Match Report by Dara O'Connor
Mid Kerry U21 Football Championship
Preliminary Round
Beaufort 1-10 Milltown/Castlemaine 0-6
Venue: Beaufort
Referee: Peter Lyons (Cromane)
Beaufort G.A.A. Grounds was the setting on Sunday last, February 17th for the preliminary round of the 2019 Mid Kerry U21 Football Championship between the home side and visitors Milltown/Castlemaine. The winners would advance to a Semi-Final meeting with Laune Rangers next weekend with home advantage for the victor in this contest. Beaufort no doubt buoyed on by their recent All-Ireland Junior Club Championship success in Croke Park at Senior level fielded a very strong U21 side on Sunday even without the services of some of their key men from their Senior success in Ciaran Kennedy & Jonathan Kissane and 2018 Kerry Minor All-Ireland winner Jack O'Connor was on the bench to name but a few but still had a panel available of about 25 players underlining their strength in depth coming into this clash. Milltown/Castlemaine on the other hand, through a combination of injuries to the likes of Sean Hogan, Aaron O'Brien & Daniel Cronin and player unavailability from others fielded a relatively young side, most of which was either still Minor or just out of Minor grade with only a few players on their final year at U21 level making this always a tricky assignment for the travelling party.
The home side started with intent and by the 8th minute had registered the opening three points of the match with former All-Ireland Minor winner with Kerry Mike Breen leading the charge with a super opening point from play. This was soon followed by Cian O'Sullivan who landed a big score from out near the scoreboard side wing to double the advantage before a Paudie Coffey 14 yard free had the lead at 0-3 to 0-0. Killian Kerins leading the charge from midfield with his Senior experience got the away sides account ticking over when he succinctly landed a kick off his right boot over the bar from 21 yards after a good strong run. Full-forward and rising talent Dylan O'Neil had the deficit reduced to the bare minimum a couple of minutes later as after a long ball in from David Leane caught out the Beaufort full-back, O'Neil was baring down on goal only to be dragged back and despite his best efforts to strike for a goal and with an advantage accruing from referee Peter Lyons he saw his effort tail just wide but he had the free anyway from the advantage and tapped over from 14 yards to make it 0-3 to 0-2, unfortunately for Milltown/Castlemaine this would be the closest they would come all game to turning the tide in their favour on the scoreboard as the home side would eventually pull away. The next period of the game between the 12th and 24th minutes seen a barren spell for both sides as a number of wides from either side made it any teams game heading into the final stages of the opening half. Beaufort would hit a real purple patch prior to the half-time whistle however and 1-3 on the trot between the 24th and 30th minutes seen them open their lead out to seven points. Mike Breen with a 21 yard free on 24 minutes made it a two point lead for Beaufort at 0-4 to 0-2 before a crucial goal in the 26th minute from Jack Sweeney after he palmed the ball into an empty net following a dangerous ball landing in the square, one which Cian O'Sullivan knocked into the path of Sweeney who seen the net bulge. Mike Breen with a free on 28 minutes from 14 yards after a pull-down and a Jack Sweeney perfectly executed point into the breeze just before the half-time whistle left it 1-6 to 0-2 at the interval, a big mountain to climb if Milltown/Castlemaine were to get back into proceedings as there only looked one winner at this stage.
Beaufort started where they left off just before the break straight after half-time with two points from play, one from their corner-back Rory Clifford who ghosted up the field unabated before slotting over expertly and then Paudie Coffey the clinical corner-forward from play also took his tally to 0-2 for the afternoon by the 35h minute which stretched the lead out further making it now 1-8 to 0-2 in the home sides favour and more ominous for Milltown/Castlemaine by now was the fact that they hadn't scored in over 25 minutes and in that time conceded 1-5 on the spin which essentially was seeing the game and contest as a whole drift away. To a young and up and coming Milltown/Castlemaine sides eternal credit they never let their heads drop and battled to the very end which is testament to their character and the belief instilled in them by their management team. Corner-back Patrick O'Connor of Milltown/Castlemaine made a darting run up the field in the 37th minute and fired over a point which could easily have ended up in the net when he found himself inside the final line of the Beaufort defence but he opted for a score at a time when it was probably the sensible option to give the away teams spirits a welcome lift. David Leane from midfield landed a beauty off his left leg on the 39th minute from 21 yards to reduce the gap further and now make it 1-8 to 0-4. Beaufort killed any thoughts of a revival for Milltown/Castlemaine however in the next few minutes as two points from natural team leader Mike Breen, one of them a 14 yard free after Adam Scanlon had pulled the energetic Paudie Coffey to the ground just outside the square after he had got inside the away sides corner-back and another from play moments later by Breen after a turnover from the resultant kickout seen Beaufort lead 1-10 to 0-4 on 43 minutes. Oddly enough this would actually turn out to be Beaufort's last score of the game as they failed to raise a white or green flag between the 43rd and 60th minutes despite a few chances being passed up including one goal attempt from substitute and another All-Ireland Minor winner with Kerry Jack O'Connor seen the crossbar come in his way. Milltown/Castlemaine would close out the remainder of the game the stronger of the two teams and points from centre-forward Craig Counihan and full-back Roan Hegarty seen the lead reduced to 1-10 to 0-6 heading into the closing stages. Try as they might and despite a few wides this was as close as the away side came to reducing the deficit further and Beaufort deservedly it must be said ran out seven point winners where they will now go on to meet Laune Rangers next weekend in what has the makings of a rip-roaring contest with some talented young players on both sides.
Milltown/Castlemaine can look back on this encounter and reasonably say that they did compete well with Beaufort for large stages of the match having more than held their own and only trailed by a solitary point approaching the final five minutes of the first half but that scoring spree from Beaufort of 1-5 on the spin either side of the half-time whistle which came between the 24th and 35th minutes respectively was a real purple patch and ultimately was what left the seven point gap between the two sides at the close of play (Also proving the difference was that Milltown/Castlemaine went 25 minutes without a score between the 12th and 37th minutes during this same spell). Both sides drawing the second half 0-4 to 0-4 underlining this even further as essentially there was nothing to separate both sides between the 1st and 24th minutes and the 30th and 60th minutes. Having said that Beaufort were deserved winners one would still have to say overall with the strength in depth they possess definitely putting them in contention to win out this competition in 2019 provided they get the likes of Ciaran Kennedy, Jonathan Kissane and the others missing for last Sunday's clash back into the team for the Semi-Final on the horizon and the best sides can take a game away from you in a short space of time as underlined in that pivotal spell before the interval.
Hard luck to our lads who gave it their all on the day and well done to Beaufort who we wish the best of luck to in the remainder of this competition.
Milltown/Castlemaine Scorers:
Killian Kerins 0-1, Dylan O'Neil 0-1 (free), Craig Counihan 0-1 Roan Hegarty 0-1 David Leane 0-1 & Patrick O'Connor 0-1
Beaufort Scorers:
Mike Breen 0-5 (3 frees), Paudie Coffey 0-2 (1 free), Jack Sweeney 1-1 , Cian O'Sullivan 0-1 & Rory Clifford 0-1
