Kilmeena parish celebrating historic All-Ireland final triumph

by Aiden Henry

Kilmeena have been crowned All-Ireland club junior football champions at Croke Park following their magnificent and fully deserved two-point victory over Kerry and Munster champions Gneevegvilla.

In what was an epic encounter, the west Mayo club won by 0-11 to 1-6 after extra time.

Over the 80 minutes plus, Kilmeena played by far the better football.

However, they were never able to put the Kerry side away.

In the opening half Kilmeena had the lion’s share of possession but failed to turn this advantage into scores, due to the staunch defending from their opponents.

Indeed, it was the Kerry who led at the interval, 0-4 to 0-3.

On the resumption Kilmeena kept driving forward and began to make their pressure tell where it mattered most, on the scoreboard.

Three unanswered points put Kilmeena in command and as the clock ticked into injury time it looked as if they were all set for victory.

However, with one last throw of the dice the Kerry side threw everyone forward and one last attack got them the goal they needed to force the game into extra-time.

Although Kilmeena were a little shell-shocked by the late Gneeveguilla equaliser, they still managed to regroup and came out for the extra time with all guns blazing.

Yet, after the first period of extra-time the sides were still level, 1-6 to 0-9.

Then when the game was now there to be won and lost in a tension-filled climax, it was Kilmeena who came up with the winning scores from Joey Smyth and Darragh Keaveney to leave them winners by two, 0-11 to 1-6.

A wonderful success story and surely the bonfires will be blazing in the west Mayo parish tonight.

Scorers for Kilmeena: D Keaveney (0-6, 0-4 frees), J Smyth (0-2), S Ryder, J McGlynn and N Duffy (0-1 each)

Scorers for Gneeveguilla: P Doyle (1-0), J O’Leary (0-2, 0-1 free), S O’Sullivan (mark), C Buckley (free), S O’Keeffe and P Warren (0-1 each).

Kilmeena: P Groden, C McGlynn, J Keane, J Ryan; N Feehan, S Staunton, R O’Donnell; J Carney, N Duffy; K Joyce, S Ryder, C Madden; J McGlynn, N Ryan, D Keaveney.

Subs: P Keane for C McGlynn (26), J Smyth for N Ryan (35 inj), K Sheridan for R O’Donnell (53), S Moore for N Duffy (4 ET), C McGlynn for S Staunton (9 ET), T Gill for J Keane (11 ET).

Gneeveguilla: P O’Riordan, E Fitzgerald, P O’Connor, P Brosnan; M Murphy, D Brosnan, P Warren; P O’Leary, R Collins; P Doyle, C Herlihy, S O’Keeffe; J O’Leary, S O’Sullivan, C Buckley.

Subs: D Cronin for M Murphy (half-time), J Cremin for C Buckley (37), S Crowley for P O’Leary (47), P O’Leary for S O’Keeffe (55), C O’Connor for J O’Leary (55), M Murphy for R Collins (1 ET), S O’Keeffe for M Murphy (11 ET), P O’Leary for P Brosnan (17 ET).

Ref: Séamus Mulhare (Laois).