Kilmurry see off Cobh to reach Premier Junior Football final 

Kilmurry 0-12 Cobh 1-7

KILMURRY are through to the Bon Secours Premier JFC final after their win over Cobh at Páirc Uí Rinn.

Scores were few and far between early on and it took seven minutes for the first one to arrive. A quick free by Nathan O’Connell played Eoin Hastings in but his effort for a green flag was just outside the post.

With seven minutes gone Joe Ryan opened the scoring for Kilmurry and Liam Wall added their second a minute later.

They made it 0-3 to no score in the ninth minute when James O’Mullane raised their third white flag.

Bar a goal effort Cobh hadn’t threatened the Kilmurry goal to this point and it wasn’t until the 13th minute they were on the scoresheet when Darragh Heelan scored from a long-range free.

Kilmurray increased their lead to three again when a sweeping move, started in their own half, saw Sean Warren split the posts, to make it 0-4 to 0-1 with 17 minutes gone.

A mistake by the Kilmurry defence let Hastings in to score Cobh’s second point with Warren replying at the other end.

Another long-range free from Heelan was touched over the bar by Hastings to make it a two-point game as half-time approached.

Nathan O’Connell was on target for Cobh to see them trail by one at half-time, 0-5 to 0-4.

Ryan made it a two-point game again at the start of the second half when he scored from a free as Kilmurry started the better of the two sides.

He was on target again from the restart before O’Connell got Cobh’s first score of the second half, after some good work by Heelan.

Adam Hastings started and finished a good move from Cobh to put only a point between them with 37 minutes played, 0-7 to 0-6.

A minute later the sides were level when Sean Cummins raised Cobh’s seventh white flag.

Kilmurry thought they had gone back in front when Padraig Brehanu found the back of the net with his first touch after coming on as a sub, but it was ruled out for a square ball.

A free from Warren did put them back in front as they led by 0-8 to 0-7 with 16 minutes to go. Another free from Warren increased their lead before George Rasmussen hit the bar when he looked like scoring a goal for Cobh.

Brehanu did score with his second touch and Warren also raised a white flag to put Kilmurry 0-11 to 0-7 up with eight minutes left

With two minutes to go, Cobh put the result in doubt when Jamie Hamilton beat several defenders to raise a green flag, to make it 1-7 to 0-12. He had another goal chance in injury time but it went wide as Kilmurry hung on for the win their overall performance deserved.

Scorers for Kilmurry: S Warren 0-5 (0-2 f), J Ryan 0-4 (0-1 f), L Wall, J O’Mullane, P Brehanu 0-1 each.

Cobh: J Hamilton 1-0, N O’Connell, E Hastings 0-2 each, D Heelan (f), A Hastings, S Cummins 0-1 each.

KILMURRY: J McDonnell; B Hinchion, K Barrett, G O’Mahony; A Aisling, W Ronan, T Collins; K Kelleher, J O’Mullane; D Cahalane, L Aisling, R Duggan; J Ryan, L Wall, S Warren.

Subs: P Brehanu for R Duggan (40), J McGinn for J Ryan (55), G Barrett for K Kelleher, M Dromey for D Cahalane, R Leahy for A Aisling (all 60).

COBH: E Walsh; C McLoughlin, T Wilk, J McCarthy; M O’Rourke, G Keating, A McCarthy; S Cummins, D Heelan; E Hastings, N O’Connell, A Hastings; C Kidney, C Spriggs, E Cullimore.

Subs: G Rasmussen for E Cullimore (ht), G Kelly for C Kidney, J Hamilton for A Hasting (both 52), A Stanton for M O’Rourke (57).

Referee: Canice Walsh, Nemo Rangers.