Annaduff blown away by devastating Kilmeena in second half

Leitrim champions Annaduff got a rough and demoralising lesson on what it takes to succeed in the AIB Connacht Intermediate Club Championship Quarter-Final as a highly impressive Kilmeena turned a two point deficit at the halftime interval into a yawning 22 point victory in Hastings Insurance Mac Hale Park in Castlebar.

The Mayo side, All-Ireland Junior champions two season ago, started this game as hot favourites but they struggled in the first half against an energetic and enthusiastic Annaduff side who led by five points 20 minutes into this contest, a lead that was more than justified and probably should have been a good deal more had they take two excellent goal chances.

But the ten minutes before halftime presaged what was to come in the second half as the home side reeled off four unanswered points to trail by just two at the interval. Still Annaduff would have felt pretty good about their performance that was full of intent and clever play, even if they shipped the loss of the influential Eoin Gill with injury.

Check out Willie Donnellan's gallery of fans photos from Annaduff's Connacht IFC Club clash with Kilmeena

It was a tough day for Annaduff in Hastings Insurance Mac Hale Park on Sunday as Kilmeena brushed them aside in the second half of their AIB Connacht Intermediate Club Championship Quarter-Final. Observer photographer Willie Donnellan was there with his camera, snapping supporters cheering on the teams ..... see who you can spot!

Up in the stands, it didn't seem as if there was much wind but judging from the flags at the scoreboard end and the smoke coming out in straight lines from the nearby chimneys, Annaduff had been playing with the wind in the first half and a clearly refocused Kilmeena went to work straight away in a devastating display of power football and clinical finishing.

Kilmeena's Cormac Halligan has been well marshalled by the excellent Dillon Keane in the first half but the Mayo man would burst into devastating life, hitting 1-2 inside three minutes and with that the Mayo men were on their way to a comfortable victory, a victory confirmed when Halligan blasted home his second goal after 41 minutes.

It didn't help that Annaduff missed a few chances early in that second half but in truth that would be clutching at straws. Leading by two points at the break, by the time Annaduff got their next score after 54 minutes, the Mayo team had plundered an increasingly over-run Annaduff defence for 2-10 and they would add a further 2-3 before the final whistle.

Truth be told, the best senior club teams in Leitrim would struggle to cope with this Kilmeena side - physically imposing, blessed with pace and some very good footballers, it is easy to see why they would be setting their sights on a Connacht and maybe even All-Ireland crown as their strength was just too much for a young Annaduff side to counter.

The Annaduff team who were defeated by Kilmeena on Sunday Picture: Willie Donnellan

That Annaduff stretched them and tested them in the first half says much for the talent in their ranks but once again, the gap in club standards was exposed at provincial level and that is not the fault of Annaduff. Kilmeena just about got by Ballinrobe in the Mayo Final and they looked streets ahead of the Leitrim men once they got going.

Perhaps the effort in exposing and going toe to toe with Kilmeena came back to haunt Annaduff in the second half as the immense physical conditioning of the Mayo men really came to the fore - crashing through tackles, virtually enjoying a monopoly on the ball in the middle of the park and scoring a variety of goals and points from every angle and method.

Kilmeena opened the scoring after just 28 seconds with Caolach Halligan freeing John McGlynn for a point but it was Annaduff who started to dominate the contest. Hugh Moylan intercepted a Kilmeena attack, a long ball found Ray Cox out in front and he offloaded to Darren Cox for a wonderfully crafted and taken point.

The young Cox would add a point from a free two minutes later, 45 yards out on the wing with the wind behind him, but Annaduff were left cursing their luck when Ray Cox's smart effort came off the post with Kilmeena keeper Paul Groden caught underneath. The ball broke kindly for an unmarked Dan Bosquette but the young corner-forward clearly lifted the ball off the ground, referee Aaron Clogher wiping off the resulting goal.

