ALL-IRELAND CLUB SFC SEMI-FINAL Crossmaglen Rangers 2-11 Kilmacud Crokes 1-12:THERE WAS an almost cinematic quality to this day of horror in Navan for Kilmacud Crokes. A day which started so brightly and full of youthful exuberance ended in disaster.
Crossmaglen Rangers, the team whom everybody thought had suffered a stake through the heart when they lost their Armagh title in 2009, clawed their way back into this game and won it.
As such, yesterday’s extraordinary win can earn them nothing but further respect. It was one tough game for Kilmacud Crokes to lose. Twice they led by six points and at times their football was wonderful.
Crokes will point to the players they were missing and certainly they were weakened by absences. Their strength in depth is such though that they could have Mark Vaughan, Johnny Magee, Barry O’Rorke, Ray Cosgrove and Rory O’Carroll on the bench.
By contrast, Cross would dream of having such a depth of talent. Yet they have rebuilt themselves while retaining their extraordinary spirit
In the end yesterday it was different personnel problems which swung it. Crokes finished the game with just 13 players after Kevin Nolan (two yellows) and Brian McGrath (a straight red) were dismissed. Crossmaglen’s Danny O’Callaghan suffered a similar fate after earning two yellows for fouls on Rory O’Carroll.
Ah, it began so well. Navan was sunlit but cold and Crokes followed the manual which states that any team hoping to beat Crossmaglen must take an early lead and force them out of themselves.
Crokes looked well-equipped to do serious damage. They pulled young Mark Coughlan out the pitch a bit from the corner leaving Brian Kavanagh and Pat Burke in the full-forward line with space to play with. The tactic worked wonderfully. Burke’s speed across the prairies did huge damage, as did the coolness in Kavanagh’s blood. He seemed to take the right option each time.
Crokes won the throw-in and Liam Óg Ó hÉineacháin was sent in for a point while people were still resuming their seats after the national anthem.
Kavanagh, Declan Kelleher and Kavanagh again stretched that lead very quickly. By the eighth minute, when the impressive Craig Dias was fed by Paddy Duggan for a fine score, Crokes were five points ahead. A Kavanagh free stretched things further.
But, with Crokes’ Paddy Duggan forced off with an injury, Cross smelled blood. The Crokes defence committed a series of silly fouls and Aaron Kernan (two frees) and Oisín McConville (another free) brought their side back into the game. Then Tony Kernan clipped a sublime point from the right wing on 22 minutes to whittle the lead to one.
Crokes were soon making running repairs. Kevin Nolan had received an early yellow for a bad foul but could feel a little hard done by when shown a second yellow on 23 minutes. Aaron Kernan converted the free to leave a point between the sides.
Crokes’ response was exemplary. Kavanagh shot two points, then Dias volleyed his own rebound to the net. Suddenly Crokes were six ahead again and Cross were going to the dressing-room bothered and distracted by the referee’s decision to blow for half-time just as one of their forwards was about to take a point.
We aren’t used to seeing Crossmaglen drag themselves back from these sort of crises. They clipped an early point however, and then Francis Hanratty latched on to a breaking ball to score a goal. The old tin-roofed stand in Navan shook with excitement.
Dias riposted with a splendid score but more disaster was on the way. A long free by McConville was broken down by David Nestor who had the setting sun in his eyes. Jamie Clarke was on hand for another goal. Level with 20 minutes to play.
Having lost their full-back, Crokes were deprived of centre-back Brian McGrath after 42 minutes. Three minutes later his counterpart Danny O’Callaghan followed him to the sidelines. And still it wasn’t settled on the scoreboard. Mark Vaughan, hair restored to its vivid red, joined the fray and scored a splendid point. Kavanagh added a free and Crokes were two clear.
But then from nowhere Crossmaglen summoned the will to survive. They posted five points on the trot. Kyle Carragher hit the third last, followed by two from Martin Aherne. That’s what subs are for. It ended with Crokes coming back and Kavanagh narrowing the margin to a couple of points.
Cross had done it though. Another All-Ireland final appointment, this one with St Brigid’s of Roscommon. Could be their most famous All-Ireland title yet.
CROSSMAGLEN RANGERS: P Hearty; P McKeown, P Kernan, J Morgan; A Kernan (0-3, 0-3 frees), D O'Callaghan, S Finnegan; J Hanratty D McKenna; J Clarke (1-1), A Cunningham, F Hanratty (1-0); T Kernan (0-1), S Kernan, O McConville (0-3, 0-3 frees). Subs: J McEntee for D McKenna (17 mins), M Aherne (0-2) for S Finnegan (53 mins), K Carragher (0-1) for A Cunningham (59 mins), F Bellew for J Clarke (60 mins).
KILMACUD CROKES: D Nestor; Ross O'Carroll, K Nolan, C Lamb; C O'Sullivan, B McGrath, R Ryan; P Duggan, C Dias (1-2); L Óg Ó hÉineacháin (0-1), D Kelleher (0-1), A Morrissey; P Burke, B Kavanagh (0-7, 0-5 frees), M Coughlan. Subs: B Hanamy for Duggan (20 mins), M Vaughan (0-1) for Coughlan (41 mins), Rory O'Carroll for Kelleher (43 mins), B O'Rorke for Morrissey (54 mins), E Culligan for C O'Sullivan (57 mins).
Referee: M Condon(Waterford).
