Morgan Fuels senior championship final

Tuesday 1st October 2024

For the third time in four years the Morgan Fuels senior championship final will be played between Burren and Kilcoo. The Magpies are in the decider for a thirteenth year on the spin following their 0-17 - 0-10 win over Glenn. Much of their work was done in the first half, a thirty minutes at the end of which they led 0-10 - 0-2.

As ever, Kilcoo has a wide range of scorers, ten in all with their joint top scorers in the game Paul Devlin and Niall Kane who each converted three points. Kane was in action at the other end too, repeatedly keeping Glenn at bay, his second half save from Shay Millar was key in sustaining the comfort Kilcoo were enjoying in the game.

In the second half Glenn showed more ambition with Millar repeatedly on target and driving bursts from defence from the likes of Patrick Brooks typifying their performance. In the end though, Kilcoo had the work done and were a constant menace on the counter attack, Sean Og McCusker reminding people of that with their final breakaway point as they sealed passage to another final.

They will play Burren in that final after the St Mary’s side beat Carryduff by a goal on Sunday evening; 1-10 - 0-10 the final score. It may not have been a classic but that won’t matter too much to the Burren men. After a tit for tat start a rather fortuitous James Guinness goal gave them a significant leg up. If Donal O’Hare was at fault for the concession of the goal he more than made up for it with a trio of fine points from dead balls.

Burren led by the slenderest of margins - a single point at the break and, right through the second half there remained virtually nothing between the sides. John McGeough helped push Carryduff forward while Burren launched retaliatory counters. In the end it was a stabbed Ronan Kelly finish from point blank range that gave Burren enough breathing space to be able to see the game out which gives the club celebrating its 100th year a chance to prepare for a county final in this landmark season.