Third-quarter scoring spree sends Down side into last four Ramor United

1-8 Kilcoo 3-13 Report The Irish Times - Photo Louis McNally

Defending champions Kilcoo sped into the Ulster Club SFC semi-finals with the minimum of fuss at Kingspan Breffni.

Mickey Moran’s men were a class apart throughout with an 1-5 unanswered salvo in the final 10 minutes of the third quarter the scaffold upon which they constructed their facile victory.

Ramor’s best player, Seán McEvoy, goaled in the sixth minute to put his side 1-1 to 0-2 ahead but the Down men soon had their hands back on the tiller.

Showing all their football nous, Kilcoo grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck once Jerome Johnston’s classy goal in the 10th minute made it 1-3 to 1-1.

Ramor attacked with intent as they tried to reel in their opponents’ 1-6 to 1-2 interval lead and three unanswered points, including a fine Cathal Maguire effort, left the minimal between the teams by the 34th minute.

Kilcoo responded brilliantly to Ramor’s mini-comeback though and Cellum Doherty’s goal – after great foraging by Dylan Ward and Eugene Branagan – made it double scores, 2-10 to 1-5, 14 minutes from time.

The black carding of Gareth Mannion in the 51st minute poured salt into Ramor’s by now gaping wound and left Kilcoo on the edge of Easy Street.

Ramor had long since shot their bolt but the leaders showed a ruthless streak by rifling home a third goal on 56 minutes courtesy of man-of-the-match Jerome Johnston rendering Ramor’s three injury-time points mere consolation scores.

RAMOR UNITED: L Brady; D Bartley, B O’Connell, E Somerville; A O’Connell, Jack Brady, Mark Magee; L Caffrey, E Maguire; B Smith, S Cadden, C Maguire (0-1); James Brady (0-2, one free, one mark), A Cole, S McEvoy (1-4, two frees).

Subs; G Mannion for C Maguire, K Maguire for L Caffrey (both 42); P McNamee (0-1) for B Smith (49); J Bradley for S Cadden (53); L Lynch for A O’Connell (56).

KILCOO: N Kane; N Branagan, R McEvoy (0-1, free), A Branagan; M Rooney, A Morgan, E Branagan (0-1); D Ward (0-1), A Morgan (0-1); C Doherty (1-3), J Johnston (2-2), S Johnston (0-1); C Laverty, R Johnston, P Devlin (0-3, three frees).

Subs; A Branagan for A Morgan, T Fettes for R Johnston (both 51); C Rooney for A Branagan, M Hynes for M Rooney (both 56); J Clarke for J Johnston (58).

Referee: N Cullen (Fermanagh).