Oscar Traynor Cup , Kerry DL 1-1 Cork Aul

Oscar Traynor Cup
Group 4 , Match 2
Sunday 23-11-2014
Kerry DL 1-1 Cork Aul

By Tommy Naughton

Kerry picked up another point with another late goal but in fairness it was the least that John o Regan’s side deserved after they had outplayed their opponents for large periods of the game . In truth on another day Kerry could have won this game by a large score line with the amount of possession and goal scoring chances they had .

The game was only 30 seconds old when Kerry created the first chance when Paudie Quinn pulled the ball back to the edge of the box to Sean Brosnan but he leaned back and his shot rose up and over the crossbar . Paudie Quinn had the first shot on target in the fifth minute which was easily saved by Fitzgibbon . Cork’s first chance came in the seventh minute after a long clearance by James Falvey found Ger Rice who hesitated when through on goal and wasted a great opportunity to give the visitors the lead . Kerry were then given a great opportunity to take the lead in the eleventh minute . Sean Brosnan picked the ball up on the half way line before running down the right wing before cutting in the danger area where ex Kerry District League player Karl Holland took Brosnan down and Referee Derek o Shea quickly pointed to the penalty spot . Paudie Quinn stepped up and saw his shot send the keeper the wrong way but the ball roll the wrong side of the post and go wide .

This didn’t seem to face Kerry and they continued to control the pace of the game and Gintarus Poketarus went close minutes later after good work on the left wing by Kevin McCarthy . Brian Murphy was next to go close for Kerry but his effort from outside the box deflected wide of the far post and from the resulting corner Poketarus rose highest but his header went wide of the far post . Kerry were now dominate and it only looked like a matter of time before they would take the lead . Just before the half hour mark Con Barrett picked out Sean Brosnan with a defence splitting diagonal pass but Brosnan’s effort was well saved by Fitzgibbon in the Cork goal . Two minutes later and totally against the run of play Cork took the lead . Howard Coakley chipped a ball into the Kerry Box where Ger Rice controlled before curling a left footed shot into the far top corner .

Kerry straight away got back on the front foot and Paudie Quinn picked out Sean Brosnan with a wonderful reverse pass that left him with only the keeper to beat but again Fitzgibbon saved well with his feet at the edge of the penalty area . The final chance of the first half was by Shane Guthrie when he connected with a Steven Conway corner but Cork’s Mick Barrett headed clear of the line .

Kerry introduced Fergal Maunsel for Kevin McCarthy at half time with Cork bringing on Anthony Peelo for Vinney Lonergan . The half was only five minutes old and Kerry were nearly level when Con Barrett’s diving header beat the keeper only to crash of the crossbar and into the hands of the keeper who was lying helpless on the ground .Con Barrett had two more chances in the next five minutes with the first a header from the edge of the box that just went over the bar before the second was saved by Ian Fitzgibbon after a neat one two with Gintarus Poketarus . Cork had two half chance in the opening fifteen minutes of the half but David Hennessey saved both from Scott Callaghan .

Ian Fitzgibbon in the Cork goal again was being kept busy as Kerry poured forward and he saved one handed from a well stuck shot from Sean Brosnan just after the hour mark . Gintarus Poketarus again tested the keeper but his header from a Paudie Quinn corner was straight at him and easily to hold on to . The Kerry supporters taught their side had gotten level with fifteen minutes remaining when Shane Guthrie’s Looping header appeared to have dropped into the far corner but it had dropped down over the crossbar and behind for a goal kick . Genie Griffin replaced Poketarus in attack for Kerry with fifteen minutes remaining .

Bryan Murphy headed over from a Fergal Maunsel cross with five minutes remaining as it seemed that it just wasn’t going to be Kerry’s day . But in the 89th minute they got the goal that they fully deserved . Sean Brosnan’s corner was flicked on at the near post by Bryan Murphy and the ball somehow crept over the line at the far post where a Cork defender was quick to clear it away but not before the referee’s assistant had flagged that the ball had gone over the line . The final whistle went a few minutes later and Kerry for the second game in a row had picked up what could be a very valuable point . Cork will argue that the winning goal may not have crossed the line but it was given by the assistant and it truth it was fully deserved by a Kerry side who outplayed Cork from start to Finish .

This now leaves Kerry still in with a great chance of making the knockout stages as they have another home game to come against the Desmond league in the coming weeks .

Kerry DL ; David Hennesey , Steven Conway, Shane Guthrie, Aidan o Callaghan (capt), Kevin McCarthy, Sean Brosnan, Con Barrett, Bryan Murphy, Ryan Downey, Paudie Quinn, Gintarus Poketarus .subs; Fergal Maunsel for McCarthy (45 mins) , Genie Griffin for Poketarus ( 75 mins), Steven o Mahony for Conway ( 85 mins ). Manager John o Regan , Assistant Tadgh Healy .

Cork Aul ; Ian Fitzgibbon , Ger Rice , James Falvey, Vinny Lonergan, Mick Barrett, Pa Long, Howard Coakley , Jason McGrath, Scott Callahan , Barry Donavan, Karl Holland . subs; Anthony Peelo for Lonergan (45 mins), Mark Long for Coakley (75 mins) , William Corcoran for Donavan (88 mins) .

Officials,
Referee ; Derek o Shea
Assistants ; Kevin Cunningham & Adrian o Shea