Double chasing Clonoe douse Kildress fire

INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTER-FINAL

Clonoe 1-19   Kildress 0-12

ON a weekend which very much followed the predicted form guide across the board, Clonoe made smooth enough progress into the last four of the Intermediate Championship on Sunday evening in Dungannon, if not quite hitting top gear against a tenacious Kildress side.

Dan McNulty neatly put away the clinching goal three minutes from time to ensure the Rahillys eventually shook off the shackles, with the Wolfe Tones clinging on grimly to their coat-tails for much of the contest.

Down the spine of the Clonoe side the experience and quality of the likes of Michael O’Neill, PJ Lavery, Declan McClure, Danny McNulty and Connor McAliskey stood out, and while Kildress had some notable performances themselves, skipper Cormac Loughran, Jonny Connolly and lively attacker Shea Quinn sticking resolutely to their task, there was always an inevitability about the outcome.

The tone was set early on with the Rahillys racing into a 0-5 to 0-1 lead after twelve minutes. McClure (twice), Lavery, McAliskey and Ryan McCabe all knocked over scores, Quinn at the other end responding with a Kildress free.

Quinn and Tommy Taggart then traded points, but with McAliskey belting over a two point free, it appeared that the scoreboard was going to get out of hand from the Kildress perspective.

Yet their tigerish attitude was to be commended and a superb Corey Holland two pointer and assured Corey Holland strike reignited their challenge.

Clonoe weren’t quite firing on all cylinders, though McClure’s latest languid point underlined their undoubted pedigree, while Darragh McGrath raced through to fist over and McAliskey latched on a free. Kildress did have the final say of the half with Holland rifling over from close range to keep the Tones just about in the hunt trailing 0-11 to 0-6.

It was tit for tat during the early exchanges of the second period. Sub Pauric Lagan and captain Cormac Loughran knocked over quality Kildress efforts, but McNulty and Lavery provided an empathic Clonoe response with assured strikes.

With just over a quarter of an hour remaining Shea Quinn thumped over a two point free to close within three (0-13 to 0-10) but any frayed Clonoe nerves were settled courtesy of a brace of close range McAliskey frees.

A well executed dead ball strike from outside the arc by Taggart widened the gap still further, and though Kildress half-back Shea Loughran sent a superb shot soaring over the black spot, and Quinn slipped over another free, it was Clonoe who finished the stronger.

Taggart (’45’) and McClure both raised white flags while McNulty’s crisp low finish past keeper Nathan McKernan guaranteed that the league champions stayed on course for the double.

Scorers

Clonoe: Connor McAliskey (0-6, 1tpf, 4f), Declan McClure (0-4), Tommy Taggart (0-4,1tpf, 1’45’), Danny McNulty (1-1), PJ Lavery (0-2), Darragh McGrath, Ryan McCabe (0-1 each)

Kildress: Shea Quinn (0-5,1tpf, 2f), Phillip Lennon (0-2,tp), Corey Holland (0-2), Shea Loughran, Cormac Loughran, Pauric Lagan (0-1 each)

Teams

Clonoe: Mickey O’Neill, James Taggart, Michael O’Neill, Shane Hughes, Shea Coney, PJ Lavery, Darragh McGrath, Declan McClure, Ryan Morrow, Ciaran Corr, Danny McNulty, Ryan McCabe, Tommy Taggart, Connor McAliskey, Fintan McClure. Subs used: Pascal McClure for R Morrow (46mins), Ryan Quinn for C Corr (50), Eoin Mansell for F McClure (60)

Kildress: Nathan McKernan, Dean McNally, Callum Holland, Jack Loughran, Shea Loughran, Cormac Loughran, Jonny Connolly, Shea Tracey, Niall Connolly, Stephen Loughran, Caolan McNamee, Oisin McDonald, Phillip Lennon, Corey Holland, Shea Quinn. Subs used: Pauric Lagan for S Loughran (h-time), Tiarnan McNamee for D McNally (57)

Referee: Justin McKenna (Dungannon)