Electric Ireland MFC Quarter-Final

Kerry 1-24 Derry 2-10

By Jackie Cahill at Croke Park

Peter Keane’s Kerry scored all bar one point of this afternoon’s winning tally from play as they cruised into the Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor football championship semi-finals.

Ten players got on the scoresheet as the Kingdom saw off Derry by 11 points at Croke Park to set up a semi-final against Kildare or Mayo on August 28.

This was excellent stuff from treble-chasing Kerry, who had a haul of 1-6 from inspirational captain Seán O’Shea, a member of last year’s All-Ireland winning team.

O’Shea was aided and abetted by the scoring exploits of the Davids, Shaw and Clifford, who split 10 points from play between them.

Shaw bagged four points in a row between the 38th and 45th minutes as Kerry, who outscored their opponents by 1-12 to 0-4 in the second half, stepped on the gas.

Derry got in for two crucial first half goals and had parity at the interval – 2-6 to 0-12 – but Kerry had the greater firepower as O’Shea, Shaw, and Clifford called the tune.

O’Shea was exceptional in that opening half, kicking five of his six points from play, while the Kingdom targeted Derry goalkeeper Ben McKinless and his kick-outs, profiting on a number of occasions.

The sides were level three times within the opening 16 minutes before a run of four unanswered points opened up a four-point lead for Kerry.

McKinless then came forward for a 20m free which he dragged dreadfully wide at the Hill 16 end but Derry had their opening goal in the 24th minute as Patrick Quigg scrambled the ball home at the second attempt, after his initial effort was saved by Billy Courtney.

The Oak Leafers were now very much back in the hunt, trailing by 1-4 to 0-8, but Kerry stepped on the gas to open up a five-point lead by the 28th minute.

As Hogan Cup final hero Clifford picked off a couple of points, one from another loose McKinless kick-out, Kerry moved 0-12 to 1-4 in front.

But Derry were resilient and after Feargal Higgins somehow wriggled his way through for a 30th-minute goal, points from impressive midfielder Patrick Coney and wing-back Pádraig McGrogan levelled matters at the interval.

But Kerry opened the second half with intent, Daniel O’Brien fisting a point before O’Shea banged home a 33rd minute goal off the post.

Brian Friel added to Kerry’s lead and while Caolan Devlin opened Derry’s second half account, with a free, Shaw opened up with that quartet of quickfire scores to send his team into an eight-point lead – 1-18 to 2-7.

The margin stretched to 11 by full-time as Kerry won pulling up.  

**Scorers for Kerry: **S O’Shea 1-6 (1f), D Clifford and D Shaw 0-5 each, D O’Brien 0-2, M Potts, M Breen, M Ryan, D Moynihan, B Friel and C Teahan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Derry: F Higgins 1-2 (1f), P Quigg 1-0, P Coney 0-3, C Devlin 0-3 (3fs), P McGrogan and S Higgins 0-1 each.  

Kerry: B Courtney; D Naughton, G O’Sullivan, N Collins; M Potts, D O’Brien, M Foley; M Breen, M Ryan; B Sweeney, S O’Shea, D Moynihan; F O’Brien, D Shaw, D Clifford.

Subs: B Friel for O’Brien (h.t.), C Teahan for Sweeney (44), S Okunbar for Ryan (55), K Dwyer for Potts (56), C Linnane for Moynihan (59), T O’Connor for Clifford (60+2).  

Derry: B McKinless; C McCluskey, G McLaughlin, A Bradley; S McErlain, E Concannon, P McGrogan; P Coney, C Doherty; S Higgins, C Devlin, P Quigg; S Downey, F Higgins, E Bradley.

Subs: O McKeever for Concannon (34), O McWilliams for Downey (37), S Mortimer for McLaughlin (44), R Young for Doherty (45), L Kielt for Bradley (51), J.P. Devlin for McCluskey (55).

Referee: J Hickey (Carlow).