Late Walsh point noses Kanturk past Millstreet in Junior A clash
KANTURK dug themselves out of a tight situation to overcome Millstreet in the Kanturk Credit Union JAFC third round played at a rainlashed Kiskeam on Tuesday evening.
The accuracy of Cork football panellist Aidan Walsh on steering over a late point for the match winner proved the difference between the sides. On the balance of play, Kanturk just about deserved their success yet a young Millstreet side can take alot of positives from a game that hung on a knife edge all through the hour.
Fittingly, two of Kanturk's key men contributed to the all important move, Lorcán McLoughlin spraying a perfect cross field pass into the path of Walsh to bisect the posts.
Driving rain fell at the outset and it militated against free flowing football yet a keen struggle for supremacy unfolded once Donough Dwane and Michael Vaughan swopped pointed frees at either end. Kanturk adjusted to the conditions and settled under the rising confidence of John Healy, Dave Riordan, John McLoughlin and Walsh.
Points from Dwane and Walsh confirmed Kanturk's intentions before a gritty Millstreet responded
positively and a pair of white flags from Vaughan narrowed the arrears 0-4 to 0-3 at the break.
Millstreet emerged a fired up force for the second half and availed of the solid efforts from Barry O'Reilly, Eamon O'Keeffe, Brian Sheahan, Patrick Coleman and Mark Ellis to grab control.
A Vauaghan point squared matters before Sheahan was at the end of a productive move to find the net.
Collins tacked on a point that boosted Millstreet advantage to lead by double scores 1-5 to 0-4. Kanturk read the warning signals and erased the arrears from points to Willie Murphy, Lorcan McLoughlin, Dwane and Anthony Nash to force parity.
And though Millstreet hit back from a Michael Murphy lead point, Kanturk held their nerve, Dwane obliging to equalise and Walsh followed up to steer over the decisive point following good work by McLoughlin. Millstreet fought feverishly in a bid to save the outcome but a late free drifted wide of the post.
