Under 21 championship semi-final

Bryansford  0-11   Kilcoo  2-5

(Match Report by Peter McGrath Jnr.)

THE story of this Under 21 championship semi-final had two key moments. A goal fifty seconds in and another goal a minute from the end. A bitter wind blew throughout the game and the snow capped peak of Slieve Donard, visible in the distance showed just how cold it was. Kilcoo won the throw in and in the first attack, Ryan Johnston unleashed a thunderbolt high to the roof of the Bryansford net. Thereafter though, Bryansford nullified Kilcoo's scoring threat until the second half. By half time Bryansford led 0-6 - 1-0.

However in the remaining 29 first half minutes the Ford missed at least as many chances as they converted playing with the wind. A Danny Savage free got Bryansford off the mark and due to Neil Murray's ninth minute point David McKibben's pointed free levelled the proceedings for the first time and indeed they wouldn't be level again until the last 30 seconds.

Chris Clarke added a quickfire brace of points but in scoring terms Bryansford failed to capitalize on the momentum these points created and their only other score before the interval was another dead ball situation which David McKibben knocked over and at the break Bryansford led by double scores.

Bryansford began the second half with a bang and Chris Clarke got his third point from play within a couple of minutes of the restart and soon after an excellent hooked kick from David McKibben over his right shoulder with his left foot was a fantastic point and offered a real lift.

Two Kilcoo points from brothers Paul and Martin Devlin reduced the deficit to a goal and though Danny Savage's free reopened the four point margin they quickly allowed Darragh O Hanlon to reduce it to a single kick of the ball again with a pointed free. The to-ing and fro-ing of scores continued again when Niall O Higgins and Martin Devlin both pointed. Entering three minutes of stoppage time, Kilcoo were three points down but JJ McLoughlin's point cut Bryansford's lead to a dangerous two points.

Then with 45 seconds to go, Bryansford, instead of kicking the ball into the forwardline messed about with it, indulging in a short passing game and lost the ball, Kilcoo went down the pitch and the ball again came to Ryan Johnston who hit another wonderful shot to the net, this time along the sod. Ryan Brannigan hurriedly hit a kick-out and Chris Clarke caught it brilliantly in the centre of the field and it was eventually worked into the forwardline where a free kick was won and Danny Savage put it over the bar.

Bryansford had salvaged a draw and were very fortunate in the end to escape from this game with a replay.

Kilcoo: N Kane, D Brannigan, Darragh O Hanlon (0-1 free), C McCusker, A Brannigan, Daithi O Hanlon, JJ McLoughlin (0-1), P Devlin (0-1 free), J McClean, Miceal Devlin, O McClean, B Kane, Martin Devlin (0-2), J Johnston, R Johnston (2-0).

Bryansford: R Brannigan, R McDonald, A McDonald, M Harbinson, R Wells, A Somers, D McDonald, N O Higgins (0-1), C Clarke (0-3), N Murray (0-1), D Savage (0-3 frees), D Young, J McKibben, D McKibben (0-3, 0-2 frees), S Brannigan.