Foley’s late strike clinches it for Reds
Coralstown/Kinnegad 1-8 Delvin 1-2
Jack Cole racked up eight points and Ronan Foley shot the lights out with a late goal, as Coralstown/Kinnegad marked off the first of their weekend county final outings with a junior 2 football title win over battling Delvin on Saturday afternoon.
There were murmurs before throw-in that a last-minute postponement might be in order, with a morning of torrential rain turning the second pitch at Shandonagh into a waterlogged quagmire. However, a cocktail of rain, wind and mud wasn’t going to put off two sides who underlined their hunger from the get-go.
We can speculate until the cows come home about how this would have panned out on a drier day, but on paper, all would agree that Niall Leydon’s Kinnegad side were the strong favourites, having easily overcome Mullingar Shamrocks in the semis.
However, Delvin came to this one with their own story – a young side with a genuine thirst to get back to junior football proper, driven on by the thrill of toppling an unbeaten Rosemount side in the last four. They were in this right to the end.
The squelch of rain-soaked turf conspired to upset the odds early on. Kinnegad had the best of the early exchanges, but hampered by the breeze and the rain, Neill Carthy posted a couple of wides. It took the Reds 14 minutes to eventually break the deadlock thanks to a Jack Cole point.
Then, a minute later, Delvin showcased their attacking capabilities when an unmarked Darragh Clinton was picked out in the left corner, and he curled superbly over the bar to level matters.
The wind, driving rain and difficult conditions underfoot meant that accuracy was hampered, and at times, all the slips, slides, splashes and collisions made injuries a more likely prospect than scores.
There were moments, however. A punt at goal from Eoin Carolan briefly led to panic in the Kinnegad defence when goalkeeper Damien Molloy spilled the greasy ball, leading to a frantic dash for the rebound.
The Reds clear their lines, and moments later Jack Cole tacked on a free to give them a 0-2 to 0-1 lead at the break.
The resumption brought another downpour, and Delvin manager Kevin Williams introduced Dean Ennis and Johnny Ivory on to shore up the attack. Cole converted another free to make it 0-3 to 0-1, but the new faces up front for Delvin soon began to pay dividends.
On 34 minutes, after a neat build-up, Delvin sub Dean Ennis manoeuvred himself into a goalscoring position and was about to let fly with his left, when he was bundled to the ground. The Valley were awarded a penalty, which Eoin Carolan easily despatched with a powerful right-footed drive.
Delvin led for the first time, but with Stephen Bracken pulling the strings in midfield, the Reds got themselves into two dead ball opportunities to regain the lead, both of them converted by Cole. After 40 minutes, Dean Ennis struck a free off the ground for the Maroons, and it was level pegging (1-2 to 0-5). The rain eased off, and hopes for a grandstand finish were high.
As the game wore on, the Valley looked less likely to score, and frustration set in. Two more conceded frees were popped over by Cole, while Delvin started to pick up a couple of cards. Darragh Clinton, their most experienced forward, gleaned a second yellow and a red for charging at an opponent, and the Maroons looked increasingly doomed.
However, two late frees gave them some hope of snatching a late goal, and had either of Eoin Carolan’s kicks met with an outstretched paw or a defensive fumble, 14-man Delvin could easily have won this final – but it wasn’t to be.
Instead, with a minute of stoppage time gone, Coralstown/Kinnegad’s experienced centre back Ronan Foley slipped behind the opposing defence and latched onto a long ball, before finding the top left-hand corner of the Delvin net with a difficult but spectacular finish.
It was game over, and moments later, Jack Cole converted another free – his eighth score – to send Coralstown/Kinnegad home with a wet sail, as if it wasn’t wet enough already.
At full time, Westmeath GAA chairman Frank Mescall and championship sponsor, Ciaran Clarke of Clarke’s Bar, Mullingar, presented the cup to the Coralstown/Kinnegad captain, Aidan Gorry.
Scorers - Coralstown/Kinnegad: J Cole 0-8 (7f), R Foley 1-0. Delvin: E Carolan 1-0 (pen), D Clinton and D Ennis (free) 0-1 each.
Coralstown/Kinnegad:
Damien Molloy; Jack Quinn, Michael Leonard, Cillian Curran; Brian McGrath, Ronan Foley, Luke Leacy; Stephen Bracken, Patrick Leydon; Neill Carthy, John Kiernan, Rory Cole; Aidan Gorry, Jack Cole, Mark Giles. Subs used: Alex Ajeigbe for Carthy (h-t), Clive Kiernan for Curran (50).
Delvin: Declan McKenna; Patrick Clune, Liam Carolan, Eddie O’Neill; Adam McCormack, Seán Hoctor, Ross Gaffney; Paddy Poynton, Aaron Fenlon; Kyle Bracken, Peter Fallon, Jack Forde; Eoin Carolan, Darragh Clinton, Steven Cassidy. Subs used: Dean Ennis for Cassidy (h-t), Johnny Ivory for Bracken (h-t), Seb McPherson for O’Neill (39), Conor Ward for Fallon (49), Steven Reilly for Fenlon (59).
Ref: Gary Hurley (Moate All Whites).
Footnote: Before the throw-in, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of the late Dermot Cooney, Coralstown, Kinnegad.