TEMPLE DOMESTIC APPLIANCES DIVISION ONE
Swilly Rovers……………..1
Kerrykeel ‘71…………….. 3
BY STUART CONNOLLY
KERRYKEEL ‘71 are up to second in the TDA Appliances Division One after an impressive win away to Swilly Rovers.
Brandon McClafferty opened the scoring with less than a minute gone, and that was cancelled out when Leon Boyce netted a spectacular free kick from distance.
Calum McAteer restored the lead early in the second-half, and James Kerr scored directly from a corner to push his side up in the league standings.
With less than 60 seconds on the clock, the visitors took the lead. James Kerr had the time on the left side to whip a low ball into the area, and Brandon McClafferty met it at the back post for a routine finish.
A little under ten minutes later, Kerrykeel ‘71 were in the attacking third with intent again, and they came close to a second goal, with Shaun Carr denied by Martin McDaid on the line.
Swilly Rovers didn’t have much in the way of a threat in the final third during the early stages, and it was pretty much one-way traffic. Their only chance was off the boot of Barry Gallagher, as his kick out almost caught Brian Gallagher off guard, but the away goalkeeper was able to divert it over the bar.
At the midway stage, it was a copy and paste for Kerrykeel as the same early duo combined again, but this time, McClafferty’s header rebounded off the base of the post.
Into the final ten minutes of the half, Swilly equalised against the run of play. Leon Boyce stood over a free kick roughly 35 yards out, and his strike was one that any free kick specialist would have been proud of, as it whistled past Brian Gallagher.
The hosts had the final chance of the half, and it was a big one, with Michael Kerr played through by Boyce, and the shot from the edge of the box straight at Brian Gallagher.
While the second-half began in a much more even fashion, it was still Kerrykeel who had the better chances as the game edged towards the hour.
James Kerr curled a free kick just wide of the mark a few minutes in, and just past the hour, they restored their lead.
A corner in from the right was headed onto the bar by Kevin Loughrey, and after a short scramble, Calum McAteer was alert to blast the ball home.
The visitors had a relative degree of control in the game after that point, and their backline weren’t properly tested as the minutes ticked away.
In general, chances were absent during much of the second-half, and it wasn’t until the final five minutes that Kerrykeel sealed another three points.
James Kerr had two free kicks from the edge of the box saved by Barry Gallagher, but there was nothing the netminder could do to prevent an ‘olimpico’.
With a corner on the right side, Kerr whipped it in, and possibly assisted by the wind, it curled into the back of the net.
Ryan McDaid had the final opportunity of the game, as his shot fizzed over the bar, and that was the last chance to set up a tense bit of stoppage time.
Teams
Swilly Rovers: Barry Gallagher; David Craig, Mark Nicholls, Darragh McDaid, Martin McDaid; Tony Gallagher, Shea McFadden, Ryan McDaid, Przemek Kieloch; Ian Ward, Michael Kerr. Subs: Leon Boyce for Kieloch (23 mins), Corey Oliver for McFadden (57 mins), Darragh Fennell for Ward (72 mins), Darren Sweeney for Boyce (90+3 mins)
Kerrykeel ‘71: Brian Gallagher; Michael McDevitt, Kevin Loughrey, Patrick Heraghty, Shaun Carr; Mark Friel, James Kerr, Brandon McClafferty, James Coyle; Shaun Kerr, Patrick Friel. Subs: Calum McAteer for M Friel (48 mins), Darragh O’Doherty for Coyle (61 mins), Jonathan Friel and Jamie McAteer for P.Friel and McClafferty (74 mins), Davitt Walsh for S.Kerr (83 mins)
Referee: Patrick McCauley
