By Matthew Wilson
Kilcar captain Ben Rafferty was delighted with his side’s victory over Red Hughs on Saturday afternoon to seal the Under 21 ’C’ Championship title.
The Towney outfit saw themselves four points adrift at the interval but they managed to overturn this deficit to secure the silverware on a day where conditions were difficult to play in.
In a match of fine margins, Rafferty and the Kilcar side knew that they had to battle hard to turn the contest in their favour in Act Two.
“It was extremely narrow, there was absolutely nothing in it. We were rattled at half-time, they really put everything at us in the first-half and we went in four points down. We knew we had a massive uphill battle ahead of us.
Kilcar ran out convincing winners when the two sides met each other in the group stage but this was a different story on Saturday, with Red Hughs producing a superb first stanza display to open up the four-point lead.
The Kilcar captain felt that they never managed to get going in Act One but knew that they had more within them to battle back and seal the win on the day.
“We didn’t get going at all in the first half but we knew that we had more in us. We had to fight and we had to keep fighting. We knew that whatever wind was in it, it was slightly against us but we’d fancy ourselves against the wind in Kilcar.”
Moments change matches and a vital one arrived midway through the second-half in the form of Rafferty’s major.
The Kilcar skipper stepped up to take a spot-kick which was saved by Thomas McMenamin but the midfielder was on-hand to hit home the rebound and draw his side level for the first time.
This moment changed the dynamic of the contest and appeared to leave the Towney men with the momentum to drive on in the final quarter to bring home the cup.
“We said at half-time that it would be moments that would change this game and that might’ve been one of them. Listen, we had a bit of luck with it but we’re delighted and it should be a massive lift for us.”
