Kilbride ease to victory in Leinster opener

Kilbride..................................2-4-11 (25)

Ardagh Moydow......................2-0-8 (14)

Full disclosure, the player's numbers were so difficult to read on the back of the Kilbride jerseys that there may well be some mistakes in the recording of scores from what turned out to be a lop-sided Leinster Club IFC opening round win for the Meath champions over Longford's Ardagh Moydow at Pearse Park on Saturday.

What isn't in doubt is that Kilbride were the vastly superior team and in Conor McWeeney and Josh Harford they had the two star acts in a performance that bodes well ahead of a home quarter-final clash with Kildare champions Sallins (or Carlow's Grange) on 15th November.

At half-time casual observers from afar might have surmised that Kilbride were under a bit of pressure as they were being held to a draw by the surprise Longford champions, but the wind that blew strongly into the Newtownforbes end of Pearse Park favoured the hosts and apart from their two-goal salvo early in the opening period they never seriously tested the Meath champions.

Kilbride were already 2-10 to 2-3 clear when Ardagh Moydow lost Gerard Farrell to a second yellow card in the 50th minute and the remainder was academic as the hosts scored just once from play in the second-half and took almost 23 minutes to add to their half-time tally.

Kilbride were in control of most sectors. They were stretched at times by the lively Killian Farrell, but once they settled they dominated midfield, attacked with pace, defended with controlled aggression and in Harford and Conor McWeeney had players capable of inflicting severe harm.

After a bright start which saw Kilbride defy the strong wind blowing against them to register the first three points from two fisted efforts from David O'Leary and an opening score from Daniel Boyd (allegedly), they were then hit by two sucker punches which left them 0-3 to 2-0 adrift.

Brilliant pace from Conor Carroll set up Conor Hogan for Ardagh Moydow's first goal and moments later a high, short, point attempt from Daryl Carrigy was superbly fielded by Dylan Fay and he was left with the simple task of finding the net, unchallenged, from close range.

Harford ended a 13-minute spell without a Kilbride score, but Ardagh Moydow found their scoring boots in the second quarter with Killian Farrell pointing either side of a Conor McWeeney score before Killian Farrell and Diarmuid Farrell added to the Longford side's tally to stretch their lead to 2-3 to 0-5.

Gerard Farrell's dissent after overcarrying the ball led to a tap over, settling, free from O'Leary to close the deficit to three and then came the crucial score as Harford drove goalwards before laying off to Conor McWeeney who fired a brilliant goal to ensure Kilbride were level at the break, 1-6 to 2-3.

Within 90 seconds of the restart Kilbride managed what Ardagh Moydow couldn't in the entirety of the wind assisted first-half, when they scored a two-pointer as Andrew McWeeney executed the perfect kick with the outside of his right to edge Kilbride clear and they never looked back.

Harford added a free and when Kilbride won possession from the next kickout the long ball in picked out Conor McWeeney for his second goal to make it 2-9 to 2-3.

In the space of three minutes Kilbride went from being on level terms to being six points up. There was no way back for Ardagh Moydow and as tempers frayed in a scrappy spell the scoring dried up as the hosts grew frustrated.

After 15 minutes without a score for either side O'Leary ended the barren spell with a free. Gerard Farrell picked up his red card after a second booking for dissent.

Kilbride added another two-pointer, this time from an O'Leary free after Finn White was fouled, to make it 2-12 to 2-3 in the 52nd minute.

Killian Farrell ended Ardagh Moydow's 32 minute scoreless spell with a converted free, but Kilbride continued to dominate against the 14 men with O'Leary landing a free before Harford kicked a two-point free to make it 2-15 to 2-4.

A flurry of substitutions sandwiched another point for Conor McWeeney before Killian Farrell landed his side's second free of the half. Harford replied with his second two-pointer, this time from play, as Kilbride moved 13 points clear on the hour mark.

Ardagh Moydow did add some gloss to their tally with three of the last four scores as Killian Farrell kicked two more frees and his side's only point from play in the second-half in reply to a Cadhla McKenna score as Kilbride marched on.

Kilbride - Luke Faherty; Mark Dempsey, Ronan O'Leary, Anthony Barker; Finn White, Timmy Farrell, Andrew McWeeney (0-2 two-pointer); Daniel Boyd (0-1), Caolan Howard; Conor McWeeney (2-2), James Gavin, Gareth Rooney; Josh Harford (0-6 one two-pointer, one free, one two-point free), David O'Leary (0-7 three frees, one two-point free), Cathal McKeon. Subs - Zack McGovern for Rooney half-time, Cadhla McKenna (0-1) for Barker, Conor O'Driscoll for C McWeeney both 58m, Adam Smith for White, Tommy Egan for D O'Leary both 60m.

Ardagh Moydow - Cian O'Byrne; Mark McCord, Tommy Powell, Jack Gallagher; Conor Carroll, Gerard Farrell, James McGeoy; Dylan Fay (1-0), Emmet Donlon; Diarmuid Farrell, Paddy Hanley, Conor Hogan (1-0); Dylan Coady (0-1), Daryl Carrigy, Killian Farrell (0-7 five frees). Subs - Eugene Murray for Hanley 43m, Brendan Finnan for Hogan 53m, Elliot Vaughan for Coady, Shane Henry for McGeoy both 56m.

Referee - Lee Moore (Kildare).

Read more on Saturday's game in Tuesday's Meath Chronicle.