Kilmessan open with an impressive performance
by Conall Collier Updated: Wednesday, 1st June, 2011 4:50pm
Kilmessan 1-14, Kildalkey 1-8
Charles Keena in possession for Kilmessan with Kildalkey's Tony Fox applying the pressure during Friday night's SHC game at Trim.
Kilmessan began their campaign to regain the SHC Jubilee Cup from three-in-a-row chasing Kildalkey with an encouraging performance at windswept Trim on Friday night.
Playing with the benefit of the first-half elements Kildalkey squandered too many chances as they tallied 11 wides on the way to slender 1-5 to 1-4 interval advantage.
That particular statistic was crucial and Kilmessan manager Ollie Horan accepted that the wind played a big role in the result.
"We had the wind in the second-half and we were only a point down at the break, that was crucial, but it's early in the championship ," he told the Meath Chronicle.
"I would expect both teams to qualify for the knock-out stages and we certainly won't be reading too much into this victory.
"Either team could have won the game and it was only in the last few minutes that we managed to pull clear.
"We can certainly build on this victory, we have a lot of young players coming through and we also have some injury problems.
"Peter Farrell was out for this game, but there is great competition for places and that's healthy for the team," he added.
The fact that Kildalkey could only muster a one-point lead at the break ultimately cost them the game because they really struggled to hit the target after the resumption.
They managed a point at the start of the second-half, another at the midway stage and closed their account in injury-time.
That was never going to be enough against a determined Kilmessan side who certainly appear to have plenty of options.
Nicky Horan had Kilmessan motoring against the wind with a goal and a point inside five minutes. Darren Reilly and Kevin Keena, they also split the posts subsequently, made the openings respectively.
Joey Keena scored the point of the half with a great effort from play while Kildalkey managed points from Noel Kirby (three), Padraig Keogh and Paddy Conneely with full-forward Dan Fagan finding the net from a high Gary Kelly centre in the 24th minute.
That goal coincided with Kelly's move to midfield in a direct swap with Eoin Potterton.
Kildalkey struggled for supremacy in that sector as Eoin Marsh, well-supported by Ger O'Neill, called the shots.
Kilmessan reeled of the points after the resumption and were ahead by 1-9 to 1-6 at the end of the third-quarter. Reilly (two), Joey Keena, Charlie Keena and Stephen Clynch were the marksmen. Clynch was very comfortable at centre-back.
Kilmessan took control in the closing stages and were full value for the six-point margin.
Referee Fergus Smith adopted a lenient approach to some challenges and the game could have produced a number of unsavoury incidents following yellow-card-style challenges that were not punished.
Nicky Horan had the sliotar fired deliberately at him while prone on the ground at one stage, there was also a late challenge on a Kildalkey player in the opening half and Kilmessan lost Kevin Keena late in the game after he sustained a shoulder injury.
There was a couple of late yellow cards, but they were fairly ineffective at that stage.
Kilmessan - S Power; P Maguire, P O'Brien, P McGovern; M Horan, S Clynch (0-2 frees), P Reynolds; G O'Neill, E Marsh; J Keena (0-5), N Horan (1-1), D Donnelly; D Reilly (0-4 three frees), C Keena (0-1), K Keena (0-1). Sub - D Maguire (0-1) for K Keena 48 mins.
Kildalkey - C Flynn; T Fox, S Forde, D Laharte; M Keogh (0-1), E Keogh, M Doran; E Potterton, P Keogh (0-2); G Kelly, N Kirby (0-3 two '65s'), P Geoghegan (0-1); P Conneely (0-1), D Fagan (1-0), S Heavey. Sub - D Brady for Potterton 16 mins.
Referee - Fergus Smith (Blackhall Gaels).
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