Shelmaliers 4-14 Kilanerin 1-7
Giving one of the most emphatic displays seen in a final for many years, Shelmaliers created their own piece of history in winning a first ever title with a comprehensive victory over a shattered Kilanerin in the Wexford senior football final replay at Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday afternoon.
From the outset the Shels dominated this replay, inspired through a Simon Donohoe goal inside 90 seconds of the start, giving them a lead they subsequently never relinquished. They controlled the opening 30 minutes when wind assisted and, but for some erratic finishing would have been out of sight by the interval. Instead they had to be satisfied with a 1-6 to 0-1 lead at the break, with Kilanerin’s solitary first half response been a Matty Forde eighth minutes pointed free.
When Shelmaliers repeated the start to the opening period through an A J Lehane goal, having worked his way through along the end line before finding the net from an acute angle, the result was a formality, as Kilanerin’s dreams of adding a senior title to last year’s intermediate title lay in ruins.
After Craig McCabe and Peter Hughes had exchanged points, it was Shels who eased into a 4-10 to 0-3 lead by the end of the third quarter, as both Ross Banville, with a splendid finish, and Eoghan Nolan got in on the goal scoring act as the result of intense attacking pressure.
Kilanerin were unable to stifle the attacking play of the eventual winners, having to wait until the 57th minute for their goal – a Matty Forde penalty. But, despite the result being a foregone conclusion, Shelmaliers continued to power forward with Craig McCabe sending an additional time penalty over the bar, but it was the black and amber boys who celebrated a historic first title on the final whistle, setting up a Leinster Club championship outing against Meath champions Dunboyne on Sunday next.
SHELMALIERS: J Gordon; D O'Brien, J Cash, C O'Shaughnessy; S Donohoe (1-1), B Malone (0-1), G Staples; G Malone (0-1), J Cash; E Nolan (1-2), E Doyle, R Banville (1-0); C Hearne, A J Lehane (1-3), C McCabe (0-4, 2f, 1p).
Subs: Subs: J Donohoe (0-1) for Banville (50); P O’L:eary for Hearne (54); T Barron (0-1) for Staples (56); B Murphy for Doyle (58); C Manley for O’Brien (59).
KILANERIN: T Hughes; A Jones, C Kavanagh, R Owley; D Jones, G O'Toole, P Hughes (0-1); N Hughes (0-1), N Breen; M Boland, S Forde (0-1, 1f), D O'Toole; P Hughes, M Forde (1-4, 1p, 4f), C Devitt.
Subs: M Gethings for S Forde (17); S Forde for Gethings (30); B Hughes for Jones (34); E O’Toole for Peter Hughes (42); B O’Connor for Boland (42); E Hughes for Kavanagh (46).
Referee: S Whelan (St. Martin's).
