Baltinglass 1-12
Kiltegan 1-11
A late Dan Kelly free was enough to secure early silverware for Baltingass in a competitive and entertaining SFL Division 1A league final against Kiltegan at a stunningly beautiful Echelon Park Aughrim on Friday evening last.
When the electric John McGrath sent over the levelling score deep into injury time, it looked like we were heading for extra-time and few in the fairly small crowd would have complained too much given the endeavour from both teams, but a foul on Cian Lee left Kelly with a far from easy opportunity and the impressive corner-forward lofted over a peach off his left boot to put Baltinglass ahead.
Baltinglass captain Pat Burke receives the cup from Wicklow GAA Chairman Damien Byrne.
Kiltegan came hunting for an equaliser but lost two balls in quick succession, the first gobbled up by Pat Burke, the second by the very busy Paddy Kirwan, proved fatal, and as the Slaneysiders galloped up the field towards Rednagh Hill and the setting sun, referee Kieron Kenny sounded the final whistle to bring to an end a clash that gave a lovely taste of a busy club championship that is now only a few short weeks away.
There were many talking points from this game. The performances of Seanie Furlong and John McGrath would be one, with both showing their endless class at the edge of the squares, the Kiltegan sharpshooter finishing with 1-6, his Baltinglass counterpart with 1-3.
Kiltegan will know that their star man wasn’t given an adequate supply over the hour, but anything he did receive, he either scored from or used in a positive way and all that while being closely guarded by Karl Furlong and Tadhg O’Toole.
Pure class! Kiltegan’s Seanie Furlong flicks home to the back of the Baltinglass net.
McGrath was sublime, his goal four minutes into the second half massive in the context of the game but it was his game intelligence and that wonderful ability to direct the Baltinglass attack while under fierce pressure that were his greatest assets on the day.
The other main talking point was the loss of Johnny Keogh to injury for Baltinglass. It was too early to discover the extent of the injury to what looked to be the knee after the centre-forward came down awkwardly when trying to collect a high ball down near the top dugout late in the second half, but the player’s reaction and the length of time it took to get him off the field suggests that it may be a serious issue.
Kiltegan led by 0-6 to 0-4 at the break but they had kicked seven wides and flicked a glorious goal chance into the hands of Johnny Flynn in the Baltinglass goal during those first 30 minutes.
Pure class! Kiltegan’s Seanie Furlong flicks home to the back of the Baltinglass net.
Barry Hayes’ side had looked hungry for goals early doors, using lovely movements through the heart of the Kiltegan defence but failing to find the target due to a variety of reasons, namely one pass too many, a stubborn Kiltegan defence with Blaine Harmon at the heart of it and, on one occasion, an infringement of the square ball rule.
As Barry Hayes remarked after the game, in the early part of the Division 1A campaign, those goals were going in. On Friday evening, they didn’t.
Good work from Patrick Whelan and Paddy Kirwan afforded John McGrath the chance to open the scoring but Kiltegan answered swiftly through the hard-working Mike Foley.
By the time Seanie Furlong pushed Kiltegan ahead with a bomb of a free, Baltinglass had dropped short to Cathal Fitzgerald twice and fired wide through Jack Fleming.
Both sides had their fair share of errors and the likes given that this was still the league, but Johnny Keogh drew the sides level with a fine score after a sweeping move that involved corner-back Hugh O’Toole and seven other Baltinglass players before it ended up with the centre-forward who did the necessary.
Kiltegan were working hard and turned Baltinglass over twice in quick succession, Stephen Farrell catching the eye in this regard, but they proved wayward in front of the posts, Ciaran Harmon drifting a long-range effort wide and James Boland missing the target after a great burst from Harmon.
Pat Burke from Baltinglass chases Kiltegan’s Adam Wynne.
This was a good spell for Kiltegan, though, Seanie Furlong rifling over from play after 18 but then uncharacteristically shooting two wides from frees won by Aaron Byrne and Kieran Conway before once again feeling the love of the supporters when gathering a long Liam Keogh ball for a mark and slicing the posts to leave it 0-4 to 0-2.