Kilmeena missed two chances before Annaduff spurned another goal chance presented to them - Darren Cox's free fell short but Ray Cox and Bosquette saw their efforts smoothered and blocked at the expense of a fifty. That fifty led to a well worked point for the veteran Ray Cox just eight minutes in.

Kilmeena were struggling to cope with Annaduff's aggressive defence and quick ball out to the two Coxs and Darren added two more frees, one from just inside the fifty yard line, before the youngster cleverly spotted Ray coming out, delivering a pinpoint pass from which Ray claimed and scored a mark to put Annaduff a scarcely believable 0-6 to 0-1 ahead after just 18 minutes.

The Mayo men took action, making two changes with the new men in specifically taking up marking roles on the two Coxs. John McGlynn converted a free before Keith Joyce fired over. Kilmeena really should have had a goal but, with two men bearing down on him, Caolan Quigley made a superb save with an outstretched foot from McGlynn's corner bound shot, although Kilmeena did get some reward with Darragh Keaveney's successful 50.

That cut the gap back to a point and they should have levelled but Stephen Staunton left his shot short and Annaduff took advantage with a foul on Kenny Cox punished by a Darren free, leaving Annaduff with a 0-7 to 0-5 halftime lead.

That lead was wiped out inside two minutes and obliterated within another minute as Caolach Halligan converted a free and from the kickout, Jack Carney claimed ball and found Halligan with a long ball for a nice finish. The long ball would prove critical for Kilmeena's first goal, Halligan making a superb catch before rounding the defender to drive a powerful shot to the top left hand corner of the net.

Two points down just a 180 seconds earlier when the second half started, Kilmeena now had a three point lead as points from McGlynn and Sean Ryder extended it. The Mayo men virtually ended the contest when sub Ciaran Kilcyone's long ball was gathered by Halligan who again rounded the defenders to drill the ball to the net.

Halligan (2), Keaveney (3) and Darragh Slattery fired over a barrage of points before Annaduff got their first score of the second half, 24 minutes in, when Darren Cox converted a free. It seemed as if Kilmeena took that badly for their next score was set up by Halligan who cut in along the endline before floating a ball across the square for Jack Carney to fist to the net.

Unfortunately, Annaduff's torture was not over yet as Liam Moore, Ryder and Joyce added points while Jack Mulchrone set up his fellow wing-back for Kilmeena's fourth goal to crush Annaduff.

Halftime team talk reset Ballinamore as Breen praises reaction to Eoghan Rua goal

ANNADUFF

Scorers: Darren Cox 0-6, 5f; Ray Cox 0-2, 1M

Team: Caolan Quigley, Conor Reynolds, Dillon Keane, Keelan Lynch, Eoin Gill, Hugh Moylan, Eoghan Ridge, Shane Morrison, Aaron Duignan, Niall Quigley, Darren Cox, Alan Glancy, Kenny Cox, Ray Cox, Dan Bosquette. Subs: Jason Ward for Gill (24); Tommy Taylor for R Cox (45); Stephen Murray for Duignan (52); Declan Gill for K Cox (57)

KILMEENA

Scorers: Caolach Halligan 2-4, 1f, 1M; Darragh Keaveney 0-5, 1 50, 1f; John McGlynn 0-3, 1f; Jack Carney & Niall Feehan 1-0 each; Sean Ryder & Keith Joyce 0-2 each; Liam Moore & Darragh Slattery (f) 0-1 each

Team: Paul Groden, Paddy Keane, John Keane, John Ryan, Niall Feehan, Stephen Staunton, Jack Mulchrone, Jack Carney, Kevin Ryder, Keith Joyce, Sean Ryder, Ronan O'Donnell, John McGlynn, Caolach Halligan, Darragh Keaveney. Subs: Ciaran Kilcoyne for Staunton (14); Colin Hastings for P Keane (19); Liam Moore for O'Donnell (HT); Darragh Slattery for Keaveney (44); Chris McGlynn for J Keane (50)

Referee: Aaron Clogher (Roscommon)