Kilcar get it easy with opening SFC win away to Ardara

Ardara 1-8 Kilcar 2-12

The spadework was done by the visitors inside a controlled opening half hour, when, against the stiff breeze, Kilcar still managed to go in at half-time two in front.

And with Conor Doherty grabbing a second goal for Kilcar shortly after the restart, Mark Sweeney’s charges eased towards the finish line as the likes of Ryan McHugh and Stephen McBrearty nailed lucrative two-pointers.

As stated, with the elements in their backs, Ardara still found themselves 1-4 to 0-5 adrift at the midpoint with Gary Molloy’s 12th-minute goal the difference between the sides at the changeover.

With Kilcar quite happy and, indeed, quite right to manage minutes with an effective ‘keep ball’ strategy in that opening half hour, the onus was on Ardara to push out and engage.

They didn’t and, in the end, the winning and losing of the game probably occurred in those instances.

Michael Gallagher had got Kilcar off the mark first but an Eoghan Ban McNelis two-point free switched the early advantage. Turning over the resulting kickout, Cailum Malley then left it 4-1 on ten minutes.

But with Kilcar starting to win both sets of dispatches thereafter, the second quarter was more or less one-way traffic whenever the visitors decided to put the pedal to the metal.

Jack Hegarty would land three points, two from frees, while that Molloy maximum was cheaply coughed up when Ryan McShane got in along the endline far too easily to put that first goal firmly on a silver platter.

And while Ardara did grab the last over of the first period, ironically enough after pushing out, engaging and turning over a Kilcar passage of play that lasted three and a half minutes; it felt like this one was already decided.

John Ross Molloy - with the advantage given - cracked a crossbar before McNelis got the second-half off to a positive enough start for the hosts when he clipped the resulting free.

However, when McHugh’s effort from distance dropped short and was innovatively flicked to the net by Doherty, Kilcar went 2-4 to 0-6 in front.

That made an already uphill task even more difficult and with home heads lowering from that point on, Kilcar went about their business in relatively comfortable fashion.

Clint Walsh’s outfit did bag a late goal through Josh Malley but it only served to add a little gloss to a disappointing afternoon.

Ardara now go away to St Michael’s in Round 2 in what is now a huge game for both teams with the Bridge men losing out on Saturday evening to Gaoth Dobhair in Magheragallon.

Kilcar, meanwhile, will look forward to an exciting home clash in Towney against Four Masters, who themselves defeated Killybegs in Donegal Town at the weekend.

Ardara scorers: Josh Malley 1-3; Eoghan Ban McNelis 0-3, 1tpf, 1f; Cailum Malley 0-2;

Kilcar scorers: Jack Hegarty 0-3, 2f; Stephen McBrearty 0-3, 1tp; Ryan McHugh 0-3, 1tp; Gary Molloy 1-0; Conor Doherty 1-0; Ciaran McGinley 0-2; Michael Gallagher 0-1.

Ardara: Paddy Gallagher; Shane Mooney, Shane Whyte, Joe Melly; Kevin Whyte, Paddy McGrath, Danny Walsh; Eoghan Gallagher, John Ross Molloy; Darragh Hennigan, Josh Malley, Cailum Malley; Kyle McHugh, Kian Mc Cabe, Eoghan Ban Mc Nelis.

Subs: Shane Sweeney for K McHugh (43), Jamie Elliott for Walsh (55)

Kilcar: Seanie Boyle; Eoin Cormac, Pauric Carr, Ryan O Donnel; Ryan McShane, Brian O Donnell, Gary Molloy; Ciaran McGinley, Eoin McHugh; Conor Doherty, Ryan McHugh, Oran Doogan; Jack Hegarty, Stephen McBrearty, Michael Gallagher.

Subs: Liam McLaughlin for J Hegarty (50), Mark McHugh for C McGinley (59).

Referee: Val Murray (Aodh Ruadh).