Kells got the perfect start to this local derby on Wednesday night as Oisín Flynn’s speculative shot found the net early in this bruising encounter in the recently refurbished Marty grounds.
The Gaels struggled to build on this lead as the Bohermeen/Cortown outfit defending with depth and discipline turned over attack after attack, punishing the visitors with direct counterattacking football. The homeside rewarded with a penalty just as the Kells rearguard were starting to get to grips with their opponents.
Kells however got into something of a groove. The midfield combination of Daniel Dunne and Tadhg Morgan were forcing a foothold for themselves and platformed by this and the stout half-backline of Seán Keyes, Cillian Dixon-Ray and Clayton Tallon-Brennan, the Kells forward unit started getting on more ball and consequently, eat into the opposition lead.
Dunne, Cathal Moore, Senan Arkins and Tommy Clynch were starting to find scores easier as pressured clearances were swallowed up and returned by the hardworking midfield duo and the marauding half-backline. Jack O’Connell was now winning dirty ball and Aronas Pocuinas was making a nuisance of himself on opposition kickouts. Oisín Flynn’s hard running and ball-winnjng skills were starting to tell on the opposition and by half-time, Kells, as unlikely as it seemed early on, were four points to the good.
Ultans/Cortown stormed into action in the second half but the full back line of Tadhg Whelan, Luke Boshell and Éanna Smith were shading the physical encounters and Kells weathered the storm.
Kells began to dominate possession. Arkins and Moore were linking up well on the left wing and scores, previously hard to come by were being found more easily and when Tadhg Morgan converted a penalty halfway through the second half, some daylight started to appear between the teams.
Kells needed the intervention of their bench to help control the game in the final quarter. Killian Reilly and Joshua Jameson linked up well with the tireless Clynch and Tallon-Brennan to do just that on the right side as Jakub Pustelnik tumbled into tackle after tackle, defending from the front to deny the opposition any time on the ball. Noah McGrath, back from injury, was introduced to mop up in defence, snuffing out two attacks in a ten minute cameo but when Ultans broke clear in the dying minutes, a shot neatly saved by the brilliant William Corcoran-Whelan spilled to an on-rushing attacker, the Kells bench feared the start of a comeback. Fortunately for Kells, Éanna Smith had different ideas, arriving from nowhere at full stretch for a goal-line clearance to salvage Kells’ hard fought lead. Flynn, Dixon-Ray and Keyes seeing to the clearance. The final whistle brought to an end an exciting and physical affair that was a credit to both teams.
Kells face Boardsmill in the final
