Late goal seals Melvin Gaels place in Final

A good start might be half the battle but so is a strong finish and Melvin Gaels managed to do both as they saw off a stubborn Kiltubrid challenge in the Smith Monumentals IFC Semi-Final at a rain soaked Drumshanbo last Saturday.

On a day more suited to ducks and drakes, the surface at Shane McGettigan Park stood up superbly but the incessant rain and strong wind meant it was extremely difficult for both teams to find any fluency.

In those conditions, Melvin Gaels' superb defensive alignment was always going to be tough for Kiltubrid to break down and with forwards like Gary Clancy and Joseph McGloin, the Kinlough men had an attacking edge that Kiltubrid struggled to match.

Melvin Gaels book place in decider as they best Kiltubrid in rain - GALLERY

A few hardy souls braved the rain in Shane McGettigan Park, Drumshanbo on Saturday afternoon as Melvin Gaels booked their place in the 2023 Smith Monumentals IFC Final thanks toa  1-6 to 0-6 victory over Kiltubrid. Observer photographer Willie Donnellan was there to capture some snaps of the fans enjoying the action ... see who you can spot!

Melvin Gaels' quick start to both halves left Kiltubrid chasing them and that set the tone for the game and to be honest, the Kinlough men should have been further ahead in the closing stages yet as Kiltubrid threatened to draw level, they needed  a last minute goal from Peter McGowan to see them safely across the line.

Kiltubrid never truly got going with their usual fluency but that may have been down more to Melvin Gaels' defensive efforts as they flooded the area with bodies and kept their discipline.

The early stages of the game set the tone for the match and although Declan Roper shot wide, the length of time Melvin Gaels had in possession demonstrated Melvin Gaels’ tactics to perfection. A foul on Shane McGloin after Kiltubrid lost possession after a kickout allowed Gary Clancy to fire over a free on two minutes.

Five minutes later, Joseph McGloin showed brilliant footwork to dodge through a couple of defenders to score. Fionn O’Brien and Clancy traded wides before Barry McWeeney converted a ninth minute free.

An off-the-ball foul spotted by referee Mark McCloskey up the free allowed Clancy fire over another free on ten minutes. However, Kiltubrid were soon level - Barry McWeeney claiming a mark to score on 12 minutes before a Gaels defender touched the ball on the ground and McWeeney converted the placed ball.

That was it as far as scores for the rest of the half with Melvin Gaels dominant everywhere but on the scoreboard as they kicked four wides compared to a short McWeeney free, leaving the sides level at 0-3 apiece at the break.

Just as they did in the first half, Melvin Gaels came out with all guns blazing - Gary Clancy fired over a third minute free, three minutes later Conor Sheridan converted a mark and a minute after that, JJ Lipsett got the ball in space to loft a point over the Kiltubrid bar from distance.

Kiltubrid's Dermot McKeon under pressure during Saturday's Semi-Final Picture: Willie Donnellan

Given how tough the conditions were and the scarce nature of scores, that looked like a match winning lead even as early as that but Kiltubrid started to force their way back into the game, a series of changes and a more conservative approach from Melvin Gaels allowing Kiltubrid a lot of possession.

A direct run from Danny McWeeney was ended by a foul, his brother Barry converting on 11 minutes to cut the gap back to two. Gary Clancy and Patrick McGowan were both booked, going with a first half booking for Shane Foley, and when Barry McWeeney brilliantly curled a free inside the left hand Gaels post on 46 minutes, it appeared we were set for a grandstand finish.

Peter Connolly also went into the book but Kiltubrid weren’t able to create any clear cut chances as Melvin Gaels’ defence held firm. 

Melvin Gaels actually might have had a goal on 55 minutes when Joseph McGloin worked his way through the Kiltubrid defence and bore down on goal - a timely shove might have put him off as he appealed for a penalty in vain.

Kiltubrid had a chance to equalise but from long range, Barry McWeeney shot wide and that seemed to wake Melvin Gaels up. They went back to possession football, pushed much higher up the field and held onto the ball for almost two minutes.

And it worked as a slick passing move ended with Conor Sheridan cut past a couple of defenders before a handpass across found an unmarked Peter McGowan beating a teammate  to the punch, palming the ball to the net for a game winning goal.

With over four minutes of added time, Kiltubrid attempted to fight back but only had a Barry McWeeney free to show for it as a massed Gaels defence never gave them a sniff of a goal.

Allen Gaels and Annaduff Smith Monumentals IFC clash called off

MELVIN GAELS

Scorers: Gary Clancy 0-3, 3f; Peter McGowan 1-0; Joseph McGloin, Conorn Sheridan & JJ Lipsett 0-1 each

Team: Kevin McGloin; Patrick McGowan, Kieran Clancy, Peter Connolly; JJ Lipsett, Cillian McGloin; Shane McGloin; Conor Sheridan, Peter McGowan; Declan Roper, Michael Ferguson, Declan Clancy; Gary Clancy, Gero Gilmartin, Joseph McGloin. Subs: Philip McGowan for Roper (43); Jamie Moore for Patrick McGowan (51); Adam Dolan, Matthew San Pedro & Paul Simpson for S McGloin, Gilmartin & D Clancy (64)

KILTUBRID

Scorers: Barry McWeeney 0-6, 5f, 1M

Team: Noel Gill, Eamonn Geoghegan, Peter Winters, Shane Foley, Dermot McKeon, Diarmuid McKiernan, Stephen McLoughlin, Michael McCormack, Jack Foley, Iarlaith O’Brien, Fionn O’Brien, Kealan McKeon, Danny McWeeney, Emmet Mahon, Barry McWeeney. Subs: James Tighe for McKeon (37); Dylan Easterbrook for S Foley (43); Ralph McKeown for McCormack (46); Conor Prior for D McWeeney (54)

Referee: Mark McCloskey