All County U21 Championship Rossa Vs Kickhams
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
U21 Football Championship
27 April 2009
Rossa 1-07
Kickhams Creggan 0-15
Creggan continued their journey in this years All County U21 Championship, by disposing of Rossa in the first round on Monday night.
The game was played in decent conditions up in Belfast and it was anticipated to be a difficult challenge for our lads as Rossa were County Minor Champions in 2007 and Creggan were the winners in 2008.
Creggan got off to a flyer and played some great football in the opening minutes as they sailed in to a 3 point lead through scores from Leigh (2) and Matin Johnston. After some wayward shooting by the Creggan forwards which should have hammered home our superiority, Rossa beagn to come in to the game and with virtually their first serious attack on the Creggan defence a hopeful punt in to the square was kicked to the net. This score was followed up with a point to nose the home side in to the lead.
Creggan regrouped and as before Leigh popped over another brace of points with Martin weighing in with another one also which settled Creggan down. Going in to the final stages of the first half Rossa registered a further two points but Conor mcCann responded for the G&G with a beauty from tight on the end line and surrounded by defenders.
Half Time: Rossa 1-03, Kickhams Creggan 0-07
Creggan's better footballing ability should have been reflected more on the score sheet so no doubt this message was hammered home to the lads at half time, and a good re-start was necessary.
Indeed it was Rossa who got the first score of the second period when they tied the game up early on. This Creggan team has fight in them though, and they remained composed to stretch ahead from points from Hugh, Conor and Odhran. Rossa responed with a pair of points of their own to once again bring the minimum between the sides but this was the cue for our boys to roll their sleeves up and to get the job done. Hugh McNulty pointed, Leigh Martin knocked over a free, Big Aidan McKeown got one from midfield and Big Seamie Allen strode forward to lash over a point of immense pulchritude. Rossa replied briefly with a point from an increasingly none too often foray down the field, but it was Hugh McNulty who had the final say on the night with the last point of the game as the whistle blew for full time.
It was a great game of football, and the team was well supported by the travelling Ciceamites(?). After two away games, next up is a quarter final tie with Aldergrove at Creggan on a date to be confirmed.
Kickhams Team: Peter Graham, Ferghal McGrenaghan, Ricky Johnston, Paul Nelson, Dermot McCann, Tommy McCann, Aidan Maguire, Seamus Allen, Aidan McKeown, Sam Maguire, Odhran McLarnon, Conor McCann, Leigh Martin, Hugh McNulty, Martin Johnston.
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