Kilkenny IHL-14-man Mooncoin battle to decisive win over Dunnamaggin

Mooncoin produced a fine battling display to grab a late victory over Dunnamaggin in a competitive affair at Windgap on Saturday afternoon.

The South Kilkenny outfit were very much up against it after Martin O’Neill was given a straight red card for an incident with Denis Walsh in the second period but against the odds, Brendan Cahill’s team overturned a four point deficit to grab their second win of the league campaign.

Ironically O’Neill and Walsh were two of the main protagonists in the game with both netting a goal each for their side in a contest that was played at real championship intensity.

Dunnamaggin will wonder to themselves how they let this game slip away with Mooncoin getting the last three points of the game as scores from Killian Hogan and Ciaran Quilty (2) got them over the line.

It was all Dunnamaggin in the opening few minutes with a pair of Denis Walsh frees either side of a Ross O’Neill effort giving them an early 0-3 to 0-0 advantage.

Mooncoin replied with two in a row via Liam Hogan and Adam Croke but Dunnamaggin were dictating most of the terms with Denis Walsh again standing out for the side in yellow.

The former Kilkenny senior panellist registered further points from play in the 11th and 13th minutes before Ray Cody and John Fitzpatrick added further to the Dunnamaggin tally.

Mooncoin were in need of some inspiration and they found it when Mairtin Gannon was fouled in the square when attempting to shoot and Martin O’Neill made no mistake in converting the resultant penalty past James Logue.

When Jim Delahunty followed up with a point from distance, the minimum separated the teams but the final 10 minutes of the half belonged to Dunnamaggin with Walsh knocking over two points before he also got a goal in stoppage time as he fired an effort to the net on the back of good build-up play by Joe Fitzpatrick.

The goal left Dunnamaggin ahead on a 1-10 to 1-5 scoreline at the break and they looked in a degree of control but the chaotic nature of the second period meant they only scored three points in total which left them vulnerable as a result.

A Liam Hogan free got the scoring underway at the start of the second half before the drama really kicked off when O’Neill got his marching orders on the back of tempers flaring throughout the third quarter.

While a John Fitzpatrick score did extend the Dunnamaggin lead to four, Mooncoin rallied with a ferocious final 10 minutes.

A pair of scores each from Liam Hogan and Adam Croke left Mooncoin within touching distance and while Denis Walsh and Noah Cahill responded for Dunnamaggin, they still couldn’t stop the final onslaught.

Ciaran Quilty really came into his own as stoppage time ticked on with himself and Killian Hogan excelling as Mooncoin snatched a late win.

Teams and Scorers

Mooncoin: Liam Hogan (0-6, 6fs); Martin O’Neill (1-0); Adam Croke (0-3); Ciaran Quilty, Killian Hogan (0-2 each); Jim Delahunty (0-1)

Dunnamaggin: Denis Walsh (1-7, 4fs); John Fitzpatrick (0-2); Ross O’Neill, Noah Cahill, Ray Cody, Alex Moore (0-1 each)

Mooncoin: Donnacha Hogan; Cormac Daly, Aidan Doyle, Sean O’Dwyer; Jim Delahunty, Paul Henebery, Martin O’Neill; Liam Hogan, Sean Gannon; Ciaran Quilty, Mairtin Gannon, Adam Croke; Killian Hogan, Cormac Kinsella, Robbie Doherty.

Subs: Oisin Henebery for Doherty, 39 mins; Ryan Carroll for Daly, 46 mins; Aidan Carroll for Kinsella, 53 mins; Mark Kearns for K Hogan, 59 mins.

Dunnamaggin: James Logue; Ian Walsh, Ciaran Hickey, Pierce Costello; Darragh O’Keeffe, Eoghan Kearney, Alex Moore; Ray Cody, Michael Cody; Ross O’Neill, Denis Walsh, Ruaidhrí Holden; John Fitzpatrick, Joe Fitzpatrick, Paul Kirwan.

Subs: Noah Cahill for Holden, 42 mins; Peter Kenneally for Kirwan, 48 mins.

Referee - Raymond Byrne (Glenmore).