AIB Leinster Club SHC: Slevin the hero for Kilcormac-Killoughey

AIB Leinster club SHC quarter-final

Kilcormac Killoughey (Offaly) 1-32 Naas (Kildare) 3-25

After extra time

By Paul Keane

Goalkeeper Conor Slevin was Kilcormac-Killoughey's last gasp hero in Newbridge, converting a free from around 100 metres out to secure a dramatic extra time AIB Leinster club SHC victory.

With two minutes of stoppage time, at the end of extra time, already gone, Slevin stood up to convert his fifth point of the day to separate the teams and propel the Offaly champions through to a November 22 semi-final clash with Shelmaliers.

Slevin scored his team's last two points, firstly cancelling out Jack Sheridan's 80th minute score for Naas which had left the hosts a point ahead, before nailing the winning point deep in his own half after a foul on James Mahon.

There was a huge contribution too from Adam Screeney who notched 1-13, his goal coming in the second half of extra time.

The win, Kilcormac-Killoughey's 12th ever in the competition, was all the more impressive as they lost star centre back Cillian Kiely to a second yellow card in the 52nd minute of normal time.

Colin Spain and Conor Mahon impressed for the 2012 champions as well, though it was tough on a Naas side desperate to kick on in Leinster after capturing the last eight Kildare titles.

They were right there too, only prevented from winning in normal time by Spain's brilliant point from out on the wing in the 63rd minute that forced the extra 20 minutes.

Naas were two points ahead in extra time as well, after Brian Byrne struck their third goal, following earlier majors in normal time from Sheridan and Cathal Dowling.

But they couldn't hold out as Declan Laffan's side brought all their big-game experience to bear in the closing minutes.

It was a familiar fixture for the inter-county players as Kildare hosted Offaly on the same pitch back in May, in the final round of the Leinster SHC.

Eight of the Naas starters lined out in that one while K-K trio Ter Guinan, Spain and Screeney started for the Faithful.

Offaly won comfortably at the time, to secure their All-Ireland quarter-final place, though it was the Kildare men who were on top initially this afternoon.

Daire Guerin's fifth minute point, when he intercepted an ambitious Adam Screeney pass across the Kilcormac-Killoughey attack and launched it all the way downfield and over the bar, was an early indicator of how tuned in Naas were.

A minute after that score, Simon Leacy's point attempt for Naas dropped short and wasn't dealt with by the Kilcormac-Killoughey defence, allowing Jack Sheridan to steal in and strike to the net.

The visitors battled back to level terms with four points in a row, 0-5 to 1-2, but 1-3 without response from Naas put them in the driving seat again.

Their second goal came in the 13th minute and amounted to a piece of opportunism from Dowling who rose up to get the slightest of touches on a James Burke ball in, redirecting it to the net.

K-K finished the half strongly, outscoring Naas by 0-5 to 0-3 in the second quarter, but it was the side in blue and white that enjoyed a 2-8 to 0-10 lead at half time.

Experienced centre-back Kiely cleared plenty of ball for Kilcormac-Killoughey but a powerful Naas defence coped with most of what came their way, conceding just four first-half points from play.

Evan O Briain kept tabs on Screeney though the Fitzgibbon Cup winner with UL helped to turn the screw in the third quarter as the Offaly side got on top.

Screeney pointed from a free and helped to set up another score as K-K outscored Naas 0-6 to 0-2 in the first eight minutes of the second half.

Mahon and Spain came into it strongly too and the latter's point, after a clever one-two with Mahon from a sideline ball beneath the main stand, tied it up at 0-16 to 2-10.

The last 20 minutes was a terrific back and forth, with the sides level seven more times.

Kilcormac-Killoughey struck back-to-back scores on three different occasions during that final quarter but Naas always had a response.

Kilcormac-Killoughey lost Kiely with eight minutes to go, a high challenge on the onrushing Brian Byrne leading to his second booking.

And Naas thought they'd clinched victory with the extra man when Burke pointed in the 62nd minute, putting his team ahead.

But K-K simply refused to die and when a long Slevin free dropped short, the ball was eventually recycled out to the right wing from where Spain somehow split the posts to force extra time at 0-25 to 2-19.

Four Naas points - three from free-taker Sheridan - to just two from Kilcormac-Killoughey left the hosts with a 2-23 to 0-27 lead at half time of extra time.

Somehow, the second half of extra time was even exciting with both sides netting again, leaving Naas with a two-point lead and five minutes left on the clock.

They couldn't hold out though as K-K reeled off four of the game's last five points, Slevin their last gasp hero.

Kilcormac-Killoughey scorers: Adam Screeney 1-13 (0-11f), Conor Slevin 0-5 (0-5f), Colin Spain 0-4, Conor Mahon 0-3, Thomas Geraghty 0-2, Peter Geraghty 0-1, Enda Grogan 0-1, Daniel Hand 0-1, Cillian Kiely 0-1, Karl Guinan 0-1.

Naas scorers: Jack Sheridan 1-13 (0-10f, 0-1 65), Brian Byrne 1-3, James Burke 0-4, Cathal Dowling 1-0, Daire Guerin 0-2, Simon Leacy 0-1, Conan Boran 0-1, Oisín O'Neill 0-1.

Kilcormac-Killoughey: Conor Slevin; Brecon Kavanagh, Tom Spain, James Mahon; Ter Guinan, Cillian Kiely, Enda Grogan; Colin Spain, Damien Kilmartin; Leigh Kavanagh, Conor Mahon, Daniel Hand; Adam Screeney, Peter Geraghty, Thomas Geraghty.

Subs: Jack Screeney for Leigh Kavanagh 41, Karl Guinan for Peter Geraghty 54, Alex Kavanagh for Thomas Geraghty 59, Brian Guinan for Kilmartin 59, Jordan Quinn for Grogan e/t, Thomas Geraghty for Karl Guinan 73.

Naas: Cormac Gallagher; Liam O'Reilly, Rian Boran, Evan O Briain; Daire Guerin, Conan Boran, Harry Carroll; Peter O'Donoghue, Simon Leacy; James Burke, Brian Byrne, Cian Boran; Jack Sheridan, Cathal Dowling, Charlie Sheridan.

Subs: Fionn Maher for Charlie Sheridan 55, Oisín O'Neill for Cian Boran 56, Charlie Sheridan for O'Neill 74, Cian Boran for Maher 78.

Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Dublin).