Baltinglass hit back hard through Johnny Keogh (free) and McGrath, their press on Cathal Fitzgerald’s kick-outs paying dividends, but Stephen Farrell and Adam Wynne pushed Kiltegan two clear again either side of a wide and a missed goal chance where James Boland flicked a ball into the grateful arms of John Flynn.
The sides retired with Kiltegan ahead by 0-6 to 0-4 on a beautiful evening for football.
Kiltegan had Cathal Fitzgerald to thank for preventing a Baltinglass goal that you felt was coming since the first minute of the game. The goalkeeper intercepted a pass across the goal from John McGrath to Cian Lee and the danger was averted in the opening moments of the second half.
Seanie Furlong somehow caught a dropping ball amid a phalanx of Baltinglass defenders and won a free which he converted but Dan Kelly, a man with a serious burst of pace it should be said, lofted over a free off his left at the other end.
John McGrath shook off the attentions of Colm Keogh with four gone and lashed home to the back of the Kiltegan net but hardly had the supporters returned to their seats than Seanie Furlong was once again winning a ball he had no right to when flicking home past Johnny Flynn, the ball delivered by Liam Keogh.
Kiltegan’s James Boland tries to find a way pass Paddy Kirwan of Baltinglass.
The Baltinglass response to that goal was huge, adding three points on the trot through Dan Kelly (free), James Fleming and Kelly again with a sweet curling effort to leave it 1-8 to 1-7 in favour of Barry Hayes’ side, the work of James Fleming in defence and the transition to attack very noteworthy.
Kiltegan sent in Bryan Kearney and Brandon Ryan to the fray at this point as the tension started to rise.
The sides were level at 1-9 apiece with 17 gone in the second half, points from Seanie Furlong (free) and James Boland followed by a tasty effort from Jack Fleming, Sean Doody coming on for the Slaneysiders immediately after the score.
Kieran Conway came close to a goal with 20 on the clock but the excellent Johnny Keogh swung over a beauty at the other end despite savage work from Blaine Harmon on John McGrath in the lead up.
Johnny Keogh’s injury on the hour mark was an extremely unfortunate development in a game that was swimming along nicely and heading for a dramatic finish, but hopefully the talented footballer won’t be missing for too long.
When play resumed, Baltinglass won a free which John McGrath dropped short, but savage work out the field turned the ball over and the lethal attacker gathered a long delivery before kicking over the levelling score off his left.
Pat Burke of Baltinglass reaches this ball ahead of Kiltegan’s Liam Keogh.
Mike Foley dropped short to Johnny Flynn early in the five minutes of added time and Baltinglass came looking for a winner in the next move.
James Fleming drove long to Cian Lee and the full-forward was fouled by Mathew Jackson according to referee Kieron Kenny and Dan Kelly swept over a stunning score.
Kiltegan came hunting but Pat Burke intercepted and then Paddy Kirwan did likewise, and time ran out, the final whistle crowning Baltinglass as the 2024 SFL Division 1A champions.
Baltinglass: John Flynn; Hugh O’Toole, Karl Furlong, Tom Burke; James Fleming (0-1), Tadhg O’Toole, Paddy Kirwan; Patrick Whelan, Pat Burke; Stephen Heaslip, Johnny Keogh (0-3, 1f), Jack Fleming (0-1); Dan Kelly (0-4, 32), Cian Lee, John McGrath (1-3). Subs: Sean Doody for Jack Fleming (47), Mick Dowling for H O’Toole (51), Jack Bookle for J Keogh (60, inj).
Kiltegan: Cathal Fitzgerald; Colm Keogh, Blaine Harmon, Colm O’Connor; Kieran Conway, Mathew Jackson, Aaron Byrne; Ciaran Harmon, Liam Keogh; Stephen Farrell (0-1), Adam Wynne (0-1), James Boland (0-1); Mike Foley (0-2), Seanie Furlong (1-6, 4f, 1m), Daniel Byrne. Subs: Bryan Kearney for C Keogh (40), Brandon Ryan for D Byrne (40), Jack O’Toole for S Farrell (50), Mitch Kelly for A Wynne (54).
Referee: Kieron Kenny (Tinahely)
