Daly goal swings matters in favour of Knocknagree
Knocknagree 1-9 Cullen 0-11
Thursday February 25 2010
KNOCKNAGREE toughed it out to chisel a single point win over a wasteful Cullen in the Duhallow U21FC played in Cullen on Saturday last.
The game swung on opportunist goal netted after a long range free from Matthew Daly found the target. By the end of the hour, Knocknagree's game offered plenty of character and their play was embellished by neatly taken scores and fine individual performances.
While Cullen put together promising spell in possession, they lacked the cohesion and the finer skills in terms of shooting. That was confirmed on the run in to the game where Cullen failed to make use of an abundance of ball count on the scoreboard.
Knocknagree had settled into a controlled routine to dictate the early phase of play. Their confidence gathered a reward from the promising efforts of Shane O'Donoughue, Patrick Dennehy and the Daly brothers. And Knocknagree held a real ace in attack with Fintan O'Connor kicking delightful points.
Cullen crept into contention from the growing input of David Walsh and Dermot Hickey at midfield. Points to Iggy Dineen, Jerry O'Connor and Andrew Meade cut the leeway 0-6 to 0-4 at the break. It remained anybody's game upon the resumption before Knocknagree landed a telling blow, Daly's free fell into the danger zone and crossed the line.
Cullen refused to throw in the towel yet Knocknagree custodian James Daly remained unbeatable and a string of missed opportunities from the hosts ensured Knocknagree held onto a slender advantage.
