Kilmacud Crokes cruise past Whitehall Colmcille at Parnell Park

Image courtesy: Eamon O'Callaghan

KILMACUD CROKES 3-13 

WHITEHALL COLMCILLE 0-6

Kilmacud Crokes got their PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship campaign back on track as they defeated Whitehall Colmcille by sixteen points in their Group 2 encounter at Parnell Park on Friday night.

Having lost to Clontarf in Round 1, Crokes were keen to seize control from the outset and while they took their time to click into gear, a Cian O’Connor goal helped build a 1-9 to 0-2 advantage by the interval. 

They were rarely troubled after the break with goals at either end of the half from Shane Horan and substitute Padraig Purcell proving too much for a lacklustre Whitehall.   

Both teams struggled to make an impression in attack initially as they spurned chances to open the scoring although Whitehall suffered a body blow in the 6th minute as Darragh Scanlon was black-carded for a needless late hit on Paul Mannion. 

Crokes made them pay for this indiscretion as O’Connor opened the scoring two minutes later before Mannion curled over a trademark two-pointer to leave three points between the sides. 

Dara Mullin, who shone in that loss to Clontarf, added a straightforward free in the 11thminute before Cormac Costello did likewise to open Whitehall’s account towards the end of the first quarter. 

Horan could well have netted for Crokes in the 16th minute but fired high over Cillian Cummins’ crossbar when well placed with Mullin reflecting his promising start with two points from play in quick succession. 

While dominating possession, Kilmacud were unable to translate that control into sufficient scores but finally they made a decisive incision late in the half that culminated in O’Connor palming home at the back post in the 28th minute. 

Mannion added his second orange flag in an instant as Crokes entered the break with a healthy and deserved ten-point buffer.

Whitehall made no less than four changes at the break and gained some reward for their bravery as Costello popped over his second free within three minutes of the restart. 

However, another slick Crokes move saw Horan roll the ball under Cummins from close range for their second goal, with the Stillorgan side replacing Mannion with Hugh Kenny at the turnaround. 

Colmcille responded well to this setback, gaining some momentum through a Costello brace before adding another point from Sean Gannon after Kilmacud’s Conal Ó Riain was black-carded in the 39th minute.

Disappointingly, no further scores arrived during Ó Riain’s absence as Crokes comfortably retained possession and a scoreless period of ten minutes was finally ended through a Mullin free in the 51st minute.   

The death knell for Whitehall arrived four minutes later as Purcell found the bottom cornerwith further scores from the influential O’Connor and Purcell leaving Crokes comfortable winners by the final whistle. 

Scorers – Kilmacud Crokes: C O’Connor 1-3; S Horan, P Purcell 1-1 each; P Mannion (2 P2), D Mullin (2f) 0-4 each. Whitehall Colmcille: C Costello 0-4 (3f); J McDermott, S Gannon 0-1 apiece.

Kilmacud Crokes: R Murray; M Mullin, T Clancy, J Murphy; C O’Shea, A Jones, L Fearon; B Shovlin, N Comerford; C O’Connor, D Mullin, C Ó Riain; F Donoghue, P Mannion, S Horan. Subs: H Kenny for Mannion (half-time), C Dias for Comerford (42), A McGowan for Clancy (48), P Purcell for Horan (51), D Murphy for M Mullin (55). 

Whitehall Colmcille: C Cummins; D Wherley, J Thorp, T Kellett; D Scanlon, E Moran, L Gannon; M Moran, J McDermott; P Manning, C Costello, S Giles; S Gannon, S Foran, T O’Sullivan. Subs: J Raftery for Manning (half-time), P Maloney for J McDermott (half-time), A McDermott for O’Sullivan (half-time), R Kerins for Foran (half-time).   

Referee: Séamus Farrelly (Ballinteer St John’s).