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Kerry edge Derry in fight-marred match

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Kerry 2-11

Derry 1-12

By Peter Nolan

Kerry topped Derry 2-11 to 1-12 Sunday at Gaelic Park in an exciting Junior A match up that was, unfortunately, marred by a violent ending.

These two skillful teams played a free-flowing brand of football before it turned bad tempered in the closing moments. Kerry were clinging to a 1-11 to 1-10 lead with five minutes to play when a shoving match escalated. Paudie Mulvihill ended up on the ground with blood gushing from a head wound. After consulting with his officials, referee Dave Halloran, who did a solid job in his officiating debut, showed the red card to Derry’s star forward, Anthony Power. Power was shown a straight red and will have to miss a match.

Kerry made all the early going, sprinting out to a 0-7 to 0-2 lead behind excellent play from their mobile full forward, Niall Horgan, and deadly free taking from lanky midfielder Brendan Lynch.

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Two well-struck Power frees kept the Ulster squad in touch before a bad Kerry mistake let Derry back in. A poor clearance out of the Kerry backs, right across their own goal, landed in Darren Doherty’s hands. Doherty said thanks very much and deposited the gift in the back of the net. Gary Rocks and Power added points and the game was tied at the break.

The match remained tight with plenty of good football on display. Then tempers flared and football was temporarily forgotten. Substitute Jason O’Connor finished a Kieran Cull pass to the goal for the decisive score for Kerry. Two late points made it close, but Kerry took the spoils.

Man of the Match: Niall Horgan.

Kerry: John Fogarty, Paudie Hanley, Peter Riney, Pat O’Driscoll, Adrian Finn, John Kissane, Louis Holland, Brendan Lynch (0-6, 3 frees), Ger Stapleton (1-0), Cormac O’Connor, Miley O’Connor (0-2), Paudie Mulvihill, Dean Doherty, Niall Horgan (0-2), Barry Clifford. Sub: Kieran Cull (0-1), Ian Galvin, Jason O’Connor (1-0).

Derry: Martin O’Connor, Noel McGovern, Kevin Heaney, Kevin Diamond, John McKeefer, Mickey Donnelly, Stephen Keating, Darren Doherty (1-0), Ruari O’Neill (0-1), Rauri McCloskey, Mickey McCloskey, Shane Guiden, Anthony Power (0-5, 4 frees), Dermot Niblock (0-1), Gary Rocks (0-4, 3 frees). Subs: Cormac McIntyre, JP Forbes (0-1), Niall O’Kane.

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