Kiltimagh pull out all the stops to claim county final place

MAYO JUNIOR FOOTBALL SEMI-FINAL

Kiltimagh 1-18

Ardagh 2-13

In Foxford

A thrilling battle of warriors and wills ended with the mighty men of Kiltimagh in the county final despite a monumental effort from Ardagh. There were times, particularly in the first half, when it seemed as if Ardagh were headed for their first decider, but the drive, spirit and never-say-die attitude of the men in blue saw them over the line in the end.

Ardagh were the better team in the opening half. They created five goal chances but only took one, courtesy of wing-back, Tom Varkonda.

Kiltimagh goalkeeper Jamie McNicholas was outstanding at both ends of the pitch, saving one-on-one between his own posts and kicking two whopping two-point frees in attack.

The left his side just four behind at the interval, 0-7 to 1-8, and Kiltimagh began the second half in explosive fashion. Conor Mallee crashed home a goal after eight seconds and when points arrived from Thomas Regan and Liam Lavin the East Mayo men were ahead.

Ardagh needed a response and got it when James Carr blasted home a classy goal.

That set the tone for the rest of the game, first one team took the lead, then the other. Brian Gallagher, Jack Niland, Mallee, Fionan Burke and Oisin Mulderrig troubled the umpires for Kiltimagh while Stephen Rochford, Lee Traynor and the excellent Carr did likewise for Ardagh.

In the closing stages, Kiltimagh were a point clear when Ardagh went down the field and as referee Garryowen McMahon blew his whistle for a three-up breach, Carr put the ball in the net, but it was ruled out and Fionan Burke converted the subsequent free at the other end.

That was all she wrote and Kiltimagh were on their way to the county final after a stunning display in the second half. Ardagh were excellent for long periods, but will rue missed opportunities in the first half, when more clinical finishing would have left them in a better position.

A full report will be carried in Tuesday's Mayo News.