Rathkenny were edged out by the minimum in this Fairyhouse Steel Senior Football Championship Relegation Play Off Quarter Final played in Bective last Sunday morning September 22nd. 

Rathkenny 1-08 Na Fianna 2-06

Seventy-five seconds into this encounter Na Fianna had two wides on the board. Max McKenna opened the scoring with a lovely effort in the third minute. With seven minutes on the clock, Padraig McKeever popped over Rathkennys’ second point of the day. Na Fianna opened their account thirty seconds later, when a sweeping move opened the Rathkenny defence, and the ball was slotted low to the net. There then followed a fourteen-minute spell where neither side could add to their tally as wide followed wide. Eventually Na Fianna sent over in the twenty-second minute to lead by three. Things got even better as a ball into the Rathkenny rearguard was collected by the Rathkenny defence, but the ball squirmed on the ground and a Na Fianna foot was quickest to react as the ball settled into the net. Na Fianna were now up by six with less than four minutes remaining in the half. Rathkenny dug deep and Keith Curtis reduced the gap from a free on twenty-seven minutes. Ninety seconds later, Noah Jenkinson finished a move to the net and Rathkenny were down by two when Padraic Coyle blew for half time. Rathkenny 1-3 Na Fianna 2-2

Rathkenny had levelled matters after 33 minutes, when Keith Curtis sent over one from a free and then one from play. Na Fianna edged back in front on thirty-five minutes, before they were reduced to 14 players when Padraic Coyle produced a second yellow then red. With numerical advantage Rathkenny pushed forward and Donal Keogan came up from full back to send over the equaliser as the clock approached forty minutes. Keith Curtis edged Rathkenny back in front on forty-two minutes. Numerical advantage was over when recently introduced substitute Joey Curtis was shown a red card. Both sides were guilty of wayward shooting as the scoreboard remained untouched for over thirteen minutes. Rathkenny edged two in front when Keith Curtis popped over from play and the clock showed 54 minutes played. Na Fianna then sent over three points in a row and as the clock moved towards sixty-one minutes, they led by one. Rathkenny were awarded a free which was cleared out for a forty-five and unfortunately for Rathkenny it came up short and Padraic Coyle blew for full time.

Rathkenny - Charlie Cullen; Adam Byrne, Donal Keogan (0-1), Ciaran O’Hare; Padraig McKeever (0-1), Ross Gore, Sean O’Hare; Christy Meade, James O’Hare; David Curtis, Max McKenna (0-1), Niall Branigan; Oisin Cummins-Fuller, Keith Curtis (0-5, 3 frees), Noah Jenkinson (1-0)

Subs – Jack Gore for Niall Branigan (38), Joey Curtis for Noah Jenkinson (46), Daniel Gavagan for Padraig McKeever (54), Colm Kerrigan for Oisin Cummins-Fuller (61)

 

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