Kilmessan to kill off Killyon’s dreams

The first of the SHC quarter-finals will be contested between Kilmessan and Killyon at Pairc Tailteann on Saturday 6pm, writes Tom Gannon.

The two teams have impressed from early on and have earned their spot in the last six where places are at a premium especially if you are not part of the perceived big four of Trim, Ratoath, Kildalkey and Kiltale.

With the other side of the draw being stacked with three of the aforementioned top four, this a wonderful opportunity for one of these sides to show that they are capable of competing with the best in the county in crunch games.

Unfortunately for Killyon, things didn’t go as planned in their final group game. They were soundly beaten by a slick Ratoath side and looked second-best throughout.

However, if you put a line through that result, it has been a largely successful SHC campaign for Killyon with Keith Keoghan and Adam Farrell putting in some standout performances.

Still, a tough task lies ahead of them when they face Kilmessan, who have proven they are not to be underestimated as they finished ahead of last year’s SHC champions Kildalkey in the standings.

Kilmessan earned their preferred draw by finishing second in the group which was largely down to a fantastic win over Trim.

That day, the full forward line of Sean Doyle, Mark Horan and Eoin Harkin were exceptional with the latter of the three getting a hat-trick of goals.

Kilmessan also have fantastic talent further out the pitch in the likes of Kris Gorman, Mal Doyle and Declan Smyth. They showed their depth in talent last time out and a slightly changed-looking outfit made light work of Dunderry.

When the sides met earlier on in the year during the league, Kilmessan had 22 points to spare. It may be a bit closer this time around but you would still expect Kilmessan to progress to the semi-finals in comfortable enough fashion. Verdict – Kilmessan.