Conor Kelly masterclass helps Graiguecullen overcome Stradbally

Graiguecullen got Group A of the Under-20 Football Championship underway Friday night, with a home victory over Stradbally. Full-forward, Conor Kelly grabbed a goal and seven points to help his side to a two-point win, pipping Stradbally by 1-10 to 1-8. But the men in grey will wonder just how the game slipped out of their hands.

Graiguecullen 1-10

Stradbally Parish Gaels 1-8

Stradbally had a clear game plan focused on maintaining possession, playing out from the back, and generating quick ball. But Graiguecullen were playing far more direct, consistently putting themselves in scoring positions. Both sides had their purple patches in the first half, but Graiguecullen were much more clinical. Conor Kelly converted four frees from four, while Jack Byrne scored two wonderful points, as Graiguecullen raced into a strong, early lead.

Stradbally, meanwhile, were wasteful, unable to turn possession and territory into points on the board. They fought hard to work their way back into the game and trailed by just a single point, 0-6 to 0-5 at half-time. They should really have gotten their noses in front but were undone by five wides and several balls dropping just short of Lee Byrne’s goal.

The second half lacked the speed and intensity of the first with both sides losing their shape entirely, but it did produce a lot more drama. Conor Kelly’s goal on the 43rd minute – Graiguecullen’s first score of the half and their first since the 17th minute – put the hosts in the driving seat. The goal itself was a thing of beauty as Kelly beat three Stradbally defenders before going around goalkeeper, Oisín Ramsbottom and driving the ball into an empty net.

Stradbally’s Eamonn Delaney was shown a red card late on, but it had little effect on the game as Graiguecullen were in total control by then. The visitors’ best player on the night was Nelly O’Neill who grabbed a goal with the last kick of the game, converting a penalty to put a sheen of respectability on the scoreline. In truth, however, Stradbally had the lion’s share of possession and territory and will be kicking themselves to come away from the game with nothing to show for it.

Conor Kelly and Jack Byrne were magnificent on the night for Graiguecullen. It is probably fair to say that Byrne played that little bit better, his 15th-minute point an absolute peach, but scoring an individual 1-7 on a 1-10 scoreline cements Kelly as man of the match. Things don’t get any easier for Graiguecullen who travel to Portlaoise for the next game in the group, while Stradbally will host St Joseph’s – both on Friday 28th.