the man of the match accolade.

Lorcha manager John Morgan summed the game up in very acute words. "Kilcoo won the game simply because of their craft and guile."

Lorcha na Farriage team and scorers: M.Robb, Murray, McKibben, Melville, H.Robb, N.McComiskey, C.Robb, Doyle, Mageean, McShane, O'Hare (0-05), Kearney, Brown, Hogg, P.McComiskey (1-02).
Subs: Rooney for M.Robb and Kavanagh for Brown.

Laverty points the way to victory for Kilcoo over Lorcha Na Farriage - Report by Seamus O'Hanlon, Kilcoo

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