Seniors Succumb to Suncroft

Post date: Mar 30, 2016 12:01:41 AM

Kildangan took the short journey to Suncroft on Monday afternoon for the second round of the Senior Football League. This one was always going to be a test for the newly promoted side. The 'Croft had intermediate experience on their side. They also had a familiar face to Kildangan with Ruaidhri Jacob in a management role at Suncroft. Jacob played a part in Kildangan's Junior B Championship win in 2015 and would still be very familiar with his former team. But none of this was going to deter Kildangan, who had two new additions in Damien Broughall and Niall Christie.Suncroft drew the first blood, with Ciaran Troy scoring a point in the opening minute. They continued this form throughout the half and this saw them lead 0-8 to 1-1 at the break. The signs didn't look good for Kildangan when Niall Christie had to be taken off after five minutes with a shoulder injury. Robert Hanley kicked the first Kildangan point in the seventeenth minute, while Tom Moran was on hand to put away a goal later in the half. Another positive for Kildangan was Damien Broughall, who showed he was well capable to hold off the opposition's advances. The home side also scored the first four points in the second half, giving them an eight point lead after 36 minutes. Hanley followed up with two for Kildangan; the first through a free and the second thanks to a well placed pass from Ryan Moran, narrowing the gap back to five. Suncroft came back with another three to maintain a safe distance between themselves and Kildangan. Broughall, in his first game, also showed his scoring ability when he scored a point from around halfway to keep the Kildangan fight going.

The home side's lead didn't upset the visitors. Ryan Moran hit the back of the net in the fiftieth minute, before adding a point two minutes later. Dara Gilbert kicked Kildangan's last score of the game. With a score of 2-6 to 0-15, the gap was now only three, but time was running out. Suncroft added a further two from play, followed by a free two minutes from the end, to give them a 0-18 to 2-6 victory.

Suncroft proved their worth with the six point margin, but Kildangan's determination in this game shows promise for the remainder of the league. The fight for places on the starting fifteen will be stronger than ever with a number of prominent players due to return from injury in the coming weeks. Our next encounter is against Cappagh on Saturday, with throw-in at 6.45pm in More O'Ferrall Park, Kildangan.

Kildangan: Scott Broughan; Richard Morgan, Colin Christie, Gabriel Murtagh; Luke Barry, David Christie; Dermot Hickey; Damien Broughall, Dara Gilbert; Eric O'Hara, Kevin Christie, Niall Christie; Ryan Moran, Tom Moran, Robert Hanley.

Substitutes: Andrew Wilson (for N. Christie, 5 minutes)

Suncroft: Darren O'Reilly; Eoghan Brannock, David Nolan, Adam Talbot; Dean Slattery, Eoin Troy, Dean King; Ciaran Troy, John Brown; Harry Dolan, Ryan King, Jack Setright; Anthony Delaney, Thomas Cleary

By Michael Higgins and Andrew Wilson