Ulster club SFC: Dynamic Kilcoo ease to victory

Ramor United's Simon Cadden and Micheal Rooney of Kilcoo. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Kilcoo 3-13 Ramor United 1-8

Cavan’s wait for a first-ever Ulster Club SFC title continues after Kilcoo came, saw and conquered Ramor United with the greatest of ease.

The dynamic Down men put up a powerful show at Kingspan Breffni and their place in this year’s semi-finals was never in doubt.

Ramor gave as good as they got very early on in the tie and actually led by 1-1 to 0-2 following Sean McEvoy’s sixth-minute goal but that was as good as it got for the Virginia-based side.

Mickey Moran’s men were a class apart throughout with an 1-5 unanswered salvo in a 10-minute spell in the third-quarter, upon which they constructed their facile victory.

Showing all their football nous, Kilcoo grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck after Jerome Johnston’s classy major made it 1-3 to 1-1 after 10 minutes.

Kilcoo responded brilliantly to a mini-revival from Ramor and Cellum Doherty’s goal – after great foraging by Dylan Ward and Eugene Branagan – made it double scores, 2-10 to 1-5, 14 minutes from time.

Kilcoo’s place in the next round was sealed by a third goal on 56 minutes from man-of-the-match Jerome Johnston.

Scorers for Kilcoo: J Johnston (2-2); C Doherty (1-3); P Devlin (0-3, 3f); R McEvoy (f), E Branagan, D Ward, A Morgan, S Johnston (0-1 each).

Scorers for Ramor United: S McEvoy (1-4, 2f); James Brady (0-2, 1f, 1 mark); C Maguire, P McNamee (0-1 each).

KILCOO: N Kane; N Branagan, R McEvoy, A Branagan; M Rooney, A Morgan, E Branagan; D Ward, A Morgan; C Doherty, J Johnston, S Johnston; C Laverty, R Johnston, P Devlin.

Subs: A Branagan for A Morgan (51); T Fettes for R Johnston (51); C Rooney for A Branagan (56); M Hynes for M Rooney (56); J Clarke for J Johnston (58).

RAMOR UNITED: L Brady; D Bartley, B O’Connell, E Somerville; A O’Connell, Jack Brady, Mark Magee; L Caffrey, E Maguire; B Smith, S Cadden, C Maguire; James Brady, A Cole, S McEvoy.

Subs: G Mannion for C Maguire (42); K Maguire for L Caffrey (42); P McNamee for B Smith (49); J Bradley for S Cadden (53); L Lynch for A O’Connell (56).

Ref: N Cullen (Fermanagh).