Kilmacud Crokes Overcome Na Fianna in Tight Dublin SFC 1 Semi-Final

Picture Courtesy Sportsfile

KILMACUD CROKES 1-12 

NA FIANNA 0-12

A goal in first-half injury time by Mark O’Leary proved pivotal as Kilmacud Crokes edged Na Fianna by three points in their Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship semi-final at Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon.

Despite not scoring for a period of eighteen minutes, Kilmacud still managed to build a healthy 1-5 to 0-3 advantage by half-time with O’Leary scoring the all-important goal deep into injury time.

While David Lacey kicked five second-half points, Na Fianna were always playing catch-up after the break and Crokes finished the contest out in a fair degree of comfort as they look forward to a final date with southside rivals Cuala.

The holders were quicker to find their collective stride and they opened the scoring through a Shane Walsh ‘45’ in the 3^rd minute.

Another of their western imports, Paddy O’Connor, doubled that lead in an instant, cutting inside Fiachra Potts and curling a sublime effort between the sticks off his left boot.

Walsh did likewise from a ‘mark’ in the 7^th minute, albeit from further out, as their opponents struggled to make any impression up front, starved as they were of consistent and accurate supply.

Paul Mannion pushed Kilmacud four points clear by the 12^th minute and O’Connor drifted in from the left this time before clipping over off his right as Crokes entered the second quarter in a dominant position.

After a couple of near misses, their opponents finally registered their first score through David Lacey in the 17^th minute and David O’Hanlon calmly slotted a free within a minute to improve Na Fianna’s fortunes even further.

There was much endeavour but little entertainment as the contest evolved with Kilmacud’s Rory O’Carroll walking a disciplinary tightrope as Na Fianna began to enjoy a greater degree of possession and territory.

Jonny Cooper wasn’t so fortunate however as he received a ‘black card’ in the 29^th minute but his side looked to have reached the interval unscathed, especially when Conor McHugh popped over a free approaching the break.

However, there was one final sting in the half as Michael Mullin and Dara Mullin combined down the right and O’Leary arrived late to hammer home, leaving Crokes five points clear by the interval.

Matters could have deteriorated even further for Na Fianna within two minutes of the resumption but O’Hanlon spread himself well to block O’Carroll’s shot from close range.

McHugh and Hugh Kenny exchanged points soon after as Na Fianna coped reasonably well with their numerical disadvantage but O’Connor accrued his third point of the day in the 37^th minute to leave six points between the sides.

While Lacey clipped over a free at the opposite end, O’Connor was finding space all too readily as he increased his own tally but his teammates weren’t as prominent as Na Fianna slowly clawed their way back into the hunt.

Lacey kicked a trio of scores that included a cracking effort from play but the pace of substitute Cian O’Connor brought forward impetus to the holders with O’Connor and Kenny giving them much-needed breathing room.

A cracking McHugh point left just the solitary goal separating the teams but the dismissal of Fiachra Potts in the 56^th minute undermined their comeback ambitions as O’Leary pointed in added time to confirm Kilmacud’s final berth.

Scorers – Kilmacud Crokes: P O’Connor 0-4; M O’Leary 1-1; S Walsh, (’45, mark), H Kenny 0-2 each; P Mannion (f), D Mullin (f), C O’Connor 0-1 apiece. Na Fianna: D Lacey 0-6 (4f); C McHugh 0-3 (1f); D O’Hanlon (f), S Caffrey, D Quinn 0-1 apiece.

Kilmacud Crokes: D Burns; J Murphy, M Mullin, T Clancy; A McGowan, M O’Leary, D O’Brien; B Shovlin, R O’Carroll; C Dias, P Mannion, D Mullin; H Kenny, S Walsh, P O’Connor. Subs: C O’Connor for O’Carroll (37), T Fox for Dias (47), J Quigley for Walsh (50), L Ward for D Mullin (57).

Na Fianna: D O’Hanlon; F Potts, E O’Dea, A Rafter; E Murchan, J Cooper, T Brennan; J Doran, D Ryan; D Quinn, B O’Leary, D Lacey; A Byrne, C McHugh, C Reddin. Subs: K Deeley for Ryan (38), S Caffrey for Byrne (39), D Kennedy for Brennan (42), S Smith for Quinn (51),

Referee: Darren Delaney (Wanderers).