Ice-cool Kelly earns replay for Clane
Scoil Mhuire Clane 2-9 St Benildus 1-12
Ciaran Kelly earned Scoil Mhuire a deserved replay by converting two injury-time frees at the end of extra-time in Darver.
St Benildus looked set for victory when Tom Keane converted a 75th-minute penalty to put his team two points ahead in a thrilling match.
That would have been harsh on the Clane lads and it felt only right that Kelly should ensure a replay by nailing two pressure kicks.
After the teams had turned around level, Clane kicked the first three points of the second half, but Benildus responded with four in a row and it fell to Kyle Devey to force the game into extra-time.
Scoil Mhuire struck first with a goal from Brian McLoughlin, but Benildus battled back and Keane's penalty after Callum Pearson had been brought down put them within touching distance of the winning post.
However, Kelly's late brace means that Clane's dream of becoming the first Kildare school to reach the final since 1923 lives on.
SCORERS - Scoil Mhuire: C Kelly 0-5fs, B McLoughlin 1-1, D Kelly 1-0, K Devey 0-2, C Harris 0-1. St Benildus: T Keane 1-4(1-0pen, 0-3fs), T Fox 0-3, J Rafferty 0-2, C Pearson 0-2, D O'Brien 0-1.
SCOIL MHUIRE - P Mylod; B Corbett, E O'Connell, B Giffney, C O'Sullivan, R Phillips, D Brereton; C Byrne, C O'Flaherty; D Kelly 1-0, T Montgomery, C Harris 0-1, C Kelly 0-5fs, B McLoughlin 1-1, K Devey 0-2. Subs: S O'Sullivan for Brereton (27); J Reilly for D Kelly (32 BC).
ST BENILDUS - A O'Callaghan; A Walsh, L Doran, P O'Reilly, A Bradshaw, D Keogh, S O'Reilly; C Pearson 0-2, P Flaherty; D O'Brien 0-1, J Rafferty 0-2, A Fox, E Foley, T Fox 0-3, T Keane 1-4(1-0pen, 0-3fs). Subs: A Kelly for Foley (29 BC); G Soraghan for A Fox (72 BC).
REF - S Johnson (Louth).
Indo Sport
