Killinkere 2-8
Laragh United 0-13

Peter McCabe's last gasp point prevented more extra-time at Kingspan Breffni Park this evening and sent Killinkere through to the semi-finals of the intermediate championship at Laragh United's expense.

The teams were inseparable for large portions of this quarter-final replay, despite the winners netting two first-half goals through veteran Brian Clarke which wiped out Laragh's sizzling start.

The men from PJ Duke Park would end up ruing the 13 wides they kicked over the hour as the second-half was point for point and never saw Killinkere cushion the slender lead they held at half-time.

It would make little difference in the end though, as a late lapse gave McCabe the chance to win it for his team and he grabbed it with both hands, literally, with a superb catch and fist over the bar which now pits them against Cootehill in the last four.

Laragh started in lively fashion, notching three points in just under five minutes from Cian O'Rourke, Jason Walsh and midfielder Seamus Cooney. The latter was a gem from Cooney but Patrick Rudden wouldn't be out done when he took a pass off Declan King and launched over from the right flank.

O'Rourke's second would make it a five-point lead by the 10th minute and Killinkere were certainly in danger of letting the game slip out of their control until Clarke kept his cool to round Joseph Donoghue in the Laragh goal and bury the ball in off the post.

Kevin McCabe made it a one-point game by the 17th minute, as the wides began to tally up for Laragh, before Oisin Carolan avoided their eighth miss when his sailed effort crept inside the post and over.

The Stradone outfit couldn't avoid disaster five minutes from the break however, as Emmett Fitzsimons cut through them from the right and put the ball into Clarke's path for the corner-forward to fist to the net in a flash.

Carolan and Fitzsimons (free) swapped points before Darren Smith finished over a slick Killinkere move, shortly after taking his place on the pitch as a substitute, and when O'Rourke sent over his second at the other end it would leave the score-line at 2-3 to 0-8 in the green and golds' favour.

Sean Tierney levelled the sides within five minutes of the restart but Laragh certainly should have been in front by that stage, having sent three more chances the wrong side of the posts. They'd eventually get back the lead through a 40-metre free which Rudden coolly stroked over before Killinkere took it from them again with their seasoned campaigner Clarke and Noel McGovern raising white flags at the far end.

Rudden saw a goal chance flash over in the next attack and Michael Reilly's men would have had a third major soon after had Donoghue not done brilliantly to tip over McCabe's rocket shot which looked bound for the top corner.

Some patient build-up play helped Killinkere double their advantage, with Smith finishing it off once more, but Laragh weren't going to be kept at bay, as points from Liam McKenna and O'Rourke brought them level with injury-time nearing.

It was in those minutes that McCabe pulled off the heroics, making a fine fetch to gather Clarke's wayward free and nipping inside to fist over Donoghue's crossbar, sealing Killinkere's date with Cootehill and breaking Laragh's hearts in the process.

Killinkere: Sean McGovern; Ollie Sharkey, Martin Reilly, Louis Fay-Cooper; Breen Smith, Michael Duff, Finbarr Smith; Anthony Brady, Noel McGovern (0-1); Kevin McCabe (0-1), Emmett Fitzsimons (0-2), Jason McMahon; Brian Clarke (2-1), Peter McCabe (1-1), Liam McCabe. Subs:  Darren Smith (0-2) for F Smith (26mins), John B Smith for O Sharkey (HT), Tony O'Reilly for N McGovern (60), Garry Denning for L McCabe (60).

Laragh United: Joseph Donoghue; Kieran Donoghue, Shane O'Rourke, Ciaran Cooney; Paddy King, Declan King, Eoin Donoghue; Seamus Cooney (0-1), Liam McKenna (0-1); Jason Walsh (0-1), Patrick Rudden (0-3, 1f), Oisin Carolan (0-2); Sean Tierney (0-1), Gerry Murray, Cian O'Rourke (0-4). Subs: Declan Brady for G Murray (43mins), Ruairi Power for S Tierney (49), Conal Donohoe for O Carolan (52).

Ref: Joe McQuillan (Kill Shamrocks)

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