Moate CS march on to last eight as first half scoring spree sinks Kilcock

As they had done against Portmarnock CS in the opening round, Moate Community School laid the foundation for this latest success in the first half of this second round clash against Scoil Dara, Kilcock, at a Hogan Park basking in January sunshine last Friday afternoon. In contrast, however, to the manner of their first-half superiority over the Metropolitans, they waited until 11 minutes had elapsed before cutting loose. In the opening stages of this Leinster Colleges SF 'A' tie, their opponents gave fair indication that a ding-dong struggle was in store for the large crowd, comprising in the main students and supporters of the Moate CS team on a beautiful afternoon. The Moate All Whites Park Committee deserve praise for having the venue in excellent condition, despite the recent abominable weather. Moate team mentors Peter Tormey and Gary Flanagan and their supporters were pleased to see their charges go in front after only twelve seconds when Rosemount's David McCormack sent over a flying point. Scoil Dara wasted little time in replying and with Mark Durkin drawing the foul, the tall number 10 split the uprights from the resultant free. Exchanges were 50-50 in those tentative opening stages and when Castledaly club player Daniel Kelleher, playing at full-forward, forced another free, Offaly minor star Darren Scanlon (Clara) duly obliged from the placed ball (5th minute). Almost from the kickout, Kilcock midfielder Ciaran Gillespie unerringly pointed from play into the Pavilion end and this trend continued at the other end when, from a quick breakaway, Enda Kincaid made the road for wing-forward McCormack to replicate his opening point. It was certainly looking like the opening act of a nail biting encounter as both sides strove to gain the initiative and it was all square again, for the third time, in the ninth minute, when the blue-jerseyed Kildare lads responded with a long range point from left half-forward Jonathan McGrath. Indeed, they could have goaled in the immediate aftermath of this score, when full-forward Killian McManus (he scored 2-4 from play against Athlone Community College in the opening round) went right through, but Moate 'keeper James Egan did well to parry his shot, with centre-back Liam Fitzpatrick completing the clearance. Perhaps it was this let-off that provided the spur for what followed as Moate CS became a transformed team. In a twinkling, they took almost absolute control in all sectors and while it would be unfair to report that they had under-achieved up to then, their performance levels lifted to a new plane. Between the 11th and 29th minutes of the opening half, they scored ten points from frees and play, with only a solitary point in reply from increasingly rattled opposition. And when one factors in eight Moate wides, without a single Kilcock miss in the entire half - together with a brace of goal opportunities going abegging - the home side could have been out of sight by referee Arthur O'Connor's short whistle. As it was, an 0-13 to 0-4 half-time situation made ominous reading for William Carr's Kilcock charges, but it could have been eminently worse following that Moate blitzkrieg. Seizing the ascendency in every sector, Moate launched attack after attack from that fateful eleventh minute - The midfield duo of Alan Stone (Castledaly), in particular, and David Minnock (Moate All Whites) dominated this sector, with the highly impressive Stone shooting five of those points (4 frees). Enda Kincaid (Maryland/Tang), team captain Brian Finnerty and David McCormack were also on target as the scores mounted up. The Kilcock rearguard, pillars of resistance for the greater part of their meeting with Athlone CC in the first round, were at sixes and sevens in coming to terms with the slick interplay of the home forward division. The fact that they were losing the midfield battle to boot meant they made minimum impression against a rock-solid Moate defence, corner forward John Kelly bagging their only score in a 21-minute spell - a 20th minute point. Both Darren Scanlon and David McCormack came agonisingly close to breaking through for goals (25th and 27th minutes respectively), but were denied by Kilcock goalie Calvin Murphy on both occasions. There was almost explosive start to the second half as Scanlon nearly found the net in the opening minute, but it was surely indicative of how the game was panning out that Kilcock's first wide of the afternoon - a 45 from McManus - didn't register until the 34th minute of play. The visitors did promptly respond with a brace of points - Mark Durkin (free) and Ross Tallon. However, Darren Scanlon finally got that overdue Moate goal when, from a Brian Finnerty sideline ball, the Clara clubman gained possession and unleashed an unstoppable left-footed shot to the Kilcock net, on 38 minutes. This to all practical purposes was game, set and match to a hitherto dominant Moate CS outfit, and while Kilcock, who, to their credit never gave up the chase, did outscore the eventual winners 0-5 to 0-2 in the ensuing 22 minutes of lay, it was well nigh impossible to visualise anything but a Moate victory from a long way out. A caveat, however, they would need to maintain a full sixty minute effort against formidable opponents St. Patrick's, Navan, in Saturday's Leinster quarter-final at Pairc Tailteann (2pm). That said, this current Moate CS squad is a strong well balanced and multi-talented combination. Goalie James Egan was soundness personified on Friday, behind a veritable bulwark of impenetrability in a full-back line of Ciaran Kelly, Chris Connor and John Warburton, who held the Kilcock full-forward trio to a single point. The half line of Gary Mullery, Liam Fitzpatrick and Paddy Holloway dealt capably with the threat provided by a potentially dangerous half-forward combination, while midfielders Alan Stone and David Minnock on top form have little to fear from any opposition. With centre-forward and captain Brian Finnerty performing splendidly, despite being marked by easily Kilcock's best player, Conor Downey, and with the predatorial David McCormack, Enda Kincaid and Darren Scanlon all contributing to the scoresheet, the attack was very effectively completed by the hard-grafting Daniel Kelleher and John Flattery, the latter a replacement for Jordan Cassidy, who was injured earlier in a car accident and who is wished a speedy recovery. Moate Community School: James Egan; Ciaran Kelly, Chris Connor, John Warburton; Gary Mullery, Liam Fitzpatrick, Paddy Holloway; Alan Shine (0-5, 4f), David Minnock (0-1); David McCormack (0-3), Brian Finnerty (capt., 0-4, 0-1 '45'), John Flattery; Enda Kincaid (0-1), Daniel Kelleher, Darren Scanlon (1-1, 0-1f). Subs: Eoin Fleming for Flattery (50); Emmet Heavin for McCormack (56); John Maguire for Warburton (60). Scoil Dara, Kilcock: Calvin Murphy, Killian Coffey, Shaun Maguire, Kevin Lyons, David Lynch, Conor Downey (0-1), Tony Forde, Patrick McGrath (capt), Ciaran Gillespie (0-1), Mark Durkin (0-4, 4f), Ross Tallon (0-2), Jonathan McGrath (0-2, 0-1 '45), Sean O'Neill, Killian McManus, John Kelly (0-1). Sub: Jamie McCormack for Lynch (49). Referee: Arthur O'Connor (Laois), who issued 5 yellow cards, 3 to Kilcock.