Impressive Trim and Cole put Kildalkey to the sword

Mikey Cole scored 2-7 against the side managed by his uncle Mickey Cole on Sunday in Dunganny.

Trim 4-23

Kildalkey 2-14

Trim overturned a nine-point deficit and in the end comfortably got the better of Kildalkey in an extraordinary SHC clash at Dunganny on Sunday.

After a phenomenal first-half performance from Nicky Potterton and Niall McNally, Mickey Cole’s side led by nine points after 25 minutes. Trim gained confidence towards the end of the half and scored 1-3 on the spin which reduced the gap back to three.

In the third quarter Trim outscored their opponents by 1-8 to 0-1 and 1-4 of that came from the hurl of Mikey Cole. Kyle Ennis put the game beyond Kildalkey with Trim’s third goal. A second goal for Mikey Cole late on put the icing on the cake for him and Trim as he finished with an incredible tally of 2-7.

The win put the Reds top of the SHC table as Declan Murray’s side are the only team who have a 100% record from their opening two games. Having now lost their first two games, Kildalkey are under pressure to qualify for the knockouts as they sit four points behind their opponents from Sunday and three behind Kilmessan and Ratoath in second and third.

After five minutes, David Conneely played a lovely ball to Martin Healy who set up fellow late addition to the Kildakey starting 15 Conor Fitzgerald for a goal. Soon after Niall McNally scored the first of his three long-range points which handed Kildalkey an early 1-3 to 0-1 advantage.

James Murray is well known for his incredible sideline cut technique and his restart in the eighth minute rattled off the upright and back into play before Ennis gathered the sliotar and split the posts. Alan Douglas traded scores with Patrick Conneely and at the end of a hectic first 10 minutes, Kildalkey led 1-5 to 0-4.

Trim scored three points on the spin through two Murray frees either side of Mikey Cole’s first contribution. Nicky Potterton then took a serious handle on proceedings as he rattled off 1-2 in quick succession. His finish to the Trim net in the 19th minute was sublime and gave Eoin O’Reilly between the sticks no chance.

Into the wind, Murray made a long-range effort look so easy before McNally hit two long range scores of his own which put Kildalkey ahead by nine points after 25 minutes. All three of McNally’s scores came from within his own ‘65’

Trim seized momentum towards the end of the first-half as Mikey Cole pointed from an incredible tight angle. Murray sauntered through the Kildalkey defence before he picked out David Murtagh in loads of space and he rattled the sliotar to the back of the Trim net. Points from Ennis and Murray followed but at the interval Kildalkey still led by 2-11 to 1-11.

Soon after the restart, Potterton stretched the men in blue’s lead to four but they did not score again until the 54th minute as Trim began to completely dominate. Murray cancelled out Potterton's score before Mikey Cole scored 1-2 in the space of two minutes. It was Murray who set up Mikey Cole for his first and Trim’s second goal and five minutes into the second-half they led by two points.

Murray and Mikey Cole combined for the next three points before Mikey’s brother Joey Cole put the Reds ahead by six towards the end of the third quarter. Two Murray frees stretched Trim further ahead before Kildalkey finally ended the rut in the 54th minute courtesy of a Potterton free.

Trim were quick to put an end to any glimmer of hope that remained for Kildalkey as Mikey Cole set up Ennis for Trim’s third goal which extended the gap to 10 points. Mikey Cole added a fourth late on which capped off a fine performance from him against the side managed by his uncle.

Trim: Eoin O'Reilly; Daniel Coleman, Gary Fleming, Ben Holden; Darragh Heffernan, James Toher, David Murtagh (1-0); Joey Cole (0-2), Mark Molloy; Ian Birmingham, James Murray (0-8 five frees), George Douglas; Kyle Ennis (1-4), Alan Douglas (0-2), Mikey Cole (2-7). Subs: Dylan Farrell for Heffernan 26m, Pa Ryan for Murray 57m.

Kildalkey: David Harmon; David Conneely, Cian Colhoun, Edward Dunne; Patrick Barnwell, Niall McNally (0-3 two frees), Jamie Kavanagh (0-1); Patrick Potterton (0-1), Brín Kelly; Patrick Conneely (0-1), Martin Healy, Luke Rickard (0-1); Nicky Potterton (1-5 three frees), Conor Fitzgerald (1-1), Gary Kelly (0-1). Subs: Kelvin Lynch for Barnwell half-time, Conor McNally for Kelly 44m, Kevin McKeon for Fitzgerald 47m, Brin Kelly for Dunne 55m, Michael Carr for Conneely 57m.

Referee: Bernard Heaney (Clann na nGael).